About Based Adventures
Our Story
Where It Started
It started on Denali.
Based Adventures started with two brothers, Mark and Paul Schattenberg, and one hard mountain. In May 2022 they set out to climb Denali, North America’s highest peak, as a three-man, unguided team with Mark’s best friend, Brandon Gabehart. They called themselves Team Mustache Madness and climbed to raise money for men’s mental health through Movember.
Halfway up, Paul gave up his own shot at the summit to help evacuate a climber in trouble. National Park Service mountaineering rangers later honored him with the Denali Pro Award. From below, he kept the weather briefings coming by radio. At 6:44 p.m. on May 28, 2022, Mark and Brandon stood on top.
The climb taught us what still drives every trip: men grow when they take on hard things together, and a small team that trusts each other can go a long way. Today Mark leads expeditions out of Bozeman, Montana, for no more than five men at a time. We call it Canoes & Cold: long canoe routes and cold-weather mountain trips, rooted in Greater Montana and Greater Cascadia. Paul runs remote support and weather, and Lauri runs logistics.
The LLC stands for what we bring to every trip: Logistics, Leadership & Coaching.
For my brother, whose strength, selflessness, and quiet wisdom guided us – on the mountain and in life.
Paul Schattenberg, Mark’s brother, from Denali: A Journey of Friendship and Perseverance
What We Believe
Four ideas we build every trip around.
I
Strength is shared, not hoarded
A man who carries his own weight should still help carry someone else’s. That’s the whole point of a brotherhood.
II
Discomfort builds character
Cold mornings, heavy packs, hard climbs. We don’t avoid the discomfort. We use it. It’s where growth actually happens.
III
Honesty over image
No posturing. We’d rather a man say “I’m struggling” around the fire than pretend to have it all figured out.
IV
No one walks alone
On the trail and off it. Every man in this brotherhood has people who will show up when it matters.
The Team
The guys behind the trips.
Mark Schattenberg
Founder & Lead Guide
Mark Schattenberg founded Based Adventures on a simple belief: men grow when they take on hard things together. Growing up immersed in the outdoors, Mark turned a love of adventure into a career in guiding and wilderness education. Over more than a decade of mountaineering, paddling and adventure racing, he has seen again and again that the toughest days outside build the strongest character and the deepest friendships.
Mark led Team Mustache Madness to the summit of Denali in 2022 while raising funds for men’s mental health through Movember. He has also summited the Matterhorn unguided and led a successful Grand Teton expedition. On the water, he was the 2018 Team USA Marathon Kayak National Champion, represented the United States at the World Championships in Portugal, and has paddled more than 12,000 miles.
Mark holds a BS in Recreation Administration from Texas State University and trained at the National Outdoor Leadership School. He is a Wilderness EMT, AMGA Single Pitch Instructor, ACA Level 3 Kayak Instructor, Leave No Trace Master Educator and Avalanche 1 certified. His easygoing, encouraging style pushes every man to find his edge, own his effort and come home stronger than he left.
Paul Schattenberg
Remote Support & Weather
Paul Schattenberg is the steady hand behind every Based Adventures expedition. An Eagle Scout and aerospace engineer with a master’s degree and more than 10 years in the high-adventure backcountry, Paul lives out the brotherhood we build on the trail: show up for your team, and put others first.
On Denali in 2022, Paul pulled live satellite weather imagery and marine radio forecasts to give his team an edge. Halfway up, he gave up his own summit attempt to help evacuate an injured climber by air, and the National Park Service mountaineering rangers honored him with the Denali Pro Award. Off the mountain, he kept running daily weather briefings for his brothers by radio from more than 150 miles away. The next year, he planned and led an unsupported climb of Mont Blanc.
Whether he is on the trip or running ground support from home, Paul is watching the weather, keeping the radios talking and making sure every man gets home. He is a licensed ham radio operator, private pilot, SCUBA diver, commercial drone pilot and photographer, with specialized first aid and emergency management training.
Featured on Movember
How Perseverance and Vulnerability Helped Restore My Sense of Purpose
Mark shares the story behind Based Adventures and why brotherhood in hard places matters.
Join The Story
Write Your Next Chapter On The Trail.
Every expedition is a chance to test yourself and find brothers who’ll be there long after the trip ends.