Dave Hahn is a legend in the realm of high-altitude guiding, yet he is the last person you’d hear boast about those accomplishments. A world-renowned high-altitude climber, Hahn has summited the world’s tallest peak fifteen times, the most of any non-Sherpa. A climber with a keen interest in exploration history, he participated in the expedition that discovered George Mallory’s body on Everest and guided the Shackleton Traverse on South Georgia Island seven times, an epic historical journey that earned that mission Outside Magazine’s Trip of the Year in 2004.

A guide with Rainier Mountaineering, Inc. since 1986, Hahn has received numerous prestigious awards for rescue work. In 2001 he was named Denali Pro Mountaineer of the Year for his aid on Denali. That same year, the American Alpine Club gave him the David A. Sowles Memorial Award for his saves on Everest. He received the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Citizen’s Award for Bravery for a rescue on Mt. Rainier, as well as accolades from The Nepal Mountaineering Association for his work on Everest. He has twice guided climbers to the summit of Cho Oyu, and led New Mexico’s former governor Gary Johnson to summits of Vinson and Mt. Everest.

On the stat sheet side, Hahn has summited Denali 23 times, topped out on Vinson Massif on 38 occasions, and peaked out on Mt. Rainier nearly 300 times before he realized he’d never break the record and stopped counting. During the winter months, Hahn works as a professional ski patroller in Taos, New Mexico, where he is a local celebrity and home owner.  In spring Hahn guides heli-skiing in Alaska for Tordrillo Mountain Lodge.  A proud member of the University at Buffalo sports hall of fame, Hahn is also certifiably gluten-free. During the odd drought or down season, Hahn dabbles in public speaking, journalism and chess.