Michael was born and raised in Washington State, and began climbing in the Cascades as a young teenager.  He started his career working in the mountains as a Climbing Ranger on Mount Rainier, where he worked seasonally for 5 years doing mountain rescue for the National Park Service.  During some of this time he attained a B.S. degree from Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana studying geography and snow.

He Began guiding in Alaska and internationally in 2013.  He has been climbing and guiding in some of the greater mountain ranges around the world, including: Nepal, Patagonia, the Andes and Alaska.  He has been a certified EMT since 2012.  He is also certified in Rigging for Rescue, Pro Avalanche level 2, Helicopter Crew Member, and Leave No Trace.  He has worked as an instructor at the Khumbu Climbing School (Alex Lowe Charitable Foundation).  The past 3 years in a row (2017 – 2019) he has received the Denali Pro Pin for rescue.

When Michael is not guiding he enjoys spending time in the mountains climbing, skiing and running.  He also works as a carpenter and farm hand in his home town of Winthrop, WA.  He is honored to be a part of the team at Exum.