Elaina Arenz

About me

Elaina has been the owner/operator of New River Mountain Guides since 2002 when she bought the guide service which was established in 1994. She's an AMGA Certified Rock Guide, has 29 years of climbing experience, and has been working as a full-time climbing guide for 20 years. She spends half the year living and guiding in Red Rock, NV, and her summers are spent at the New.

She's well versed in all forms of climbing, having redpointed 5.13 sport and 5.12 trad, climbed El Capitan, and ice climbs at the WI5/M9. She's also established numerous first ascents in areas such as El Potrero Chico, the New, Joshua Tree, and Nevada. All that said, sunny sport climbing is by far her favorite discipline.

Elaina serves on the Board of Directors of the American Mountain Guide Association, is a member of the Executive, Scope of Practice, and Technical Committees, and is a Single Pitch Instructor Provider Trainer. She's the former owner of Chicks with Picks and enjoys working with women and mentoring aspiring female climbing instructors and guides.

When she's not on the rocks, she loves exploring the countryside on her dirtbike looking for new crags to develop and giving belly scratches to her pup, Mr Finch.