The difference is in our guides.
We strive to…
provide top-notch experiences to clients and to create an open community for people of all ages and races to enjoy the great outdoors. Our mission here at WMG is to provide the best guiding service, climbing experience, and fun to anyone who is willing to learn and experience better. WMG is here to help others gain their full potential through climbing. WMG thrives for clients to experience new things, create new perspectives and enjoy the physical and mental challenges along the way.
WMG’s goals are to create amazing experiences, friendships, and to give back as best we can.
Meet WMG
John Willard
Founder & Lead Guide
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John was born in Singapore but moved to the state of Massachusetts in 2000 at the age of 5 and is the youngest of 6 boys. Moving to the United States is where his love of sports and athletic activities began. Playing football for 10+ years, he got the chance to understand what being a part of a team meant and learned many life lessons through the sport. Hard work and determination are ingrained into his DNA.
Coming from a low-income family, outdoor activities such as climbing, hiking, snowboarding, mountaineering, etc. were out of the question as a youth. It wasn’t until the age of 13 where John fell in love with the outdoors when he got his first snowboard. This began his journey of understanding there’s more to life and that being outdoors was the answer. Climbing didn’t come into the picture until an intro to climbing course in college by his college professor, Dr. Benjamin Mirkin. As John was signing up for classes, Ben said “you look like a climber, you should sign up” and John went with it and got instantly hooked. The physical and mental aspects of climbing is what John loves the most about climbing. Being able to understand the risks and ways to mitigate them is what makes climbing such an amazing sport, activity, or hobby. It helps you to tap into your brain and understand that your brain can be your worst enemy. Telling yourself you can’t do something puts a limit on what can be done! Ice climbing and rock climbing are the two areas of climbing that John enjoys the most. Being able to share a rope with a first-timer and see them overcome fear and anxiety is such an amazing experience to share with someone.
John has climbed, hiked, and backpacked in numerous states across the United States and has worked in the Cascades guiding on bigger mountains and objectives. Mount Baker, Mount Shuksan, Mt. Olympus, Silver Star Mountain, Ingalls Peak, The Tooth, Forbidden Peak, and various routes on the Liberty Bell group in Washington Pass, just to name a few! The east will always be home for John and guiding rock, ice, mountaineering, hiking, and backpacking. Cathedral Ledge, Whitehorse Ledge, and Mount Washington Valley is where John loves to climb and guide. John is a big advocate for continuing education and will continue to gain certifications through the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA).
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AMGA Certified Ice Instructor
AMGA Assistant Rock Guide
AMGA Apprentice Alpine Guide
AMGA Single Pitch Instructor (SPI)
Wilderness First Responder
CPR Certified
Leave No Trace Master Educator
AIARE Level 1 and Rescue Course
AIARE Level 2
B.S in Outdoor Education, Leadership and Tourism
Minor in Photography, Northern Vermont University- Lyndon
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Repentance, III, WI5 M4-5, Cathedral Ledge, NH
The Black Dike, IV, WI5 M3-4, Cannon, NH
Geographic Factor, WI5, Rumney, NH
Within Reason, WI5, Frankenstein Cliff, NH
Bullwinkle, III, WI5+, Lake Willoughby, VT
Glass Menagerie, III, WI5, Lake Willoughby, VT
Crazy Diamond, III, WI5, Lake Willoughby, VT
The Last Gentleman, IV, WI5, Lake Willoughby, VT
Twenty Below Zero, III, WI4+, Lake Willoughby, VT
West Ridge of Forbidden Peak, North Cascades, WA
Mount Shuksan via Fisher Chimneys and Sulphide Glacier, North Cascades, WA
Mount Olympus via Blue Glacier, Olympic National Park, WA
Mount Baker via Easton Glacier and Coleman-Deming Glacier, North Cascades, WA
Clean Break, IV, 5.10c, Juno Tower, WA
Northwest Face Remsberg Variation, III, 5.10d, Liberty Bell, WA
Serpentine Crack, III, 5.11c, Liberty Bell, WA
North Chimney, III, 5.9, Castleton Tower, UT
Durrance, III, 5.7+, Devil’s Tower, WY
Duet Direct, 5.10+, Cannon Cliff, NH
Moby Grape, III, 5.8 PG-13, Cannon Cliff, NH
Terror of Tiny Town, 5.11a, City of Rocks, ID
Singapore, 5.11a, City of Rocks, ID
Jolly Rancher, 5.10, Indian Creek, UT
Cosmic Wall, III, 5.6R, Northern CA
Bourbon Street, III, 5.8+, Red Rocks, NV
Ginger Cracks to Blade Runner, IV, 5.10b, Red Rocks, NV
Next Century, II, 5.10d, Red Rocks, NV
Yin and Yang, 5.11, Red Rocks, NV
Mike Ricard
Guide
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Mike grew up in Lincoln, Rhode Island. He fell in love with the outdoors at an early age through Boy Scouts, and eventually attained the rank of Eagle Scout when he was seventeen. Mike’s experience as a Boy Scout helped to shape him as an outdoor leader and prepared him for his experiences in college. He was first introduced to rock climbing at the age of eleven on a trip to Acadia with the Boy Scouts. Mike has come full circle since that trip.
In May of 2023, he graduated from Vermont State University with a Bachelors in Outdoor Education and a minor in Photography. His experiences in college helped him to hone in his skills as an outdoor leader and introduced him to guiding where he was able to take his AMGA Single Pitch Instructor, AIARE 1, and Wilderness First Responder courses.
Mike has climbed in every state in New England as well as Nevada in Red Rock Canyon. In the summer season, Mike lives and works in Acadia National Park where he guides in one of the only locations in the country where sea cliff climbing is found. When he isn’t climbing, Mike enjoys his photography, playing guitar, snowboarding, scuba diving, trail running, and most other outdoor activities.
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AMGA Single Pitch Instructor
Wilderness First Responder/CPR
AIARE Level 1
B.S. in Outdoor Education, Leadership, and Tourism (Vermont State University – Lyndon)
Minor in Digital Photography (Vermont State University – Lyndon)
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Lady Luck, III, 5.7, Red Rock Canyon, NV
Romanian Rib, III, 5.5, Red Rock Canyon, NV
Elbows of Mac and Ronnie, 5.11b, Red Rock Canyon, NV
Jack Crack, 5.9, Crawford Notch, NH
The Whitney Gilman Ridge, III, 5.7, Franconia Notch, NH
Broadway, 5.8, Ragged Mountain, CT
From Russia with Love, 5.10a, Acadia National Park, ME
Chitlin’s Corner, 5.10a, Acadia National Park, ME
Recollections of Pacifica, 5.9, Acadia National Park, ME
Half Shell Heros, 5.11a, Franconia Notch, NH
Autumn Enchantress, 5.11b, Franconia Notch, NH
