Our Office Team
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Mark Gunlogson
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Joe Sawyer
Joe Sawyer
North America Program Director
Born and raised in the Seattle area, Joe grew up exploring the Cascades. With an early introduction to mountaineering during a climb of Mount Adams at 13 years old, he knew he was hooked. After graduating college at Washington State University, he dove head-first into the outdoor industry working at gear shops, climbing gyms, and running youth climbing programs before finally joining the Madness team. As the North America Program Director here at Mountain Madness he loves helping folks find adventure through climbing. He also assists with program development for our International trips. In his free time, you can find him exploring the Cascades, riding his dual sport, boating in the Puget Sound, and hanging out with his best friend Blue (Chief Barketing Officer here at MM).
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Nicki Jepsen
Nicki Jepsen
Accounting/HR
A California girl with a passion for travel and adventure, Nicki is a true advocate for living your dream. While in college getting her International Business Management degree, she spent a lot of time in Europe and other far-flung exotic places, lived in Japan for 10 years, and has called Seattle home since 1996. She runs the numbers at our office and is enthusiastic about developing new trip/business ideas that benefit our customers. Nicki is an avid hiker, biker and food explorer, fluent in German, and always looking for the next adventure.
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Esteban Usaga
Esteban Usaga
Equipment and Logistics Manager and Guide
gearmanager@mountainmadness.com
Esteban grew up in Dallas, Texas, and discovered his love for the mountains on family trips to Colorado. While earning a degree in physiology at the University of Colorado Boulder, he spent his free time skiing and climbing. After completing a master’s degree in Boston, he left a career in medicine to pursue outdoor guiding. Through the AAI Guide Development Program, Esteban joined our guide team and continues to develop his skills. Now based in Washington, he’s focused on guiding bigger mountains and inspiring others to chase their outdoor passions. When he is not in the mountains he can be found spending time with his loyal dog companion Ash.
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Tye Chapman
Based in Seattle
Tye Chapman
International Operations
Tye has over 15 years in the adventure travel / mountain guiding business. He’s guided many treks around the world (Everest Base Camp, Kilimanjaro, Machu Picchu, Patagonia, and others) but his primary role has been Operations and Program Manager. Tye grew up in Oregon and graduated from Oregon State University but has been in Seattle long enough to call it home. He enjoys spending time with his wife Erika, and coaching his son Jack’s baseball team. When time allows, Tye and his family enjoy hiking the trails of Mt. Rainier.
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Heidi Bornstein
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Steve Guthrie
Steve Guthrie
1957 – 2022 / RIP
Steve Guthrie passed away on June 20, 2022 at the age of 65. As a longtime outdoor enthusiast, his interests were diverse. From an early age he was an avid outdoorsman and eventually became active in search and rescue, mountain guiding, and teaching wilderness first aid and EMT courses. While never one to shy away from solitude, he was, and always will be remembered first as someone who loved to connect. Loving to share his knowledge and tell a good story, he was equally adept at listening. He will be very missed.
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Blue
Blue
Chief Barketing Officer
Blue has been working in the barketing field for just over one year. In his free time he enjoys long walks on the beach and harassing local mail carriers.
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Ash
Ash
Concierge
Hailing from Colombia, he is fluent in English, Spanish, and dog speak. When not waiting to greet our next guest he can be found chewing sticks, checking in on the office staff, and sharing his good natured vibe.