The core of a climbing school -- or of any business for that matter -- is its staff, and at ACS we are fortunate to have a staff who are not only excellent, widely-traveled climbers and knowledgeable guides, but also genuinely good people. We are also blessed with a great deal of continuity in our staffing, no doubt a result of the combination of Acadia’s great beauty, the high quality of the climbing here, the work environment, and the camaraderie and friendships that exists amongst the guides themselves. Our guides return year after year, discovering, like many others, that once Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park get inside of you, it’s hard to stay away.

2008 Staff

Jeff Butterfield

Jeff Butterfield -- owner of ACS -- started climbing at sixteen in 1974 in North Conway, New Hampshire. Like many young climbers of his generation, the publication of the now-legendary book Climb! – which documented the state-of-the-art in Colorado climbing when it was released in the spring of 1977 – sent him on a pilgrimage west to Boulder and the myth-filled shadows of Eldorado Canyon. In the succeeding years Jeff lived and worked in Boulder and other areas throughout the west, working as an Outward Bound instructor, a climbing guide, and at various other jobs that placed a premium on flexible schedules to maximize time spent on the rock. In 1983 Jeff graduated with a B.A. in Outdoor Experiential Education from the University of Northern Colorado and went to work for the Texas Juvenile Justice System, instructing thirty-day wilderness courses for adjudicated youth. Jeff returned east in 1984 and settled in Bar Harbor, Maine where he and his wife Heather Murray still live. Throughout his climbing career Jeff has enjoyed the lure of the first ascent and he has established challenging new routes in Maine, New Hampshire, Colorado, Utah and Newfoundland. In 2002 Jeff published Acadia: A Climber’s Guide, the first comprehensive guidebook to climbing in Acadia National Park in over twenty-five years.

Ben Gilmore

Ben Gilmore began his climbing career in Acadia while a student at the College of the Atlantic. Since then, he has climbed around the globe, from Alaska to India, including routes on Cerro Torre and Fitzroy in Patagonia, Yosemite’s El Capitan, and the North Face of Thalay Sagar in India. Ben has established many difficult first ascents during his travels and in 2004 he and climbing partner Kevin Mahoney were nominated for the prestigious Piolet d’Or for their route Arctic Rage on Moose’s Tooth in Alaska. Ben graduated from COA in 1993 with a B.A. in Human Ecology/ Outdoor Education. A full-time guide since 1994, he he has worked for several established services including Exum Mountain Guides in the Tetons. Ben is an AMGA Certified Rock Guide, an AMGA Certified Alpine Guide, and is a Certified Wilderness First Responder.

Seth Campbell

Seth Campbell began climbing in 1994 in Maine and has gone on to climb extensively throughout the U.S., South America, and Australia. Seth has a B.A. in Environmental Science from the University of Maine at Farmington, a B.S. in Earth Science and an M.B.A. from the University of Maine at Orono, and is currently pursuing a PhD. in Earth Science at Orono, with a concentration in glaciology and geophysics. His research will focus on the glaciers and mountains of Alaska and Antarctica over the next few years. Seth became an AMGA Certified Top Rope Site Manager and completed the AMGA Rock Instructor course in 2002. A certified Wilderness EMT and practicing EMT-Intermediate, Seth teaches courses nationwide for SOLO, one of the country’s leading providers of wilderness medicine education and training. 2008 will be Seth's sixth season with ACS.

Owen Kiley

Owen Kiley began climbing in 1999 in Acadia National Park, not far from his family's home in Bar Harbor. Since then, Owen has climbed throughout the U.S. and in Canada, including first ascents on the southwest coast of Newfoundland. In addition to his work as a rock climbing guide, Owen has guided backpacking and snow mountaineering courses in the Southern Alaskan Range for two seasons (he was once charged by an adult grizzly). Owen is a graduate of Deerfield Academy and the University of Vermont, where in 2006 he received a B.A. in Environmental Policy and Natural Resource Planning. 2008 will be Owen's fourth season with ACS. Owen is an AMGA Certified Top Rope Site Manager and a Certified Wilderness First Responder.

Pete Fasoldt

Pete Fasoldt has traveled and climbed extensively throughout North and South America -- from his home turf of the Camden Hills in mid-coast Maine, to the legendary peaks of Patagonia, where he recently summited Fitzroy with ACS Guide Eli Simon. Also an avid sailor, Pete has sailed over 15,000 nautical miles in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Pete is a graduate of Proctor Academy and the University of Southern Maine, where he earned a B.A. in Hispanic Studies & Spanish. 2008 will be his third season with ACS. Pete is an AMGA Certified Top Rope Site Manager, has completed an AMGA Rock Instructor course, an AMGA Rock Guide course, and passed his Aspirant Exam in April 2008. Pete is a Certified Wilderness First Responder.

Eli Simon

Eli Simon began climbing in 2000 in his hometown of Camden, Maine. Since then, he has climbed on six continents, including two big wall routes on Yosemite’s famed El Capitan, Fitzroy in Patagonia, and first ascents in Valle Cochamo, Chile -- all with fellow ACS Guide Pete Fasoldt. Besides climbing, Eli has sailed extensively, including a transatlantic crossing in 1999. Eli is a graduate of Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. 2008 will be Eli's fourth season with ACS. He is an AMGA Certified Top Rope Site Manager, has completed an AMGA Rock Instructor course, and is a Certified Wilderness EMT.

Greg Shyloski

Greg Shyloski began climbing in 1994 and has traveled extensively pursuing a sport that he calls a perfect medium for adventure, immersion in nature, healthy exercise, and a way to find deep focus. He has climbed difficult routes throughout the U.S., as well as in Spain, France, Italy and Switzerland. Greg graduated from Bates College in 2000 with a B.S. in Environmental Studies and he is currently pursuing graduate work in Special Education at Central Connecticut State. In addition to ACS, Greg has worked as a rock climbing guide for Eastern Mountain Sports Climbing School. 2008 will be his third season with ACS. Greg completed an AMGA Rock Instructor course in 2005 and is a Certified Wilderness EMT.

Alexis Finley

Alexis Finley grew up in the southwestern deserts of Arizona, where he began his rock climbing career and first developed his passion for outdoor education. In 2005 Alexis received a B.A. in Environmental Studies with an emphasis in education from Prescott College. Since then, Alexis has worked as a high school ecology and natural history teacher; led backcountry canyoneering, backpacking and mountaineering courses; and worked as a rock climbing guide on the cliffs in Maine, New Hampshire, Quebec, Arizona, California and Mexico. Alexis is an AMGA Certified Top Rope Site Manager, has completed an AMGA Rock Instructor course, and is a Certified Wilderness First Responder.

Heather Murray

Heather Murray began climbing in 1992 in Acadia National Park while she was enrolled at the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor. Heather has since climbed throughout the U.S. and Canada, including numerous trips to classic climbing destinations like Yosemite, Joshua Tree, Red Rocks, Indian Creek, Zion, the New River Gorge and Squamish. Heather graduated in 1995 from COA with a B.A. in Human Ecology. A long time guide, Heather now works part time for ACS, devoting the rest of her time to her business, Heather Murray - Jeweler at her studio in Bar Harbor, and teaching yoga. 2008 will be Heather's thirteenth season with ACS. She is a Certified Wilderness First Responder.