In addition to Del Smith, the team is joined by NOLS guide Judd Rogers, a Wyoming native who has spent the last four years as a Chilean resident. His combination of experience and philosophy ensure the Adventure Grants team has a great chance of success.

Favorite saying
"There are old mountaineers and bold mountaineers but how many old bold mountaineers do you know?"

Bio
Judd is 25 years old and has worked with NOLS for seven years teaching mountaineering in Alaska, Wyoming, and Chile. He's a native of Wyoming and can do all the things you'd expect of a Wyomingite — ride horses, lasso and brand cattle, sheer sheep — and of course, climb great mountains.

Judd's enviable job has lead him to an even more enviable living arrangement. He is a Chilean resident and has lived there for the past four years in Choyhaique. There he acts as the operations manager and mountaineering field staff for NOLS Patagonia Branch.

Beyond living in great places, Judd states he has spent more than 2,500 nights in a sleeping bag (that works out to just under seven years total).

But, according to him, his greatest accomplishment to date is leading a NOLS expedition on a Chilean Patagonia cap. This west to east traverse of Campo de Hielo Norte is through one of the most remote regions in the world. In addition to facing violent winds and being hampered by some of the more than 8 meters of annual precipitation, the team made it over the ice cap, which remains 90-percent unmapped. This should come in handy as the team makes a historically daunting approach of Mount Sir Sandford.

Leadership philosophy
"As an expedition leader I tend to try to give as much responsibility to the members of the expedition as possible without compromising the safety of the group. I've found that through such trust and empowering, great things can be accomplished. I see my role as a valuable resource for the group to use to make safe and smart decisions. I am more of a facilitator than a dictator."

On the Adventure Grants
"I have worked closely with Del before in the Southwest and get along well with her approach to facilitating expeditions. I am very excited about the opportunity to meet this exceptional group of young adults and to spending time together with them in the backcountry."