Staff and Guides
We are a company of extremely experienced guides. All the guides who work for Northern Alpine Guides have gone through extensive training in the art of guiding. Mountain Guiding is a profession we believe should be taken very seriously. Continued education, accreditation, and certification is important to us and we choose our guides accordingly. Although certification is important it does not assure you that one is a great guide. We have worked with all of our guides for nearly a decade now and have very close friendships with our crew. Being a small company it allows us to be selective the guides for our trips. It doesn’t get any better than the crew of Northern Alpine Guides!
Meet our staff
Seth Hobby
Owner & Lead Guide
Seth is a full time professional mountain guide, owner of Northern Alpine Guides, and a persistent alpinist in his free time. He grew up in the foothills of the rugged North Cascades in Washington State. Seth chose guiding as a career in 2001 at the age of 21 after completing many technical ascents in the North Cascades, Alaska Range, and British Columbia. He brings a solid background in all disciplines of climbing. A natural leader and teacher, he has lived a nomadic lifestyle taking him too some of the greatest alpine playgrounds of the world.
Seth has guided technical ascents throughout the Alaska Range, Waddington Range, Bugaboos, Canadian Rockies, Cascades, High Sierra, San Juan Mountains, Nepal Himalaya and Norway’s Fjell. While working as a guide he earned a bachelor degree in Natural Resource Management specializing in glacial monitoring from Western Washington University. He is a Certified Rock, Alpine Guide through the American Mountain Guide Association (AMGA) and is working towards IFMGA certification. In addition to his qualifications as a guide, he holds Avalanche certifications, a Wilderness First Responder medical certification, and is a Master Educator in Leave No Trace backcountry travel techniques. Seth can speak fluent Nepali and is learning Norwegian with his Norsk Family.
Maren Eek Bistrup
Owner & Administrator
Maren is part owner of Northern Alpine Guides, an avid climber and skier. Growing up in Norway, she has enjoyed both the coastal and mountain life. Marens love for nature, adventure, and traveling has taken her around the world.
She has climbed or skied in Alaska, Nepal, Canada, The North Cascades of Washington, California, Nevada, Utah, Ton Sai Thailand, Spain, Italy and France to mention a few. Marens favorite places in Norway are Lofoten and Romsdalen, where the mountain rises from the sea.
She is a titled KaosPilot with a bachelor in Innovation, creativity and business development. While completing her Bachelor she did parts of her 2008 semesters in working in Nepal and Vietnam. Maren focused her Bachelor on CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) and Innovation.
When not climbing, skiing, or working she likes spending time with family and friends, photography, art, and planning her next adventure!
Joe Stock
Joe is an IFMGA mountain guide with a passion for mountain adventure in Alaska. He has been climbing and skiing around the world for 27 years with an emphasis on alpine climbing in New Zealand, rock climbing in Australia, ice climbing in Colorado and mountaineering in the North Cascades. His favorite, though, is spring ski mountaineering in his home mountains in Southcentral, Alaska. Joe has an undergraduate degree in geology and geography from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand and a graduate degree in watershed science (snow science focus) from CSU in Fort Collins, Colorado. In addition to guiding, Joe works as a writer, photographer and hydrologist. He lives in Anchorage with his wife Cathy.
Tim Connelly
Tim Connelly has been around the world block a few times and with his 13 years of mountain guiding, he has found himself helping people fulfill their dreams from Alaska to Patagonia, from the Himalaya to the Alps to Antarctica with many a stop in between. Fully licensed UIAGM and the 2006 recipient of the American Mountain Guide Association (AMGA) ‘Outstanding Guide of the Year’ award, Tim has also received numerous honors from Denali National Park in Alaska for help with search and rescue operations. Tim is recognized throughout the guiding world for his expertise and passion for the peoples and experiences to be had in the mountains. Tim speaks Spanish and French.
Mark Allen
Mark Allen is a Washington native and cut his teeth in the North Cascades 1991 and began guiding in the Northwest in 2001. Now he is currently a Full IFMGA Mountain Guide; AMGA Rock, Ski, Alpine Certified and a AIARE Level II Avalanche instructor. When not personal climbing across the US Mark divides his time guiding Alpine, Ice, Rock and Ski trips in the North Cascades, Colorado’s San Juans, and European Alps. Mark’s shoulder seasons are typically spent by annual spring migrations to Alaska to alpine and ski guide in the Alaska and Chugach ranges, rock guide in Red Rock NV and Joshua Tree CA, or high altitude mountaineering in Asia. Mark’s personal interests are alpinism and ski mountaineering descents in areas that still need exploring. His academic background is in geology with an emphasis on mountain building processes.
Dylan Taylor
Dylan joins our team from Bellingham, Washington. Dylan guides in Washington, Alaska, Nevada, the Alps, and in the South American Andes. Dylan holds an AIARE Level 3 Avalanche certification, and he is a fully certified UIAGM/IFMGA Guide. Originally from Colorado, Dylan grew up with an obsession for rock and alpine climbing and skiing. His love for the mountains led not only to exploring, but also a Masters Degree in geology. Between guiding adventures, Dylan finds time for his own personal climbing and skiing expeditions to places like India, Patagonia (establishing several first ascents), and Alaska (completing several first ski traverses). Dylan is also an avid photographer, and enjoys documenting his adventures – both guided and personal. You can occasionally spot his images in the outdoor media and in catalogs. While resting in camp after a long day in the mountains, Dylan may talk your ear off about photography, geology, or the current state of world politics.
Anders Alsvik
Anders Alsvik, was born and raised in Kabelvåg and has been out and about in the mountains since he was a child. Over the past 15 years, he has been particularly engaged in outdoor life in the mountains, especially in Lofoten, but also elsewhere in Norway and the rest of the world. He has attained extensive professional qualifications in outdoor leadership in combination with his experience making him a great guide especially skiing in Lofoten. With many first descents in the Lofoten Islands and the surrounding areas Anders knows all the ski peaks in the Lofoten area like the back of his hand. Anders is a key member of our winter staff and also a member of the alpine rescue service in Svolvær. With his local knowledge and love of the mountains here, he will be happy to join you and help make your next skiing trip in Lofoten the memory of a lifetime – not to mention a safe trip.
