Brian Houle

Originally from North Dakota, I grew up hunting, fishing, and spending much of my time outdoors. After graduating from Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) with a degree in Anthropology, I worked for a number of years as a field archaeologist in the western United States and Alaska.

I was first introduced to climbing while studying abroad at the University of Otago in New Zealand. I brought my new found passion for the sport back with me and started to balance my time between digging and climbing.

The transition from archaeology to guiding came slowly, and I eventually found myself immersed in a two-year guide training program.

After finishing this program, I applied and was accepted as a short-term intern with Chiang Mai Rock Climbing Adventures (CMRCA) in northern Thailand. What should have been 4 months turned into 5 years! I was initially in charge of training the Thai guides for the AMGA SPI course and exam, but my duties soon led me to guiding full-time, as well as being the Head of Risk Management and Guide Training.