Each of our staff members retain several of the following certifications:

• Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician
• Wilderness First Responder / First Aid Certification
• Low to High Angle Rescue
• Outdoor Emergency Care Technician
• CPR for the Healthcare Provider / Professional Rescuer
• Avalanche Courses Level I -III
• AMGA Certification & Membership
• American Avalanche Association Professional Membership

Josh Butson
Owner, Lead Guide/Instructor

Josh is the owner of the San Juan Outdoor School (SJOS) and the director of the San Juan Field School (SJFS). He has been one of the San Juan Outdoor School's premier guides for the past five years.

Josh has been guiding year round for a living for almost 10 years. He possesses a strong knowledge of the San Juan Mountains and feels that the Telluride area has endless outdoor recreation opportunities. Josh grew up in the White Mountains of New Hampshire where he was introduced to climbing, paddling, mountaineering, and skiing.

From an early age he made it a point to find new places to explore. Some of his favorite destinations are Joshua Tree, Zion, Red Rocks, the Adirondacks, Acadia, Cascades, China, Ecuador, Argentina and Bolivia. Josh has a love and appreciation for the natural world, which makes him passionate in sharing this love with others. He feels that it is the SJOS's responsibility to help pass on an appreciation of all of the areas local cultural and natural history. 

Josh's education includes a B.S. in Adventure Based Recreation Program Management and an Associates in Outdoor Recreation. Some of his certifications and training include American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) Top Rope Certification, AMGA rock instructor course, The American Institute for Avalanche Research and education (AIARE) Level II professional avalanche training, (AAA) Level II avalanche training, Wilderness First Responder (WFR), and CPR for the Health Care Provider. Josh lives in Telluride, Colorado with his wife Tara, their dog, Jasmine and Cat Grizz.

Tara Butson
Operations Director, Guide/Instructor

Tara has a variety of experience in the outdoor industry. Some of her experience include working for a wilderness therapy program in Maine as a team leader guiding land and water based activities for several years. Tara has been guiding for over 10 years and brings alot to the San Juan Outdoor School. She has also been a Wilderness Education Association instructor, interpretative guide, and a paddling instructor. Tara's education includes a B.S. in Adventure Based Recreation Program Management and an Associate in Outdoor Recreation. Some of her certifications and training include WEMT, (AIARE) Level 2 avalanche training, and CPR for the Health Care Provider.

Ben Clark
Guide/Instructor

Ben Clark has summitted 29,035' Mount Everest from the hallowed technical North ridge and sponsored athlete, representing Mountain Hardwear and Garmont. Clark has climbed on 5 continents and is a veteran of multiple seasons in the Himalaya, the Andes and the Alaska Range, as a guide and as an explorer. Clark feelsThe Colorado Rockies and especially the San Jauns offer the diverse terrain necessary to continue learning and practicing the skill set that makes forays into the great ranges all the more enjoyable.

Sharing the experience with those who are just begginning or looking to build on previous knowledge is a joyous experience. After almost seven years of guiding this rings true for Clark for many reasons, but primarily because after all his experiences and expeditions, he says"The sense of wanderlust in the beginners eye is the same expression I see in myself, trip after trip, climb after climb!" There is no greater joy than experiencing that in the mountains and at the crags and Ben looks forward to counting you as a partner and as a student to both teach and learn from.

Drew Ludwig
Guide/Instructor

Drew is a native to the Western Slope of Colorado and has recently found a place to call home in the San Juan Outdoor School’s front-yard of Ophir Colorado. When not working on his 19th century home Drew can be found in Alaska guiding clients up Denali or on climbing sojourns to the deserts of Utah. He has worked as a climbing guide for Lizard Head Mountain Guides of Telluride Outside, a climbing guide for Mountain Trip on the peaks of the Alaskan Range, an instructor at the Telluride Academy, and as a photojournalist all over the world. As a two-year member of the San Miguel County’s Search and Rescue, he has been able to practice his skills as a trained Wilderness First Responder. The word career has always scared Drew but it appears he is fairly comfortable tied to a rope with a camera in hand.

Jon Miller
Guide/Instructor

Jon is the Program Director for the San Juan Field School.  An avid climber and skier Jon has traveled the country and parts of Europe pursuing the best lines.  A former Training Coordinator of the Western State College Mountain Rescue Team, Jon has worked and trained in some of the most extreme terrain in Colorado.  He currently works as a Guide/Instructor for San Juan Outdoor School/Telluride Alpinism.  Jon is a member of the American Alpine Club, AAA Level 1certified and a Wilderness First Responder.

Travers Mitchell
Guide/Instructor

Travers is a Telluride resident who has been a strong member of the San Juan Outdoor staff for the past Two years. Travers has a BA anthropology from Colorado State University and is fluent in Spanish. He is also an experienced rock climber with a strong knowledge of the local crags. Travers when he is not climbing gives much of his time to civic involvement as a Telluride Adaptive Sports Volunteer and as a Spanish interpreter for the Latino population in the area. Some of Travers other talents include being a Potter, snowboarder, and skier. Travers has a strong interest in the importance of traveling and international volunteer work making him a well-rounded instructor/Guide.

Sarah Pratt
Guide/Instructor

Sarah was born in Chicago, IL and has been residing in Telluride, CO for past year. She has been refining her climbing and guiding skills over the past Seven years.  She has taught rock climbing all around the United States. Sarah has quickly become one of the San Juan Outdoor School’s top female guides. She has been guiding for the San Juan Outdoor School for the past three years, proving herself to be a premier guide. She has instructed and guided for The Wilderness School, Prescott College, Athenian, Chadwick School, and Rubicon Outdoors.  Sarah currently holds a Top Rope Certification from the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA), Wilderness First Responder (WFR), CPR and professional avalanche training through the American Avalanche Association (AAA). Sarah’s education includes a Bachelors degree in Adventure Education from Prescott College. In her free time, Sarah enjoys climbing, hiking and knitting.

Jack Roberts
Guide/Instructor

Jack Roberts has been climbing for 39 years and has climbed throughout Colorado since 1984. Jack isapublished author with the second edition of his ice climbing guide to Colorado, Colorado Ice, which was a finalist in theguidebook category at the 2006 Banff Book Festival. He is a frequent contributor to Climbing magazine, Rock and Ice magazine and the American Alpine Journal. He was awarded recognition at the Banff Book Festival as having written the finest article of the year in the 1997 Canadian Alpine Journal His latest article is published in Alpinist number 20, under the Mount Huntington story.

He is frequently requested as guest lecturer, presentator and clinic instructor at the Ouray Ice Festival,Pont Rouge (Festiglace) ice festival, Bozeman Ice Festival, Cody Ice Festival and many others. He continues to write and publish stories for various websites, companies and climbing journals.

His climbing career began in 1968 in Southern California where he climbed at Tahquitz, Joshua Tree and Yosemite. He eventually became a part of the influential Stonemasters

Climbing group and went on to ascend big walls in Yosemite. Many of these were second ascents (The Shield, Zodiac, Tangerine Trip, Tis-Sa-Ack, Cosmos, Gobi Wall, El Cap Towers Right Side, Mescalito). Later on he gravitated to alpine climbing in Europe, Canada, Alaska where he established first ascents on Mt. Huntington, Denali, Mount Lewis, Mt. Kennedy and more. With Dale Bard he did the first free ascent of Polar Circus and with Tobin Sorenson did the first winter ascent of the North Face on Mt. Robson and the first winter ascent of the Central Couloir on Mount Kitchener.

Antoine Savelli
Guide/Instructor and the Founder of Telluride Alpinism

Antoine Savelli is a UIAGM French High Mountain Guide from Chamonix. Antoine started his mountaineering career in 1970, his skiing in 1960 and started guiding in the French Alpine Troops in 1977. Holds several onsight solo world records, like the the Dru by the American direct in 5 1/2 hours and the North Face of the Grandes Jorasses by the Walker Spur in 7 1/2 hours. Antoine has many first ascents to his credit in his own backyard on the Ophir Wall including The Abyss 5.14d/5.15a, and extreme skiing first desents like Neve's Diagonal on Sheep Mountain 55 degrees. His ice-climb on sight free solos include: Slipstream Canada, Bridalveil Falls and the Ice Hose close to home.

Antoine specialzes in helping passionate climbers surpass themselves on big Alpine routes in Chamonix,France and around the world. He has taught with the likes of Yvon Chouinard, Patrick Cordier, Michael Covington and initiated the AMGA certification program in the early eighties.

M'Linda Stansbery
Guide/Instructor

M’Lin has always had a love for the outdoors. Growing up in Colorado she was able to hike, camp, climb and snowboard on a regular basis. A proficient climber, she has climbed in places such as Zion, Yosemite, Smith Rocks, Moab, Grand Teton, and all around the Telluride region. M’Lin has guided numerous backcountry trips ranging from overnights to extended wilderness travel since the summer of 2001 and summited her first 14,000+ foot peak in 1998. An avid world traveler, she has been to over 15 countries and spent two years in West Africa as a Peace Corps Volunteer doing environmental and agricultural work under the Department of Forestry.  During the winter M’Lin works with the Adaptive Ski Program for disabled persons, skis, snowboards, and ice climbs.

Daniel Zokaites
Guide/Instructor

Dan grew up caving in Virginia and West Virginia and has gained broad experience caving throughout North America. He now enjoys instructing rock climbing and mountaineering in the Telluride area, and volunteering for the Adaptive Sports Program. Before moving to Telluride, Dan spent several years climbing in the eastern US including the New River Gorge, Seneca, and the Red River Gorge. He has also biked across the country, hiked over a thousand miles of the Appalachian Trail, and skied on the Virginia Tech Ski Team. Dan especially enjoys eating raw cookie dough.