About Us
At Andes Mountain Guides, we are proud to work with world-class, internationally certified guides and some of the most accomplished alpinists in the region. Our team is known for personalized service, deep local knowledge and strong instructional skills. Combined with careful logistics and thoughtful client preparation, this makes Andes Mountain Guides a trusted partner for your mountain experience.
Our Team
JUAN PABLO VILLAGRA
Juan was born and raised in Argentina and lives in Bariloche. He is the Director of Andes Mountain Guides and an IFMGA/UIAGM mountain guide with more than 25 years of guiding and climbing experience around the world.
His mountain life has taken him to places such as Cerro Torre, Fitz Roy, El Capitan, the Tetons, Aconcagua and the icefalls of Montana. Juan is also Co-Director of CIAv (Centro de Información de Avalanchas Bariloche) and former Technical Director of the AAGM (Asociación Argentina de Guías de Montaña), connecting his guiding work with avalanche education, professional standards and guide training in Argentina.
Climbing challenges and close contact with the elements continue to shape his life in the mountains, creating lasting friendships and a strong bond with clients and climbing partners.
IFMGA/UIAGM Mountain Guide / AMG Director
Guide’s choices: Classic Volcanoes Ski, Patagonia Alpine Trilogy, Aguja Guillaumet.
MIKE COOPERSTEIN
Coop is one of the co-founders of Andes Mountain Guides and remains an important part of the company’s history and identity. He has been an avid climber, ski patroller and mountain guide for more than 20 years, with expeditions to Spain, Italy, France, Chile, Peru, Vietnam and Thailand, and climbing experience on nearly every continent.
He has completed many first ascents on rock and ice, as well as several first ski descents in Montana and Alaska. Coop was also the owner and one of the senior guides of Montana Alpine Guides in Bozeman, Montana for seven years. He currently lives in Nederland, Colorado, where he works as a Forecaster and Regional Manager at the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. He holds a master’s degree in snow science and works as an avalanche and wilderness medicine educator.
AMG Co-Founder / Senior Guide
Guide’s choices: Patagonia Ice Cap Expedition, Baguales Hut to Hut, Aconcagua Northeast Route.
FEDERICO ARLETTI
Federico has worked as an internationally certified guide since 2008. He divides his time between guiding in Bariloche and Chamonix, and he has been an instructor for mountain guide courses with the AAGM (Asociación Argentina de Guías de Montaña) since 2001. Federico speaks Spanish, English and French.
IFMGA/UIAGM Mountain Guide / AADIDES Level 2 Ski Instructor
Guide’s choices: Haute Route Monte Rosa, Across The Andes Tour, Rock Climbing Frey.
GIANNI CAPANO
Based in the Patagonian town of El Bolsón, Gianni is rarely at home. During the southern hemisphere summer, he guides on Aconcagua, where he is one of the most experienced and respected local guides. In winter, he is the head guide at Baguales Mountain Reserve. He has guided all over the world and speaks fluent English and German.
IFMGA/UIAGM Mountain Guide / AAGM Ski Guide
Guide’s choices: Baguales Hut to Hut, Frey Backcountry Ski, Tronador Ski Ascent.
MERCEDES SAHORES
Mercedes, also known as “Teti,” is a mountain guide, ski instructor and backcountry ski guide. As an athlete, she has competed in the World Championship of backcountry ski racing, the Eco-Challenge in New Zealand and numerous adventure races around the world.
As a mountaineer, Teti became the first Argentine woman to summit Everest and has climbed Aconcagua several times. Mercedes also holds a degree in biology, with a specialization in ecology. She lives in Bariloche.
AAGM Ski Guide / Mountain Guide
Guide’s choices: Ski Volcan Lanin, Aconcagua Northeast Route, Tronador Glacier Trek.
TOMAS AGUILO
Tomy was born and raised in Bariloche, where he started skiing at the age of five and developed his passion for the mountains. He is a fully certified IFMGA/UIAGM guide and has been based in Chaltén for more than 10 years. His work has taken him to the Himalaya, Europe and throughout the Andes.
Tomás is one of Argentina’s most prolific alpinists, with eight ascents of Fitz Roy, two summits of Cerro Torre and many ascents of the peaks around Chaltén.
IFMGA/UIAGM Mountain Guide
Guide’s choices: Patagonia Alpine Trilogy, Aguja Guillaumet, Tronador Ski Ascent.
ROBERTO INDIO TREU
Indio was born and raised in San Juan, where he began climbing in the northern and central Andes. Since 2005, he has lived in Chaltén, where he has climbed all fourteen major summits of the Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre ranges, including several impressive first ascents. He is an IFMGA/UIAGM certified guide specializing in technical ascents in Patagonia.
IFMGA/UIAGM Mountain Guide
Guide’s choices: Piedra Parada Sport Climbing, Rock Climbing Frey, Aguja Guillaumet.