EMS Alpha Guides

One of the most exciting projects I was a part of in 2017 was the creation of the "Alpha Guide" series of posts for the Eastern Mountain Sports goEast blog. Designed to not only highlight the region’s ultra-classic, must-do trips, Alpha Guides also aim to give the reader all the information they need to ensure these five-star trips live up to their reputation.

goEast Alpha Guides provide everything one needs to know about a trip—from must-have details like how to find the trailhead and turn-by-turn directions to minutiae like how much it costs to park and the best place to grab a summit selfie. Also, Alpha Guides make gear recommendations, plug EMS locations on the way, and even offer up suggestions for the best place to grab a celebratory post-trip pint. 

This series of blogs provided me with the opportunity to share some of my favorite mountain adventures with readers, and the chance to re-do some of the trips that initially hooked me on the mountains for “research.” Furthermore, these posts help establish EMS as an authority in the region and create a window to talk about a product without a heavy-handed sales pitch. 

So far, I have been lucky enough to contribute to four out of the first five goEast Alpha Guides. And, due to their success, EMS is expanding the type of trip that qualifies for this post—I’m currently working on the first Alpha Guide for an ice climb—while creating a more heavily branded format for the content. 

If you're interested in learning more about EMS’s goEast Alpha Guides, here are the first four in which I was a contributor:

Cadillac Mountain’s South Ridge Trail
Camel’s Hump via the Burrows Trail
The Presidential Traverse
The Pemigewasset Loop