Sasha Blanchard

Sasha is a Southern California native who grew up exploring the Santa Monica Mountains with her two sisters. Her love for being active was channeled into athletics, where she was a gymnast for over nine years and a track and field athlete for twelve. She competed as a NCAA Division 1 hurdler for the University of Notre Dame and graduated with honors with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. Sasha worked multiple years at various outdoor organizations around the world, including programs in the San Bernardino Mountains of California, the White Mountains of New Hampshire, the Adirondacks of New York, and the outback of Australia. Having experienced both sides of the outdoor industry as an instructor and as an administrator has given her a comprehensive understanding and appreciation of all that goes into maintaining a high-quality educational program. Along with her center-based programming experience, Sasha’s journey-based expeditions has taken her on extended backpacking, white water rafting, sea kayaking, mountain biking, rock climbing, and canoeing adventures in the bush of Australia and across many landscapes of the U.S. She is a Wilderness First Responder and carries out her Leave No Trace training in both her personal and professional trips. In her free time, Sasha enjoys skydiving at her local drop zone, training at the Israeli Martial Arts Academy, and exploring the great outdoors with a backpack and her own two feet.

Keith Thomas

Keith was raised in a small town in New Hampshire where he spent most all of his childhood exploring in the outdoors. Whether he was backcountry skiing, snowshoeing, ice climbing, dogsledding, or winter camping in the snow frosted tips of the White Mountains, Keith has always enjoyed challenging himself to the next level of adventure. After he graduated from Plymouth State University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Adventure Education, he spent three and half months hiking over 1,100 miles of the Appalachian Trail. Keith went on to work at various outdoor companies around the world and guided anywhere from one to twenty-one day long expeditions that ranged from sea kayaking off the coast of Maine to multisport adventuring in the outback of Australia. Keith’s technical skills and passion for outdoor recreation also placed him in the role as a Ropes Director and Master Facilitator for teambuilding programs. He is a Wilderness First Responder and is currently working towards his AMGA Single Pitch Instructor Certification. In his spare time, Keith loves indoor and outdoor rock climbing, skiing backcountry and front-country, and slacklining amongst the many wonders of nature.