Phil Powers

One of the longtime owners of Jackson Hole Mountain Guides, Phil Powers is also the executive director of the American Alpine Club (AAC). Powers has led dozens of expeditions to South America, Alaska and Pakistan's Karakoram Range, including ascents of K2 and Gasherbrum II without supplemental oxygen. He made the first ascent of the Washburn Face on Denali, naming it in recognition of the impact that longtime AAC member Bradford Washburn's photos had in the planning and route research of many Alaska climbs. Powers also made the first ascent of Lukpilla Brakk's Western Edge in Pakistan and the first winter traverse of the Tetons' Cathedral Peaks. He is the author of Wilderness Mountaineering and Climbing: Expedition Planning, and his essay "The Importance of Pace" aired on NPR's "This I Believe" in 2006.