Karsten delap: athlete info

Karsten is or has been an athlete ambassador for Deuter, Petzl and La Sportiva and endorses products from these brands.

Originally from the flat lands of Indiana, Karsten has found his obsession in the mountains. He has climbed extensively throughout the United States including Grade V big walls in The Black Canyon, Long’s Peak, and Zion National Park to the snow and ice climbs of the North Cascades and New England. Karsten’s experience outside of the U.S. includes many peaks over 17,000ft in Boliva and Equador, as well as major alpine objectives in Africa and Argentina. Karsten enjoys traveling and climbing in more exotic climbing locals such as Armenia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand for work and play. Karsten spends his winters chasing good snow and ice and the rest of the year traveling the world working as a mountain guide for Pisgah Climbing School.

Karsten became the 159th American Mountain Guide in the spring of 2021 by completing his AMGA Ski Mountaineering certification. This makes him the only IFMGA/ UIAGM Licensed Mountain Guide working in the Southeastern U.S. Karsten gained AMGA Alpine Guide Certification in 2013 becoming the first guide in the Southeast to achieve this certification as well. He also successfully completed the rock guide program in 2009 becoming the Southeast’s second AMGA Certified Rock Guide. Karsten is a Leave No Trace Masters Educator and teach LNT in many venues. He has also passed his Canadian Avalanche Association Operations Level 1 certification and his American Avalanche Institute Level 3 certification (Now Professional level 2) . Karsten is a licensed Provider for the AMGA Single Pitch Instructor and Climbing Wall Instructor Programs and provides mentoring for these programs as a Provider Trainer.

Karsten is also a Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician (WEMT-B), and has his ACA Advanced Swift Water Rescue Certification that he puts to use volunteering for many rescue teams across the country and is regarded as an expert by those teams for high angle technical and wilderness rescues and back-country searches. Karsten teaches high angle rescue for Blue Ridge Community college as well as industrial rope rescue for Emergency Response Solutions Internaitonal.

Karsten has served on the board of directors for the American Mountain Guides Association and is currently on the board for the Appalachian Mountain Rescue Team and also serves as their technical director. Karsten is a SPRAT level 3 Technician and also ski patrols for Cataloochee Ski resort.

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