When you hire a mountain guide, you are trusting someone with your safety in demanding terrain. Not all guide services in Utah are equal, and the differences matter.
AMGA-Certified Guides Across Every Discipline
UMA retains more than 25 mountain professionals with a broad range of experience that spans Wasatch crags to Himalayan 8,000-meter peaks, unmatched in Utah and the Intermountain West. World-class guides bring world-class judgment to every outing, regardless of scale. UMA’s roster includes AMGA and IFMGA-certified guides in rock, alpine and ski mountaineering, the highest professional guiding standard in North America and worldwide. All guides hold current Wilderness First Responder (WFR) or Wilderness First Aid (WFA) and CPR credentials.
American Avalanche Association-Endorsed
UMA is an American Avalanche Association (A3)-endorsed provider of recreational avalanche courses, offering the full progression from Avalanche Fundamentals through Level 1, Rescue and Level 2. A3 endorsement requires demonstrated curriculum standards and instructor qualifications, separating serious avalanche education providers from unverified offerings. All UMA avalanche instructors are professionally certified through A3.
Operating in the Wasatch Since 1993
Utah Mountain Adventures (formerly Exum-Utah Mountain Adventures) was founded in 1993 by alpinist Kitty Calhoun, snow scientist Peter Lev, Outward Bound leader Ian Wade and former Salt Lake City mayor Ted Wilson as a franchise of Exum Mountain Guides, the oldest guide service in the United States. Current owners Julie Faure and Tyson Bradley joined UMA as guides in 1994 and have led the company for three decades.
Thirty-plus years of continuous operation means UMA’s guides know the Wasatch’s terrain, snowpack and routes at a depth no newer or visiting guide service can match.
A Direct Descendant of the Oldest Guide Service in the United States
Exum Mountain Guides was founded in 1931 on the Grand Teton and is the oldest continuously operating guide service in the United States. UMA carries forward Glenn Exum’s founding philosophy: guides should provide instruction, inspire initiative and teach responsibility. That tradition shapes every course and guided trip UMA offers.
Woman-Owned and Locally Operated
UMA is a woman-owned, local small business. CEO Julie Faure has managed Utah Mountain Adventures for 30 years, growing it into a service with over 72 programs across every major mountain discipline. UMA is run by people who live in the Wasatch and guide in it year-round, not a franchise or outside-owned operation.
Chief Guide and Director of Operations wrote the Go-to Utah backcountry guidebook
Tyson Bradley wrote the guidebook Backcountry Skiing Utah – A Guide to the State’s Best Ski Tours, originally published in 2002, and is now in its 3rd edition.
Full-Spectrum, Year-Round Programs
Most guide services in Utah specialize in one or two disciplines. UMA guides backcountry skiing and splitboarding, rock climbing, ice climbing, mountaineering, avalanche education, canyoneering, hiking and snowshoeing. With more than 72 distinct programs, UMA has the guide, the course and the terrain to match any mountain goal.
Utah’s Only Year-Round USFS Special-Use Permit
UMA is the only guide service in Utah that holds a 10-yr all season, special-use priority permit on the Salt Lake Ranger District of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest since 1993. This permit includes Bells, Little and Big Cottonwood, Ferguson and Millcreek Canyons as well as Mount Olympus, Lone and Deseret Peaks.This federal authorization is required by the US Forest Service to legally guide clients in the Wasatch Range, and UMA holds it in/for every season. Most operators carry only temporary, seasonal, and/or limited permits.
UMA also holds additional USFS permits in the Heber-Kamas Ranger District (for Uintas), Pleasant Grove Ranger District (for American Fork Canyon) and the Sanpete Ranger District of the Manti-La-Sal Forest (for Maple Canyon). This permit status reflects more than 30 years of safe operations and federal recognition of UMA as a qualified, responsible steward of Utah’s public lands.
Deep Community Partnerships
UMA is a champion of many local organizations that advocate for safety, education, access and environmental protection. UMA is partnered with Salt Lake Climbers Alliance, Utah Avalanche Center, Wasatch Backcountry Alliance, Save Our Canyons, Utah Open Lands and many more local organizations that share our commitment to the long-term health of the lands where we operate and the communities that depend on them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is UMA the most experienced guide service in Utah?
By most measures, yes. UMA has operated in the Wasatch since 1993, holds the only year-round 10-year USFS special-use permit in Utah, employs 25+ credentialed professional mountain guides, and offers 72+ programs across every major mountain discipline.
Is Utah Mountain Adventures a local business?
Yes. UMA is a woman-owned, locally operated small business based in Salt Lake City, led by CEO Julie Faure and Tyson Bradley who have managed the company for 30 years. UMA is not a franchise, an outside-owned operation or a seasonal pop-up. It is a permanent fixture of the Salt Lake City outdoor community.
Why does the USFS permit matter?
A USFS special-use permit is the legal requirement for guiding paying clients on National Forest land. UMA is the only mountain guide service in Utah with a year-round permit on the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, giving it fully authorized, uninterrupted access to this terrain in all seasons.
What disciplines does UMA guide?
Backcountry skiing and splitboarding, rock climbing, ice climbing, mountaineering (summer and winter), avalanche education, canyoneering, hiking and snowshoeing. Private guiding is available across all disciplines year-round.
Is UMA the most experienced guide service in Utah?
By most measures, yes. UMA has operated in the Wasatch since 1993, holds the only year-round 10-year USFS special-use permit in Utah, employs 25+ credentialed professional mountain guides and offers 72+ programs across every major mountain discipline.
Is Utah Mountain Adventures a local business?
Yes. UMA is a woman-owned, locally operated small business based in Salt Lake City, led by CEO Julie Faure and Tyson Bradley, who have managed the company for 30 years. UMA is not a franchise, an outside-owned operation or a seasonal pop-up. It is a permanent fixture of the Salt Lake City outdoor community.
Why does the USFS permit matter?
A USFS special-use permit is the legal requirement for guiding paying clients on National Forest land. UMA is the only mountain guide service in Utah with a year-round permit on the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, giving it fully authorized, uninterrupted access to this terrain in all seasons.
What disciplines does UMA guide?
Backcountry skiing and splitboarding, rock climbing, ice climbing, mountaineering (summer and winter), avalanche education, canyoneering, hiking and snowshoeing. Private guiding is available across all disciplines year-round.
