Erick developed a passion for outdoor adventure at an early age as the son of an intrepid father who pioneered multiple first ascents of peaks, and never-before-paddled kayak routes in Greenland, Botswana and elsewhere. Though Erick’s home base was the Bay Area in California, he grew up feeling very much a “child of the world” as he traveled the globe with his family, friends and sometimes on his own.

Early adventures that shaped him include his first kayaking expedition at age 5 on the Baja coast, where he remembers his father telling him to “paddle hard” when he only wanted to play with the starfish and jellyfish in the kelp beds. He has vivid memories of dancing with a Kuna Indian chief’s daughter on a sandy beach in the San Blas Islands of Panama when he was 10 and frolicking with sea lions in the Galapagos at 11. When he was just 13, he spent a summer alone in French Polynesia surfing, biking and kayaking. And in between his journeys abroad, then and now, he has the Sierras as his backyard playground, escaping to a tent, a map and freeze-dried food every chance he gets.

Following high school and into his 20s, Erick guided trips in Greenland, Yosemite and Death Valley, learning the intricacies of trip logistics and gaining an understanding of the various ways others value and define their idea of “adventure.” After college studies at the University of Colorado Boulder and UC Davis, he worked in the medical field coordinating biometric events around the U.S. before he could no longer resist the allure of the adventure travel industry full-time.

Erick feels most at home when he is physically connected with nature and wildlife -- hiking, kayaking, skiing and simply being active outside. His favorite way to end a day is zipped up in a tent in a remote and unexplored landscape, falling asleep to the sound of rain pattering the tent fly or listening to howling winds sing a lullaby under the bright stars. 

Erick’s favorite travel adventures include exploratory sea kayak expeditions to East Greenland, snorkeling in the Galapagos, hiking in Peru and skiing the Caucasus Mountains in the Republic of Georgia. Now with a growing family, Erick shares his love for adventure with wife Aya and toddler son Owen taking them along on as many adventures as possible!