Top-notch active tours for small groups of friends
Cortina - The heart of the Dolomites
Cortina d'Ampezzo, long famous for its hiking and climbing, became world famous by hosting the 1956 Winter Olympics.Today, wonderful road cycling and mountain biking make Cortina a "must go" destination for active sports enthusiasts.Picture yourself riding, hiking, and mountain biking among the Dolomites' shear rock faces!
Bormio - Big Giro d'Italia Passes
The Mortirolo, Gavia, & Stelvio–These famous Giro passes challenge you with their long climbs and fast descents!Bormio's picturesque alpine setting is perfect for tackling these passes, and its quiet old town center provides a true "Italian" experience!Less famous, Bormio's hiking and MTB are equally world class!
Bellagio - Lakes and Mountains
There's nothing like the water, sky, and mountains of Lago di Como!Popular with Italians for their summer vacations, countless boats of all varieties dot the deep blue water.After cycling and hiking among the lakeside villas and gardens, we "get out on the water," with a ferry ride back to our hotel!
Massa/Carrara - The Italian Riviera
Wonderful biking and hiking around the Apli Apuane marble quarries of Michelangelo fame!Appearing snow-capped in summer, due to the bright-white marble, we hike and bike trails and roads built over 2000 years!With a scant 5 Km between alpi and mare–and the beach–our apres sport is a nap in the sun, and a dip in the Mediterranean!
Ajax Dempsey is an accomplished outdoor adventurer. Experienced in skiing, road and mountain cycling, and hiking and rock climbing, Ajax has been coming to Italy for 30 years. Fluent in Italian, Ajax is an expert tour guide with uncanny local knowledge about the prime destinations in Italy.
Ajax owns and operates Altaquota Adventures. Altaquota Adventures http://www.altaquota-adventures.com/ guides multi-sport outdoor adventures. Based in four locations -- Cortina d'Ampezzo, Bormio, Bellagio, and Massa Carrara -- Altaquota combines outdoor adventures with the comforts of civilization by staying in top-notch hotels in charming towns.
When he is not in Italy leading trips and scouting new routes, Ajax resides in Ketchum, Idaho.
Muffy Ritz – Guide
Muffy Ritz is a 50-something year old bad-ass who grew up in Wayzata, Minnesota and moved to Sun Valley in 1990 to coach with Rick Kapala and the SV Junior Nordic Team.
Rossignol Ski Team - 1980 to present
US Ski Team - 1980 to 1984
Birkie Champ- 1985 and 1986
Race Across America - 1993, 1995, & 1997 - always the bridesmaid- never the bride! (2nd place)
Coaching Nordic skiing since 1980
Created VAMPS in 1996
Eco-Challenge (Morocco - 1998)
Muffy loves coaching people and baking Chocolate Chip Cookies! She packs her underpants first (when packing for a trip) and loves her dog, Petey, the best. She still wears Lanz nightgowns to bed and her favorite place in Sun Valley is the top of Galena Peak!
Rudolf Kardos – Guide
Rudolf Kardos is a competitive triathlete, coaches water polo, and is a highly sought-after personal trainer. Leveraging his degree in veterinary medicine, Rudy is an expert in the science and art of human performance. Rudy applies his background in body conditioning, personal experience in multiple sports, and knowledge about nutrition science to help athletes achieve their individual goals. Rudy leads by example by consistently using positive thinking to drive motivation and results.
Rudy has completed five Ironman distance triathlons including the Hawaii World Championship Ironman.
Originally from Slovakia, Rudy now resides in Mill Valley, California and serves private clients at the Tiburon Peninsula Club. Rudy works with athletes at all levels, from hard working executives who seek to improve their fitness to aspiring water polo players, cyclists, and triathletes.
Rudy joined Altaquota Adventures in 2011 as a guest for a 12-day "small groups of friends" tour cycling the Big Passes in Cortina d’Ampezzo and Bormio, Italy. With his love for cycling and his expertise in training, Rudy was instrumental in developing our popular Giro d'Italia Big Pass Challenge cycling tour.
Look forward to meeting Rudy when he guides our tours in Cortina and Bormio!
Allan Armstrong – Team Photographer
Allan Armstrong has been a devoted cyclist for 27 years and a photographer for nearly as long. Having cycled in France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Belgium, England, Sweden, and Austria, Allan has cycled in Europe more than 25 times and is passionate about bicycle touring.
Allan also races bicycles. In 2003, Allan won the Southern California Master's District Time Trial Championships. In 2004, he placed 6th in the time trial at Master's Nationals.
Allan has a great blog highlighting his cycling photography: Blogs about cycling: http://bikealps.wordpress.com
Allan lives in Los Altos, California, and has two dogs.
Allan joined Altaquota Adventures as our guest for the prototype trip upon which our Giro d'Italia Big Pass Challenge was developed. Allan brought not only his passion for cycling and love for German (and Italian) food, but also his camera (rather cameras).
Whether his point-and-shoot, or a 20 pound backpack full of lenses and his digital SLR, Allan brought the equipment and captured every aspect of our tour! And what beautiful pictures, just one look and I can't wait to go back.
Please expect to meet Allan on many of our tours, either as guest and photographer, or as one of our guides!
Cortina d'Ampezzo, long famous for its hiking and climbing, became world famous by hosting the 1956 Winter Olympics.Today, wonderful road cycling and mountain biking make Cortina a "must go" destination for active sports enthusiasts.Picture yourself riding, hiking, and mountain biking among the Dolomites' shear rock faces!
The Mortirolo, Gavia, & Stelvio–These famous Giro passes challenge you with their long climbs and fast descents!Bormio's picturesque alpine setting is perfect for tackling these passes, and its quiet old town center provides a true "Italian" experience!Less famous, Bormio's hiking and MTB are equally world class!
There's nothing like the water, sky, and mountains of Lago di Como!Popular with Italians for their summer vacations, countless boats of all varieties dot the deep blue water.After cycling and hiking among the lakeside villas and gardens, we "get out on the water," with a ferry ride back to our hotel!
Wonderful biking and hiking around the Apli Apuane marble quarries of Michelangelo fame!Appearing snow-capped in summer, due to the bright-white marble, we hike and bike trails and roads built over 2000 years!With a scant 5 Km between alpi and mare–and the beach–our apres sport is a nap in the sun, and a dip in the Mediterranean!
