Leila Thompson

Leila Thompson has made the mountains her focus since she was 18, when she moved to Yosemite to climb, hike, and learn to guide backcountry adventures. Later in Oregon, she added the crafts of backcountry skiing and whitewater guiding to her skills. She began exclusively leading trips for us in the mid 1990s in Nepal and Europe. "On a trip, I like to share out-of the-way places that really have the flavor of the area, whether it's a fantastic viewpoint, the ‘ultimate' local food, a must-see piece of architecture, or just a quiet place." At the height of her WT guiding career, she was "on the trail" for 8-1/2 months each year! Leila works for us in Tibet and Nepal in the fall and in the Alps in the summers. When she is at home in Bend, Oregon she works on-call as an RN and skis, climbs, snowshoes, cooks for friends, and takes spin classes ("gotta stay in shape"). She is conversant in French, German and Nepali.

Upcoming Trips:

Hiking the Haute Route, July 19-31, 2010
Bavaria and the Tyrol, August 2-9, 2010
Ultimate Dolomites, August 16-27, 2010
Hiking in the Cortina Dolomites, August 29-September 5, 2010
Ultimate Everest, October 16-November 9, 2010
Everest Adventure, November 16-29, 2010

Client Testimonials:


Leila’s an excellent guide. It’s a bonus that she’s a registered nurse! Marcus Chan, San Francisco
Ultimate Everest Can’t say enough great things about Leila. She is one of the best guides I’ve had at WT, which is saying a lot since you have so many excellent ones. Shana Greene, Ultimate Everest Leila is an easygoing leader who makes an effort to keep the group dynamics going well. She handles things effectively and got on great with everyone. Flexible when she needed to be, and let us make choices as a group. Susan Dean, Ultimate Everest Leila made a point of interacting well with everyone equally. She’s very personable with a great sense of humor. Jane Beck, Classic Swiss Alps Leila was both fun to be with and an excellent teacher. She did a great job of making us feel comfortable and welcome in the group. Linda Friedrich & Gail Stein
Hiking the Haute Route
On a scale of 1 to 10, Leila is 20. She excels at everything. Madeline Feingold, Berkeley CA
Hiking in the Western Dolomites Leila tops any leader we've experienced in many years of travel. Her calmness, joy, and patience made the trip remarkable. Judy and Jim Wagonfield, Seattle WA
Trekking in the Caucasus This was my third trip with Leila—always an amazing leader. Maryann Meggelin, Los Angeles, CA
Hiking the Haute Route Leila is a wonderful trip leader. Resilient, able to handle contingencies, and she relates very well to everyone. Bob Ackerman, Boston MA
Trekking in the Caucasus Upbeat, fun, knowledgeable. Great awareness of the different needs of everyone. Bruce Feingold, Berkeley CA
Hiking in the Western Dolomites I've traveled twice with Leila before and I think she's great. She brings a personal touch to her trips. I'd go anywhere with her! Rosemary Wyss, Indianapolis
Trekking in the Caucasus