Meet Our Guides
Tom cecil
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"Tom Cecil's influence on modern American climbing goes beyond his title of 'Mr. Seneca' [and his] lifetime of climbing achievements...Tom's experience and creativity were crucial in supplying not only now-standard anchoring strategies but also in creating the terminology which comprise the modern vocabulary.
Simply put, from gyms to big walls, Tom Cecil was instrumental in fashioning the safety model followed by all modern climbers, and for going on half a century he's been a leading ambassador for the 'sport of kings' (and queens!)"
- John Long, author of How to Rock Climb and Climbing Anchors
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Tom started climbing at the age of 13 at Seneca Rocks with his mentor. By the age of 14, he was leading Seneca classics like Ecstasy (5.7) and has climbed that particular route over 1000 times in the years since. Tom has climbed and/or guided 10 different El Cap routes and many other big walls. He has also put up more than 25 first ascents at Seneca, hundreds in the North Fork Valley, and hundreds in Thailand and other international locations.
Committed to a climber’s lifestyle, he formed Seneca Rocks Mountain Guides in 1988 with one mission in mind: to teach the best practices and techniques and become a mentor for the new generation of traditional climbers. In 1998, Tom also became an adjunct professor at the Adventure Sports Institute of Garrett College and continues to teach there today. Tom is currently working with the local guides of Vinales Cuba helping to train (through the PCGI) and certify a new generation of climbers in Cuba.
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Credentials
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Professional Climbing Guides Institute Certified Multi Pitch Guide
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Professional Climbing Guides Institute Mentor for All Certification Levels
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Wilderness Medical Associates Certified Wilderness First Responder
Troy Phillips
"Troy is an outstanding guide, we were so lucky to have a privilege of having him as out guide for 2 days in a row! He made us exceed out abilities and our own expectations while keeping us 100% safe! Thank you, Troy!"
- L and S
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I had an incredible experience learning how to trad climb with Troy! He's a fantastic guide and excellent teacher.
- Eric B
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Troy Phillips has been a full-time adventure-recreation industry professional since 2007 and has been guiding rock climbing since 2011. He began climbing at Seneca in 2014 and started guiding at Seneca in 2017.
Troy grew up in south-eastern Ohio where he discovered an interest in outdoor adventure in the Boy Scout Program. After high school Troy began a career in aerial adventure parks, moved to West Virginia and began climbing. Troy also enjoys playing music, cooking and has degrees in business and philosophy.
Troy has completed training and certifications through the American Mountain Guides Association, Wilderness Medical Associates, Boy Scouts of America, National Ranger Training Institute, and is a Certified Multi-Pitch-Guide through the Professional Climbing Guides Institute. Troy became an integral part of developing climbing programs and practices for the Boy Scouts of America as a member of their National Climbing Task Force.
In addition, during the school year Troy works as an instructor for the School of Natural Resources at Hocking College teaching courses in Backpacking, Rock Climbing, and Technical Rescue. In the winter Troy guides rock climbing in Joshua Tree National Park for California Climbing School.
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Credentials
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Professional Climbing Guides Institute Certified Multi Pitch Guide
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Boy Scouts of America Certified COPE & Climbing Program Manager
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National Ranger Training Institute Certified Rope Rescue Technician
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Wilderness Medical Associates Certified Wilderness First Responder
Holly Frost
Thank you Holly!! Hands down the best climbing experience I’ve ever had. I came just knowing I wanted to get on gunsight and Holly customized a day packed with nonstop climbing. ... I will be back for sure!
- Chrissy N
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We had a great day with Holly; she went out of her way to accommodate our personal needs and goals, made sure that we got the most out of our climbing day, which we did! ... Thank you for granting me this beautiful beautiful journey!
- Shuang Z
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After discovering climbing in 2014, Holly quit her corporate job and never looked back. Formerly an industrial process engineer (B.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Florida), she's now committed to curating impactful experiences and healthy learning environments for her clients.
While Holly's climbing roots are in the eastern United States, she has climbed and adventured all over the world, including Thailand, France, Italy, and Nepal. Holly began her climbing career teaching outdoors for Movement Gyms (formerly Earth Treks) in the Washington DC area before transitioning to guiding full time for Seneca Rocks Mountain Guides.
Holly loves adventure climbing as an infinite medium for learning about oneself and building connections with partners. She is a certified Lead Guide through the Professional Climbing Guides Institute. During the winter season, Holly guides in Joshua Tree National Park for Cliffhanger Guides and Athena Rock Climbing. Holly has been climbing for 9 years, and guiding since 2019. Her favorite climbing destinations are Railay Beach, Thailand; Indian Creek , Utah; and obviously, Seneca Rocks.
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Find Holly on IG: @heelhookholly
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Credentials
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Professional Climbing Guides Institute Certified Lead Guide
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Wilderness Medical Associates Certified Wilderness First Responder
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Kyle Mills
Our guide Kyle was amazing!! He is passionate and knowledgeable about his job and knows when to push and encourage his clients. ... Highly recommend and will definitely come back!
- John D
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My guide this time was Kyle Mills. Thank you Kyle for a Father Daughter Climbing expedition that proved to exceed my expectations! It was a memorable day for me as I held back tears to see my daughter climb confidently and achieve a difficult goal but also memorable for her as she won’t stop talking about it joyfully now days later!
- Scott B
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Kyle is a life-long West Virginian who was too young to remember the first time he saw Seneca Rocks.
In 2007 he started his trad climbing life at Seneca, and this is also when he became active in the local caving scene. From 2012-2016 he was a wild cave guide at Lost World Caverns and member of the West Virginia Association for Cave Studies—where he played a very active role (mostly through aid climbing domes) in discovering new passages in the Friars Hole Cave System that eventually led the cave system to having over 50 miles of mapped passages—the first cave in West Virginia to do so.
Since 2016 he has been leading backpacking, climbing, caving, canoeing, and outdoor education trips for the Spruce Knob Mountain Center and participating in the Germany Valley Karst Survey through exploring the Hellhole Cave System. In 2021, Kyle met up with Tom and began a mountain guide/ fishing mentorship that has proved the intricacies of guiding and instructing multipitch climbing courses might just be easier to do than regularly catching large fish.
Kyle is the author of 'Field Notes from the Alleghenies' and is working on his second book.
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Credentials
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Professional Climbing Guides Institute Certified Lead Guide
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Wilderness Medical Associates Certified Wilderness First Responder
Arthur Brooks
"Arthur was patient, knowledgeable, reassuring and very safe. I should mention that we both had climbing experience, so he was able to tailor the experience to us. I couldn't recommend them more - book a trip and push yourself to do something you didn't think you could!
- Elliott P
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After serving 4 years with the US Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment, Arthur began his outdoor career as a backcountry guide, leading many youth expeditions canoeing across the Canadian Wilderness and backpacking throughout the Rocky Mountains. He discovered his passion for climbing in 2018, when some of his friends were patient enough to drag him 6 pitches up to the top of Devils Tower, Wyoming. That experience inspired him to learn everything possible about the arts of climbing and alpinism."
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Thank you so much for spending the two days with me.The entire experience was way better than I expected, including the nice campsite. I learned so much from Arthur and can't wait to come back.He was really great and patient with me.
I will definitely be back to Seneca in 2025.I want to do more advanced training and hire a guide to take my daughter climbing.
Let me know the best way to stay in touch!
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Pursuing his passion, Arthur has climbed extensively across the US, from cragging in Joshua Tree and Red Rock Canyon, to technical rescue courses and backcountry expeditions among the glaciers of the North Cascades. He began climbing at Seneca in 2022, and quickly discovered that it was the best rock east of the Mississippi to hone the skills necessary for an aspiring alpinist.
Credentials
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Professional Climbing Guides Institute Certified Lead Guide
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Wilderness Medical Associates Certified Wilderness EMT
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Leave No Trace Certified Master Educator
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American Alpine institute Technical Rescue Training Course Completion
Andre Chiquito
Andre did an awesome job planning our three days so that we had a good mixture of learning, hands on practice, and just enjoying the climbing. ... We had such a great time and it’s thanks to Andre’s excellent planning of each day; he considered our interests and abilities, and chose routes that were challenging yet enjoyable for us. ... All in all, it was an amazing trip to Seneca and I would highly highly recommend Andre (and SRMG) as a guide!
- Kristen K
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Andre Chiquito is the newest addition to the team of experienced guides at SRMG, having joined us for the 2024 season. Never having been known to take the most direct route in life, his entrance into working in the outdoors was no different.
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Andre discovered climbing in 2019, and has gobbled up any and all skills and knowledge possible since the very beginning. He has climbed in Brazil, Norway, Mexico, and all over the United States, but, being a North Carolinian, the Southeast US will always be one of his favorite places to climb. Outside of climbing, Andre loves to cave, packraft, and travel overland.
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While working in IT Support and taking classes at UNC Chapel Hill, Andre found his first climbing partners through the school's climbing club. By the end of his time at UNC, Andre had become a mentor for the club, teaching basic rock-climbing skills to new members and helping to plan and lead trips outdoors. Having finally quit his IT job and graduated with degrees in Psychology and Information Science, Andre is stoked to swap a desk for Seneca Rocks!
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Credentials
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Professional Climbing Guides Institute Certified Single Pitch Guide
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National Outdoor Leadership School Wilderness-First-Aid Certification
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SOLO CPR Certification