Whether you’re looking to ski or rock climb near McCall, Mark Stoeckl’s got your back
When Mark Stoeckl was a high school freshman in upstate New York, he went on an Adirondacks canoe trip guided by a dynamic dad and his college-age son.
“They were both super geeky about water, and something about that geekiness resonated with me,” he says. “As a guide, you have to have a heightened sense of awareness about your environment, but you also have to be really personable.”
Inspired, Stoeckl attended Paul Smith’s College in the Adirondacks, where he earned a degree in Natural Resource Management. He taught outdoor education at a nonprofit junior boarding school and summer camp in New York, then purchased a piece of property just outside of McCall with his partner, Courtney, and signed up for a three-day avalanche awareness and safety course. Now, he works for Payette Powder Guides and Idaho Mountain Guides, geeking out about rock climbing in the summer and snow science in the winter.
The Backcountry Ski Guide
In his first year working for Payette Powder Guides, Stoeckl paid his dues by shoveling snow and helping on a few day trips. The second year, he helped teach avalanche-rescue classes and found himself unexpectedly co-leading a four-day trip into the backcountry, where the company owns two yurts and a wood-fired sauna on Payette Crest at Lick Creek Summit. His boss was supposed to lead the trip, but he had a broken leg. “He said, ‘You’re on, dude,’” Stoeckl recalls with a laugh.
“On” meant that he and another guide had to clear trails of fallen trees and debris, shovel out the yurts, break ski trails, stock wood, and cook all the meals for their clients. “We did all the housekeeping,” he says, “and entertained the guests.”
These days, he regularly leads multi-day ski trips. He brings along a banjo to play in the evening and talks long into the night with guests as he keeps the fire stoked “Some of them like to sit in the sauna and stay up until two in the morning,” he says. “It’s their vacation.”
For Stoeckl, it’s hard work. He and his coworker bring visitors up the canyon to the yurts in a snowcat—a trip that can take up to two hours. “It’s not a plowed road,” he explains. “Part of my job entails taking a snowmobile ahead of the snowcat, getting as far as I can and hopefully not getting stuck, and cutting up any trees that have fallen over the road.” Sometimes, the snow is so heavy that he’ll go up on a non-trip day to clear the road. “My whole day is just literally shoveling and moving trees,” he says. “It’s great until I remember that I have to go home and shovel my own place out.”
As a guide, he must remain flexible and mindful of each group’s dynamics and desires. “For some people, a vacation means they want to go ski a bunch of powder all day,” he explains. “For other people, it's about relaxing in the yurt. Each group is different.” Regardless of whom he’s skiing with, his primary job is to make sure guests are safe. “With skiing, you’re always toeing a blurred line,” he says, noting the constant risk of avalanches. “I’m trying to reduce as much uncertainty as I possibly can by using snow science. This is where the geekiness comes in. The way in which you make decisions about where and when to ski is critical. If I get caught in an avalanche, or if somebody else gets caught in an avalanche under my care, I’ve fucked up.”
The Rock-Climbing Guide
Stoeckl began climbing in 2011 and participated in competitions during his college years in the Adirondacks. Now, he leads trips in and around McCall almost every day in the summer. Often, his clients are kids from YMCA camps. In the two hours he has with them, he teaches children to be safe and how to belay their partner.
“I love how goofy kids are,” he says. “It’s almost like I’m putting on a small play for 30 minutes at the beginning of the day. And then from there, my job is to have eagle eyes 100 percent of the time and to have fun.”
Stoeckl turns philosophical when he talks about teaching children to climb. One of his goals is to teach them how to move beyond the problems in the world and focus on movement. “People butt heads about a lot of things,” he notes. “If I can teach kids to come together over a simple thing like rock climbing, and have fun and forget about all that shit, I’m happy.”
Guiding a trip for experienced adults can be more challenging, he admits, especially when guests last climbed decades before and so many standard safety procedures have changed. “But I really love hands-on teaching, so rock-climbing clients are fun for me,” he says. “Most of them really want to learn, or they want to get up to date on all the common practices.”
When Stoeckl leads trips for private clients through Idaho Mountain Guides, he starts in the morning and leads them down a dirt road to The Thinking Spot at Payette Lake with its variety of climbs for all levels of ability. Rock climbing has grown increasingly popular, he notes, and climbs can get crowded. “We get there in the morning, and it’s nice and cool and beautiful,” he says. “The birds are out, and in June, you’ll sometimes see a moose and her calves. Mornings are quiet, he adds, and it’s easy to tailor climbs to the particular skills and needs of that day’s clients.
Guiding climbs teaches Stoeckl what he still needs to learn as well. Last summer, he worked with a sheriff in a nearby county who was appointed the new director of his division of search and rescue. The man had rappelled in the Marines, but that was years before. “He hired me to take him out and teach him to rappel, but also to teach them the rescue skills needed to haul somebody out of a life-threatening situation,” he explains. As a guide used to teaching the basics, Stoeckl had to create a new lesson plan specific to his client’s needs. “It gave me a really nice challenge,” he says.
This year, Stoeckl also found himself guiding choreographer and performer Amelia Rudolph, best known for creating an art form out of rappelling and dancing. “She was very humble about it,” he says. “I took her and her family out climbing in August, and on the last climb, she began doing flips and handstands and cartwheels. Her performances are breathtaking.”
A Guide For Everybody
For potential guides, Stoeckl offers this advice. “A work ethic is very important. You’re not just this cool person doing this cool thing. It’s not about you—not at all. You really have to bust your butt, especially in the winter. Guiding is such a physically demanding job.”
He recuperates in the spring and fall, hanging out with his friends and his partner and planning the house they’re hoping to build. But always, he’s training, whether doing calisthenics to stay in peak physical condition or recertifying his certificates in wilderness rescue and avalanche training, the better to serve his clients. He’s become that geeky, personable guide he met as a high school student on his New York canoe trip years ago.
“I believe the whole purpose in life is to learn and to share experiences,” Stoeckl says. “Guiding works so well with that purpose. You have to learn a lot to operate in in a safe manner in high-risk environments, and then you have to be willing and able to communicate with people, and also, to have fun.”
For inquiries about booking a trip, you can reach Stoeckl directly at McCallGuide@gmail.com.
If You Go
Find Your Guide At…
- Payette Powder Guides: www.payettepowderguides.com
- Idaho Mountain Guides: www.idahomountainguides.com
Rent Equipment At…
- McCall Sports: www.mccallsports.com
- Gravity Sports: www.gravitysports.com
Where To Stay
- Hotel McCall offers a multitude of lodging options, from small condos to standard hotel rooms: www.hotelmccall.com
- Inspired by Scandinavian mountain lodges, the Scandia Inn has comfortable rooms, plus a hot tub and sauna: www.thescandiainn.com
- The Shore Lodge on Payette Lake offers rooms with a view, as well as spa treatments, private hot springs, and two on-site restaurants: www.shorelodge.com
Where To Eat
- Southern cuisine gets a fresh spin at Frenchie’s on Third. Enjoy burgers, po’ boys, and salads in a rustic setting. www.frenchiesonthird.squarespace.com
- Functioning as both a neighborhood market and a café, Alpine Pantry and Provisions offers breakfast and lunch with a view of the lake. Find them on Instagram @alpinepantryandprovisions.
- If you’re craving traditional Mexican food, look no further than Pueblo Lindo, which offers vegetarian and gluten-free options as well. Find it on Facebook at PuebloLindoMexicanRestaurant.