Questions, answered.

Men who want something harder and more honest than a weekend away: long days, cold weather, a small team and real responsibility. You don’t need to be an athlete or an expert. You do need to show up fit, honest and ready to carry your share.

You must be at least 21 on the first day of the trip.

No. We’re a brotherhood built around hard trips, not a treatment provider. Men often talk more openly on the trail, and we make room for that, but our guides are not counselors or therapists. If you’re dealing with a mental health crisis, please reach out to a professional first.

Five men at most, with one guide for every five men on guided trips. A few trips, like the Cooke-out ice climbing weekend, are climb-with-your-crew formats without a hired guide. The trip page always says which kind it is.

Mark Schattenberg, our founder, plans and leads our expeditions. Mark currently leads every trip. He is a Wilderness EMT, Swiftwater/Flood Rescue Technician, AMGA Single Pitch Instructor, ACA Level 3 Kayak Instructor, Avalanche 1 certified and a Leave No Trace Master Educator. Paul Schattenberg runs remote weather and comms support, and Lauri Schattenberg runs logistics. See Risk Management and About.

It depends on the trip, but most days follow the same rhythm:

• An early start, then a morning briefing on the route, weather, hazards and each man’s role.
• The day’s travel: paddling, hiking, climbing or skiing, with breaks to eat, scout and regroup.
• Making camp together: shelters up, water, a hot meal.
• An evening check-in on how every man is doing and what tomorrow brings.

Leadership roles rotate, so every man spends time navigating, cooking and making calls for the team.

Every trip is application first. You apply, we review it, promising applicants get a call, and accepted men receive an invitation. You pay your deposit and complete your forms only after you’re accepted. Start your application.

Before the trip, meet our fitness standard: pick one option and hit your trip’s tier: run a 10K (60 min Tier III, 55 min Tier II, 50 min Tier I), ruck (35 or 45 lb, 3 or 4 miles in 1 hour), or HIIT-IT! (6, 8 or 10 rounds in 60 min). Tier I is the hardest and opens Advanced trips. Some trips add skills prerequisites. Read the full standard.

It depends on the trip’s level. Our trips run in four steps: Start Here, Skills, Expedition and Capstone. Start Here and Skills trips are where you learn. Expedition and Capstone trips list their prerequisites on the trip page. For example, the Stikine needs prior canoe or paddling experience, while the Alaska course needs multi-day backpacking experience but no technical mountaineering.

Each trip page lists its cost and what’s included. Group gear like boats, tents, stoves and cooking kits is usually provided. Your travel to the meeting point and home, travel insurance and your personal gear are not included.

Nothing is paid until you’re accepted. When you accept your invitation, you pay a non-refundable deposit of 25% of the trip’s cost to hold your spot. The balance is due about 60 days before the trip starts. Your exact amounts and due date appear in your invitation and in your account.

Deposits and balances are paid online through your account dashboard, and only after you’re accepted.

Your 25% deposit is non-refundable. Cancel 60 or more days out and that’s all you lose. From 59 to 30 days out we refund half your balance, and inside 29 days there’s no refund. Details are in our Cancellation & Refund Policy. We strongly recommend travel insurance that covers trip cancellation.

Yes. You can move your spot to another date, or hand it to a friend. A friend still has to apply, and Mark has to approve him before the spot is his. Ask by email to mark.schattenberg@gmail.com. Details are in our Cancellation & Refund Policy.

If we cancel a trip for any reason, you choose: a full refund of everything you’ve paid, including your deposit, or a full credit toward another trip. We confirm the trip will run by the balance due date, about 60 days before the start, so you can book your travel after that.

It happens. The trip leader may wait out a storm, change the route or end a day early. The wilderness is inherently dangerous. We use our best judgment to manage risk and accomplish the objectives. If weather, conditions or a permit problem force us to cancel before the trip, you choose a full refund, including your deposit, or a full credit toward another trip. See our Cancellation & Refund Policy.

You book and pay for your own travel to the meeting point and home from the end point. Each trip page lists the meeting point. After you’re accepted, you add your itinerary in the Travel Documents form in your account. Weather and conditions can change trip dates, so we strongly recommend flexible or refundable tickets and travel insurance. Trips that cross into Canada need a valid passport.

Your full packing list comes with your invitation. Group gear is listed on each trip page. We check every man’s gear at the staging point before we head out.

On the trail the team cooks its meals together. Tell us about allergies and dietary needs in your Medical Information form so we can plan around them.

No. Phones don’t come on our trips. Leave yours in your carry-on or in luggage that isn’t going into the field. The guide carries a Garmin inReach satellite communicator, and that covers emergencies.

The guide carries a Garmin inReach satellite communicator, so the team can send and receive messages from the field.