Guides

We are a small team of talented professionals with a wide range of skills and experience.

We love what we do, and we do it with passion.

We look forward to working with you.

Alex Teixeira Owner

Lead Guide

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Alex grew up skiing and exploring the wild places of New England. These early explorations led Alex to rock climbing, mountaineering and backcountry skiing and from there into guiding. Alex began guiding professionally in 2007 in an effort to combine his passion for climbing and teaching. In 2014 Alex took over as owner of Mooney Mountain Guides from his mentor and friend Art Mooney, providing the opportunity for sharing his passion for the mountains into his life’s work.

Alex believes that guiding is so much more than just putting the rope up. It is about creating an experience that not only adds to the quality of life of his guests, it also expands their relationship with the Earth and with themselves. “Creating experiences for growth is what I enjoy most about my work. The guests I climb with the most become my friends, and I get to watch them transform into climbers and planet activists.” As a father, business owner, teacher and experienced guide he has a keen sense of risk and how to manage it to create unforgettable experience for his guests.

AMGA Certified Alpine & Rock Guide
AMGA Assistant Ski Guide
AMGA SPI Provider & AIARE Instructor

Mooney Mountain Guides Owner, Lead Guide

AIARE Level 1, 2, Pro 1 & Pro 2 Certifications

Certified Wilderness First Responder

Email: [email protected]

Laurie Watt

Woman’s Program Coordinator

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Laurie fell in love with hiking and skiing in the mountains as a kid but it wasn’t until she had sent her kids off to college that she was able to fully embrace mountain life. While raising her family and cultivating a career in Physical Therapy, Laurie found time to trek and climb in Alaska, Switzerland, Africa and Patagonia. Those trips stoked the fire for more time and experiences in the mountains. She expanded her skill set to rock and ice climbing as a guest of Mooney Mountain Guides. Once the kids were off, Laurie committed to the process of becoming a guide. Through training, mentorship and many days out, she has progressed through the AMGA training in the rock, ice and alpine disciplines.

Laurie’s passion is to provide opportunities for beginner climbers, especially all women groups, to try climbing. “I love watching women discover that they are much stronger and more capable than they know”. Laurie guides rock and ice climbing as well as routes on the glaciers of Mt. Baker.

AMGA 2024 Guide of the Year!!

AMGA Certified Single Pitch Instructor

AMGA Apprentice Alpine & Rock Guide

AMGA Ice Instructor Course Completed

AIARE Level 1, Companion Rescue and Pro 1

Wilderness First Responder

Email: [email protected]

Art Mooney Founder

Lead Guide

Art’s true passion is climbing and skiing. For over 40 years he has be an active climber with 25 of those years as a working mountain guide. Art is one of the most experienced rock and ice climbing guides in the New England area. Personal and guided trips have taken him on rock climbs, ice ascents, mountain climbs, and ski tours all over the world.

Art started climbing in 1979 on the cliffs and mountains in New Hampshire. Rock, ice climbing, and skiing has lead to travels and adventures all over the world. Art specializes in high end sport climbing, long multi pitch rock routes, and technical ice climbs locally and when traveling.

Art entered the guiding profession in 1995. In 2001 he was the tenth American to be certified with the American Mountain Guides Association as a full IFMGA mountain guide. Art proudly continues his guide work in NH with Mooney Mountain Guides. Art is a visiting guide for Jackson Hole Mountain Guides and is a member of the American Mountain Guides Association Instructor Team working as a guide trainer and examiner.

Each year the AMGA recognizes and honors guides for an outstanding achievement or a lifetime of work. The AMGA Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Art in 2019 and the AMGA Guide of the Year Award presented to him in 2014.

Art continues his guiding and enjoys sharing each day with guests on any climb. He enjoys sharing knowledge of the climbs and areas, teaching movement and technical knowledge, and sharing a fun and exciting experience with you on a climb.

Art is the founder of Mooney mountain Guides and an AMGA Mountain Guide/IFMGA Licenced Guide

Wilderness First Responder

Ted Teegarden

AMGA SPI Provider

Ted’s passion is to share the mountains with his guests. He has traveled and climbed all over the US spending significant time in the world-class locations that our country has to offer but finds his home nestled in the superb White Mountains of New Hampshire. Here Ted loves to climb and instruct on the steep waterfall ice and sunny rock cliffs that climbers have been cutting their teeth and training on for over a century. Ted started guiding and working in the outdoor education field in 2003 and has only deviated from the industry since then to spend one season working as a sternman for his lobsterman father-in-law in Bar Harbor, Maine.

Ted splits his time as the Accreditation Manager for the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) and guides for Mooney Mountain Guides as a certified AMGA Rock Instructor and AMGA Ice Instructor. He guides both rock and ice climbing and teaches AMGA Single Pitch Instructor Programs, training the next generation of climbing instructors.

AMGA Certified Rock Instructor

AMGA Certified Ice Instructor

AMGA Apprentice Alpine Guide

AMGA SPI Provider/Examiner

Certified Wilderness First Responder

Email: [email protected]

Ben Mirkin

AIARE Provider

Ben loves to play outside, in almost any way you can imagine. He works full time as a professor of Adventure Leadership at Northern Vermont University – Lyndon. Prior to NVU, he spent the 9 years at The White Mountain School and served as director of White Mountain Climbing Camp. Ben has taught college Adventure Education courses at UNH, Plymouth State University, and the University of Northern Colorado, in addition to leading extended wilderness courses throughout the American northeast, northwest, Canadian Rockies and Alaska as well as guiding for Mooney Mountain Guides since 2013.

Ben is an avid backcountry skier, mountain biker, and a rock and ice climber. He is excited to share his passion for using the outdoors to help students learn and teach.

Guiding and Teaching Credentials