Tom Grant
Lead Guide / Co Founder
Find me on: Instagram
Tom is half American, half British, and has called Chamonix home since 2009, long enough to have watched the mountains that shape his working life change more than he’d like. He’s a full IFMGA guide and professional mountain athlete, specialising in alpine climbing, rock climbing and steep skiing, and his reputation in that world has earned him sponsorship from the likes of Black Crows, Scarpa, Jöttnar, Grivel and Sungod.
Tom’s obsession with mountains started young (tree climbing first, then skiing, then rock) and it’s never really stopped. Close to a decade of full-time guiding has taken him from the north faces of the Alps to the big walls of Yosemite and the remote, little-travelled peaks of Pakistan’s Hindu Kush, with technical first ski descents completed across the Alps, New Zealand, Alaska, Canada, Norway and Pakistan. The standout: in 2017, he skied the Caroline Face on Mt Cook, New Zealand’s highest peak, with two companions, nearly 2,000m of vertical on one of the largest skiable alpine faces in the world, navigating complex, previously unskied terrain and rappelling over a major serac band along the way.
For all the technical pedigree, Tom’s guiding philosophy comes back to something simpler: making sure clients feel safe and comfortable in the mountains, whatever the objective. It’s an approach shaped partly by what he’s seen change first-hand, he’s candid about the fact that the thing that concerns him most about the mountains today is how fast they’re shifting under the pressure of a warming climate, which is exactly why Outlier Ascents builds flexibility and guide judgement into every itinerary rather than fixed plans.
Away from guiding, Tom has a ten year old son and spends much of his remaining time on mountain training of his own, alongside a longstanding love of travel and exploring new cultures. At Outlier Ascents, he works closely with Rob on course design and pricing, and leads many of the Alps expeditions himself.
“Climbing with a guide felt very clean, safe and comfortable. They did all they could to ensure you reach the summit and return safely.”
What’s Tom all about…
Why the mountains?
I was obsessed with the mountains from a young age, always wanting to climb trees or when it snowed in Virginia where I grew up, pretending I was climbing an alpine peak. I started skiing and rock climbing in my teens and then exploring alpine climbing became a logical progression from that.
What’s the biggest challenge you face with the mountains?
Worst thing about mountains ‘how fast they are changing, it’s becoming overall a more difficult and sometimes more dangerous environment to operate due to climate change.
What’s your most epic experience to date?
In 2017, two friends and I skied one of the world’s biggest un-skied lines, the Caroline Face on Mt. Cook, the highest peak in New Zealand. The Caroline Face is one of the world’s largest skiable alpine faces at nearly 2,000m of vertical and had been attempted by several strong teams in the past. Once we rapped into the top of the face we were fully committed to the line and the only way was down. Luckily we efficiently navigated the complex line, finding a way to rappel over a large serac band in the middle.
What does life outside of Outlier Ascents look like for you?
Most of my life revolves around mountain sports, but when I’m not in the mountains I love training for them. I have a son who is 10 years old and he is a big focus of my life outside of the mountains. I also love traveling and discovering new cultures and places.
