Mark Tucker (Tuck) grew up hiking and backpacking with his family in California’s High Sierras. As a member of the Boy Scouts and his high school’s Mountain Ecology Club, Tuck spent much of his youth exploring the outdoors with these groups.

At age fourteen, Tuck climbed the highest mountain in the lower forty-eight states, Mt. Whitney, which launched his “climbing career.” On the day of his high school graduation, he stood on top of the largest single standing mountain on the earth, Mauna Loa (13,679’), on the island of Hawaii. As Tuck puts it, he graduated literally “at the top of his class.” 

Tuck has been climbing for 25 years, and his ascents includes more than a dozen trips to Kilimanjaro, as well as many trips to Ecuador, Aconcagua (22,841’—8 expeditions), Mexican Volcanoes (Pico de Orizaba, Popocatepetl, Iztaccihuatl—4 expeditions), 12 trips to the peaks of Huayna Potosi (19,870’) and Illimani (21,201’) in Bolivia, Mt. Blanc in France, 4 trips to Mt. Elbrus (18,481’) in Russia, as well as a guide on Mt. Vinson (16,067’), in Antarctica. On the “fringe of the artic circle,” Tuck guided an expedition to Gunnjornsfjeld, Greenland, where they climbed the  highest peak “in the north.” More locally in Washington State, he has guided over 120 programs on Mt. Rainier (for Rainier Mountaineering Inc., RMI) and has summitted “The Mountain” at least that many times.

In 1989, Tuck reached the summit Mt. Everest (29,035’) via the North East Ridge as a member of Jim Whittaker’s Tri Nation (USA, Russia & China) “Peace Climb.”

Since then, Tuck has worked as a hunting guide in Alaska, a senior guide for Rainier Mountaineering, Inc., starting in 1985, and also guides for several other companies. He has a great passion for guiding, teaching people the essentials of mountain travel, and helping fellow climbers achieve their goals. He loves to meet the diverse range of adventure minded people, as well as the rarely visited cultures and places he encounters.