Who you'll be talking to

AWE is small on purpose. When you write or call, you reach the people who plan and lead the trips.

Shea McCrary

General manager

Shea came to AWE in 2022 and met Sunny in person on a Paria Canyon trip, joining as a client. It was the first time she slept out without a tent. Before AWE she managed commercial climbing gyms in the Southeast and in Bentonville, Arkansas, with a focus on opening climbing up to more people. From rock climbing she moved into big walls and high-altitude mountaineering. Her climbs include El Capitan by the Nose, Chopicalqui in Peru's Cordillera Blanca and the Dent du Requin above Chamonix. Since the start of 2026 she has run AWE day to day.

Off the clock she volunteers with Red Rock Search and Rescue outside Las Vegas, on the technical rope and medical teams. She is a Wilderness First Responder and an EMT, and has a degree in environmental science from the University of Arkansas.

"I often joke during treks that I'm far from the fastest hiker, strongest back or altitude-defying in any way. But I love the practice of mental flexibility and grit."

Read In Motion Together, a conversation between Shea and Sunny.

Sunny Stroeer

Founder

Sunny founded AWE to give women a real path into big mountains. She has led AWE teams on Aconcagua, set speed records there and on Nepal's Annapurna Circuit, and lives in Kanab, Utah, 45 minutes from the Paria River trailhead.

"I'd love for AWE to create a clear pathway for women who want to build real mountain experience over time, in spaces where competence, humility, and care for one another matter more than bravado and bragging rights."

Read A Love Letter to the Paria.

Our guides

The women who lead AWE teams on the mountain.

Dani Rudinsky

AWE guide · South Lake Tahoe, California

Dani is a skier, mountaineer and outdoor instructor. She is an AMGA Apprentice Mountain Guide and an AIARE avalanche instructor, and has been a Wilderness First Responder for almost a decade. She has guided in Southeast Alaska and has led AWE teams on Aconcagua and Mount Baker.

She earned her degree in psychology and sociology in Colorado, and she loves using the mountains to challenge women and people of all genders and build their confidence. Off the mountain she surfs, works on her motorcycle and goes bowling.

Leads: Aconcagua, Mount Baker

Emma Lyddan

AWE guide · Alaska and the Andes

Emma grew up in California and studied environmental studies, geography and outdoor studies at the University of Alaska, where an internship on Denali set her on the path to guiding big mountains. She now guides Denali and Vinson, and has worked as a glacier, kayak and wilderness guide in Alaska, Chile, Ecuador, Peru and Norway. Her climbs include Foraker, Rainier, Pico de Orizaba and, in Peru's Cordillera Blanca, Ishinca, Tocllaraju, Vallunaraju and Ranrapalca.

She has completed the AMGA Alpine Guide Course and holds AIARE Avalanche Level 2, Wilderness First Responder and Leave No Trace Master Educator certifications. She co-led AWE's 2026 team in Peru. Off the mountain she teaches yoga, takes photos and skis.

Leads: Peru

Luchi Marun laughing in a dining tent at base camp on Aconcagua

Luciana “Luchi” Marun

Lead local guide, Aconcagua · Patagonia, Argentina

Luchi is an Argentine mountain guide certified by the Argentine Association of Mountain Guides. She started on Aconcagua as a porter in 2011, has guided there since 2013, and has led AWE teams on the mountain with our partner INKA Expediciones since 2020.

She lives in Patagonia and has guided around El Chaltén and on the Perito Moreno Glacier, with expeditions in northern Argentina, Bolivia and Peru. She is a rock climber and a trained paramedic.

Leads: Aconcagua

Who we climb with

On the ground we work with local outfitters who know their mountains far better than any visitor can. More about our partners.

INKA ExpedicionesMendoza, Argentina. Aconcagua 360 and Normal Route.
Dreamland Safari ToursKanab, Utah. Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim.
Asia OutdoorsKyrgyzstan. Lenin Peak.
McGill's MountainsDr. Jeannette McGill. Nepal Passes and Peaks.
WHOA TravelWomen-run. Kilimanjaro and Salkantay, booked with them directly.