About Gary Scott

After traveling, climbing, and walking all over the world, Gary discovered the Dolomites eight years ago and instantly fell in love with them and knew he had found his nirvana. Gary now spends his summers in the Dolomites leading his friends and guests on luxury walking trips to relish his secret off-the-beaten-track trails and viewpoints, villages, hotels, and restaurants. He also has made many friends in the area and loves his guests to meet and get to know them. He then expanded to nearby Croatia and Slovenia and since marrying his Slovakian wife Katarina he now leads tours there, often with Katarina’s help.

Gary has safely guided clients up dangerous mountains on five continents and personally has climbed over 20 big mountains in Alaska, Russia, South America, and the Himalaya. He has co-led two successful Mount Everest Expeditions and has reached 28,000 ft without using supplemental oxygen before turning around to help a sick Sherpa guide. He was the first person to climb Denali (Mt. McKinley) 20,320ft in Alaska, solo and unsupported in one day, thereby setting a world record for the fastest ever ascent in an amazing 18 ½ hours – a record that stood for 27 years! Now fully retired from mountaineering Gary says – “I much prefer to stay in a warm bed in a nice hotel and enjoy great food and a wonderful glass of wine with my guests and not be freezing my butt off and risking my life on a cold and dangerous mountain.”

Scott is an expert at reading people’s walking abilities and very good at matching people with the right trail. He will be able to challenge you as much or as little as you want. Scott is also an expert at advanced walking techniques and will gladly show you ways to improve how you walk so you are more efficient and will not feel as tired at the end of the day. Many people fear they will not be “in good enough shape” or “won’t be able to keep up” and that is not a problem with Gary – and we have many people you can ask who will attest to that fact. It is simply not an issue as Gary will choose the right trail for you and he utilizes the many cable cars to get up into and down off the trails to your advantage so you can walk as much or as little as you want.

As a professional mountain guide, Gary is an expert at reading the weather and knows where to take people on trails according to their ability and the weather, and perhaps more importantly – where not to take people. He’ll find the “right” trail for you – hence the company name!

A native Australian, Gary left on his first overseas trip at six weeks old, then on another international trip to North America to live for two years when he was six. On a vacation with his parents to Banff National Park in Canada, he saw the Rocky Mountains and turned to his father and announced: “I want to be a mountain climber!” Back in Australia at the age of eight, he learned that Mt. Everest was the highest mountain on earth and it became his goal to climb it.

Scott found that he loved being outside and in nature and he spent many years walking in the bush in Australia with a map and compass, then spent his teens learning the art of technical rock climbing. After high school, he spent three years climbing full-time reaching the highest levels of the sport, and achieving over 200 first ascents. He was certainly an early pioneer of extreme rock climbing in Australia and has done climbs that have never been repeated.

When Gary knew he was ready he left Australia with a daypack, his passport, and a one-way ticket to Kathmandu, Nepal, and 32 years later, as he jokes – “I am still on that same trip”. Scott

spent the next few years trekking and climbing in Nepal and started working as a trekking guide for an international travel company. After a few years, he started his own trekking company while working as a mountaineering guide for various prestigious companies around the world.

A published author, in 2003 he wrote “Summit Strategies – Secrets to Mastering the Everest in Your Life” – weaving in lessons learned while climbing his way around the world, and has authored rock climbing and triathlon guidebooks. He has also spent time in the corporate world working for the U.S. Olympic Committee, managing radio stations, was the President of ten outdoor retail stores, and has started numerous companies. Organization, planning, attention to detail, management, and people skills are part of what has made him so successful as a guide.

Gary recently became a certified yoga instructor and is a certified Personal Fitness Trainer. He has an Advanced First Aid & CPR certification, Blue Card (verifying he is “safe” to work with children), IRATA Rope Safety Certification, Working at Heights Certification, and COVID19 Training Certification. He is also a member of the American Mountain Guides Association and the American Alpine Club.

Gary has an easy-going, Australian “no-worries-mate” attitude that is infectious. He is a true professional and very good at handling all the details of a trip so people can relax and have fun. He is easy and fun to be with and allows his guests to be themselves and no matter what their age, background, or walking ability they quickly feel like they are traveling with a good friend. Gary is very passionate about showing his friends and guests the hidden delights of the areas he takes people. Any spare time he has he spends exploring new areas and many guests comment that one of the highlights is meeting and talking with his many friends in the area.

“My only agenda is for you to have a fantastic time and for you to be blown away by the walks and the views, the hotels I use and the staff that run them, the incredible food and the amazing wines, the people you will meet and the overall great time you will have. I will take great care of you and make sure you get to see the BEST of the area and have an absolutely incredible experience that will exceed your expectations.”