Bill Dyer has spent the majority of the past several decades up where the oxygen is thinner and the sun is brighter and, despite having to scale down a mountain and canoe across a lake with a broken toe at one time and witnessing the electrical current of lightning strikes shooting through the ground at another, he still will always feel most at home when he is closer to the sky than he is the ground. 

Q: What do you enjoy about being in the mountains?

A: I guess, I would say it's being able to go to new places and sharing things with people. A lot of it is about sharing things with people. 

Why did you start mountain climbing? What or who attracted you to the sport?

I'm not sure if there was a why at the beginning as much as there was just a circumstance. I went to a summer camp when I was probably 11 or 12 years old, walked up a couple 14,000-foot mountains when I was quite young in Colorado. I eventually joined the high school climbing club and took it from there. 

I would say it found me rather than I found it. I attribute it to some early backpacking and hiking experiences when I was quite young. 

Is that where you grew up, Colorado?

Oh no, my father was in corporate food so we moved all over the place at the time. We were living in West Texas when I went to summer camp in Colorado, a little bit in the Midwest, eventually New England. I've lived in Wyoming longer than I've lived anywhere at this point. 

When did you begin your career as a mountain guide?

1996, I think that would be 25 years ago roughly. I moved here in 1988. 

What is your most memorable climbing trip and why?

They're all memorable for different reasons. In this sport, there's alpine climbing; there's just straight rock climbing. Some of those would require camping and day-climbing, and others would require carrying giant backpacks into the mountains for long periods of time. I think they're very different. 

So, I have favorites for each genre if you will. When I was quite young going on a sport climbing trip to Waco when I was living in Vermont, that kind of opened my eyes to a new style of climbing that was happening in the 1980s. That definitely changed my perspective on climbing because it was a more modern style that was happening down there, more European maybe. 

Going into the Wind River (Mountain Range) here near my home range is always a sort of annual rite. It has alpine granite, mosquitoes, long walks and high alpine peaks. 

Going to places like Yosemite is really a cathedral. It's what modern North American climbing is all about. There is so much history in Yosemite, and it's a quite humbling place to climb. Even the easy climbs are difficult. 

What is the difference between those different types of climbing, sport and alpine and just rock climbing?

Sport climbing is where there's protection in the rock, meaning there's bolts every 5 to 15 feet or so, and it's a little bit more like modern gym climbing. 

And then cragging, just straight rock climbing or traditional climbing is going to be where you have to put in your own equipment and use cams and nuts and those sorts of things. 

Alpine climbing is going to be where you're climbing higher peaks. There's walking, scrambling and then potentially difficult rock climbing all mixed in. Throw in some snow and the potential for lightning and storms. Exposure to the elements is a little greater in alpine climbing. 

What is the most difficult climb you’ve ever done? What made it so difficult?

I thought about that a lot. You know, there's different kinds of difficulty. There's pure technical technicality, and that's never really been my thing. 5.12 has been kind of the limit for me.

Climbing the Grand Traverse in one day was probably one of my greater feats. That's climbing 10 or 12 peaks in the Tetons in one day. We normally guide it as a three-day climb. When we did it, a lot of it was what we would call on-site for me at the time, meaning I had never climbed there before. 

We didn't use ropes, I did it with myself and my climbing partner. Our goal was just to get done by the end of the day. Not set the record, just get done. 

You must have been hauling it to make it in one day?

Yeah, I think we were down in somewhere around 14 hours. The north side of the Grand Tetons is a bit of an undertaking. 

Earlier, when you said 5.12 is your limit, what does that mean?

Different countries have different decimal rating systems. They're different levels of climbing. It's been a while since I climbed a 5.12.

Originally, in the Yosemite decimal system, the top of the system was 5.9. They decided to defy the decimal system as climbs got bigger and went to 5.10, 5.11, 5.12. Right now 5.15 is probably the hardest climb in the world. 

You talked about climbing on-site with no ropes or experience, just a partner. Is that something that is generally recommended, even for experienced climbers?

On-site just means you haven't previewed the climb. It's just as pure of an experience you can have to climb something without having seen it before. Not having the knowledge of the climb and having to sort out problems for yourself versus having rehearsed the climb and knowing every little intimate detail of the climb.

So to do that Grand Teton climb in a day and cover that much ground, you must have been in constant motion. What do you do as far as eating and rest?

That's a pretty good way to say it. I usually tell people you have to eat a little bit a lot rather than a lot a little bit, if that makes sense. So we don't sit down for big meals or anything, you're just constantly trying to keep your blood sugar level and try to not have any peaks and valleys in that situation. 

Drinking enough water is as important as anything but can be tricky when you're just getting it from little snow melt areas where it just drips into your water bottle. 

For those of us with no mountain climbing experience, can you share with us what you experienced in terms of senses: was the climb cold, windy, loud, quiet? What sights and sounds did you experience?

Definitely all of those things. Cold, windy, quiet, all of it. I would say that for the most part that most climbers would agree that there's more of a sense of focus and a lack of distractions that climbers experience when they're really in the moment. 

You're not really thinking about much of anything except the very next thing you're going to do, where you're going to move your hands or feet next. 

If you were to give one piece of advice to someone about to climb that same climb you did across the Grand Tetons, what would it be?

Well, you don't have to do it in a day. At the time that I did it, it was a very bold thing to do in the Tetons. It was a  bar to achieve and I'm not sure it's quite as popular to do that in one day these days, but people are still doing it. You can break it into pieces and use a rope. There's nothing wrong with having some security. 

Have you ever come across a dangerous situation while guiding a climb? What was dangerous about it?

Lightning is probably my biggest fear. I've been pretty close to lightning. I've had ice axes sparking and making noise, seeing ground currents, that sort of thing. I've been near people being struck by lightning. 

Hopefully it is true that lightning never strikes the same place twice! What do you mean by 'seeing ground currents'?

Ground strikes mean the lightning strikes the high peaks. The Grand Teton's the biggest lightning rod within 50 miles, so lightning does strike there with some frequency. Then the ground currents are when the lightning strike current travels hundreds of yards. It doesn't have to strike next to you for you to be hit by lightning in some way, shape or form. 

I had clients in the Grand Teton one day when five or six people were struck by lightning. It was quite an event and ended up being a gigantic rescue. We were almost in the valley when that happened, meaning we had started extraordinarily early to have a margin of safety; and with a larger group moving slowly, we were exposed to the risks. 

But there's objective risks and subjective risks, if that makes sense. Objective risks are things like lightning, falling rocks, avalanches. Subjective risks are the risks of people. Whether you tied the right knot or are belaying properly, slipping, falling. There's a human element and a natural element. 

Has there ever been a time where you felt your life has been put at stake being on a climb?

It comes back to lightning for me. I've been at some places where I want to be there, like a pilot would say, 'you're way better off being on the ground wishing you were in the air than being in the air wishing you were on the ground.' 

So when lightning strikes, is that immediately fatal for a climber?

For some people it is. There's a whole spectrum of just feeling the light shock to your toe being blown off as an exit point. It's a real thing. 

We are actually currently experiencing that kind of weather. We have what's called monsoonal flow coming through, which is tropical moisture that comes all the way from the Sea of Cortez up here. It's a southerly flow and intense storms will hit. 

We do have better tools than we used to to watch the weather. We have the ability to predict convective development, but the mountains create their own weather and it happens very quickly. 

With so many treacherous climbs under your belt you must have been injured a few times. What’s been your worst injury? How do you cope with getting injured in the middle of an ascent?

Honestly I've only been injured while I was rock climbing. I took a big leap forward and caught a ledge with my toe, and that's when I learned the word 'dorsiflexion,' which means bending upward until something breaks, basically. For me, it was my talus bone, and that's the day I learned that word too.

I was able to repel off that particular peak after that and then, oh geez, we had a ways to go. I ended up using a bunch of duct tape and cloth to keep everything together. I sat with my foot in the creek for some time. Then we had to make it back to the canoe to canoe across the lake after the climb. 

These days, the ability for rescue is a lot easier with the electronic devices and the rescue teams in this area. This was over 20 years ago. I think if it had happened today,  most people would have taken the rescue, but I think there's something to be said for getting yourself out.

Let’s say you’re leading a climb and one of the climbers breaks an ankle. How would they get down the mountain?

Well, like I said, in this era, if the weather's good enough to fly, the Grand Teton climbing rangers are some of the best in the country, if not the world. They're trained in what we call short-haul techniques. And here in Teton County, they have their own volunteer force that has become quite as accomplished as well. They work together these days. There's times that they can use wheeled litters and carry people in certain situations, but a lot of times now they have the helicopters and use them to get somebody out in a questionable situation.

So what happens for the rest of group? Is there a sense of panic?

Knock on wood, but all the times I've climbed the Grand Teton I've never had somebody need to be rescued or even end their activity because of an injury. That being said, if there's a serious incident, I'm guessing more often than not people would be going down. 

You must meet a lot of interesting people looking to do some crazy outdoor things. Who's the most interesting person you’ve met during your time as a guide? What was so unique about them? 

I mean, they're all interesting for different reasons. Some people have slight celebrity status or make a lot of money. Others are barely within their means to be able to afford a guide. Sometimes it's the schoolteacher or the fireman who can't really afford a guide, but does it. I can appreciate that they're barely within their means to do it. I can appreciate that they're trying to do it and do it in a safe way. 

We guide everyone from young kids to people who are in the end of their window being able to do something like that in their life. Our average client is probably male, 40 to 55 years old.

The oldest is mid- to late-70s that I've guided up the Grand Teton. 

This isn’t your average 9-5 job. What does a typical day look like for you?

It depends. Some of the days are training people in the practice rocks. When we are not out on a climb by early morning, I commute to work, show up at 8, get done at 4:30. Those days are regular. 

For big alpine business, you're waking up as early as midnight to climb certain things, be at the trailhead at 1 or 2 a.m. and it's not uncommon to do 16-hour walks/climbs. That's actually what makes the job rewarding is to hit the goal. 

How many times have you climbed the Grand Teton? 

I don't have a clicker, but it's been more than 200.

What other mountains have you climbed often? Do you have a favorite mountain?

As I was saying, there's different kinds of climbing. There's cragging, which is climbing little mountains without traveling too far. Going to the Wind Rivers, Southeastern Idaho, those are cool regional mountains.

I enjoy spending some time in the Alps too; that's a big part of my life as well. Climbing mountains with skis, skiing mountains. 

What’s the longest time you’ve gone without a shower because of climbing?

Probably about a month. That's all on one climb. There's lots of 14-day no-shower windows but, yeah, I'd say about a month is the longest without a shower. But it's possible to swim at times to bathe. 

What is your nutrition regime for long climbing trips? 

Well, the longest trips you're gonna have to eat some freeze-dried food for weight reasons, but I try to eat as much whole, regular food as I can on trips in the mountains versus just bars and gels. I certainly eat those, but being able to pack some comfort foods can be a good thing, things that you know you can eat. Doesn't matter if it's, you know, just a bit of salami and cheese at a certain point on a 16-hour day. It's not just about carbohydrates after a while. 

On those longer trips, are there any luxuries of "sea-level life"—amenities, food, comfort, entertainment, etc.—that you find yourself missing?

I think for people these days with modern technology having a backup battery for your phone, you can just about do anything, maybe play a bit of music while you are brewing a tea or something like that. It can break things up a bit.

I'm not the guy that necessarily needs to watch movies or anything like that. But it's entirely possible to do that, when you're locked up in the tent for a storm, that becomes a possibility with a (phone). 

But for me, some of those things are just the rewards you look forward to when you get out of the mountains. 

What types of animals do you see regularly in Grand Teton National park? What other wildlife have you come across?

We see bears, moose, elk, all that standard stuff. But the time I spent in Alaska, seeing the biggest brown bears, like the Kodiak bears, I would say they're probably the scariest, honestly. 

What do those bears think of you when they see you?

Generally, I think it depends on the time of year, but what I've learned is if they're fat and happy, they're not going to really be an issue. If the streams are full of salmon and they've just gorged themselves for three days, they don't really care about you very much, but if they're a starving bear on their last leg, that might be a different story. You might treat that bear a little differently than one's that's completely fat and happy. 

Let’s say you’re hiking with a family and you come across a mama bear with her two cubs — what do you do?

I think it again goes back to what they're doing. The bears this time of year are eating huckleberries, and they are going to be in that fat and happy stage. They're hardly even going to pick their head up if they're busy eating berries, as long as they're not too close to the trail. We'll continue to walk and make a little bit of noise; if they are in the way of the trail, might have to take a bit of a detour or wait. I've never had to turn around because of a bear. I did almost run into one at one point. 

That must have been scary, but you lived to tell the tale, so can we hear it?

I had just started out on a climb. It was about 3 in the morning. I was kind of running through the woods and came around a corner. Half of the bear's backside was in the trail, and I almost physically ran into it. The bear wasn't too concerned, I was the more startled one out of the two of us. 

People that get in trouble with bears around here are generally hunters who have a dead elk in possession. There's animal parts involved, piles of guts, that sort of thing. The bears get possessive over said potential dinner. It's much less common for a climber to have a real encounter. 

It sounds like a great photography opportunity, stumbling across all that wildlife. But in terms of precious weight and space, can a climber bring a camera, lenses, etc.?

I get back to modern technology. iPhones have really become quite impressive, and there are still good point-and-shoot cameras these days.

Plenty of people carry full DSLRs, but yes, it does become more difficult and time consuming to take pictures. I find that people who have the ability to take pictures while quickly moving are the ones that often get the best shots because they can be so candid. 

If you could go on a climbing trip anywhere in the world — all expenses paid — where would it be?

Somewhere I haven't been. Greece is on my list. Maybe somewhere slightly tropical; there's a lot of good climbing in those regions.

The climbing trips are good for different reasons; I think some of them would be for cultural reasons, cool food and wine. Others are purely for the mountains. I'd still like to go to India and Greece. They would be very different trips. 

What are some of your top tips for efficient packing? Do you have any gear recommendations?

I think it depends on the trip, but when we're doing short climbs, light and fast trips, I go over people's dressing from head to toe. The only redundant thing I bring is often one extra pair of socks. I find that people tend to bring extra, extra this, extra that. Being able to efficiently use and take care of what you have is really the key. If you can't put it all on at one time, you have too much clothes.

You need rain gear, so when you have Goretex top to bottom, those are important things to have. So I start from there; and if I have my Goretex top and bottom on, I'm going to be pretty warm. 

After that, I think about sun protection. These days you'll see all the climbing guides are wearing a sun shirt with a hood on it. Dressing for sun is probably one of the most important elements that helps keep you cool and helps prevent sun cancer. 

Lastly, if you have a super lightweight pair of long-johns top and bottom, you are probably not going to need much else. I'll often bring a light down jacket and have a pair of gloves. If you think about having all of that on at one time, you are looking pretty warm and also pretty protected from the sun. Obviously, you're not going to wear it all at one time unless you're not moving.

What do you do on your days off/how do you spend your free time?

Sometimes it's just straight hiding from the sun, when the sun is very intense. You just need to get out of the sun.

I like going on surf trips; it's like yin and yang between the ocean and the mountains. 

What is the greatest lesson you’ve learned as a mountain guide?

That's pretty easy. I've got something to learn from just about everybody I take out. I've learned a lot from my clients. It could be an orthopedic surgeon; it could be a Wall Street guy; it could be the teacher or the fireman. They've all got something to teach you if you listen. 

If someone were interested in booking a climb with you how could they go about doing it?

For the Tetons, go through Exum Mountain Guides. If I can't guide them, I can certainly find somebody that can. We are pretty busy these days. The Grand Tetons sold out all summer, which we're fortunate for.

For more information or to book a climb, visit exumguides.com.