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A charismatic leader, he is legendary for Denali's first solo winter ascent, the first solo ascent of Mt. Vinson and as a lead guide for Col. Norman Vaughn's ascent of Mt. Vaughn.
In addition to his fame and expertise in the extreme environments of Alaska, Antarctica, and the Caucasus, Vern's success in guiding people to the summit is simply remarkable. Along with numerous highly successful guided expeditions of Elbrus, Vern has 100% success on Kilimanjaro. Vern's guided ascents are an extremely unique blend of his dynamic spirit, climbing expertise and guiding savvy, and are renowned in the guiding community. Vern led the AAI expedition to Iran's Mt. Damavand (one of the first American guided climbs).
Most recently Vern had outstanding success on Everest, two trips to Mt. Vinson, Denali and Elbrus. He guided the 2000 Everest expedition and in his free time, completed a winter ascent of Aconcagua and a top-10 finish in the 1999 Eco-Challenge.