About Us

Troy Haines is the owner of Rubicon Outdoors and our partner company Alpinehikers. Troy first moved to the Alps in 1997, living and working in the hotels in Mürren, and spending many happy summers wandering the trails and discovering new places. Upon moving to Prescott, Arizona in 2001, he found it to be the perfect complement to summers in the Alps, with a friendly vibe, great weather and easy access to countless trails through the surrounding forest.

Before the tours, Troy earned a degree in linguistics from Stanford University, taught 1st Aid and CPR classes for the American Red Cross, led rock-climbing, hiking, and cross-country skiing trips, also owned a bakery for two years.  He loves being a Dad and hanging out with his two kids, and now lives in Crested Butte, Colorado. Troy is an enthusiastic trail runner and explorer. He loves discovering and sharing beautiful places, and always looks forward to meeting others who share the same love of life and discovery.

As the founder of Alpinehikers and the owner of Rubicon Outdoors, Troy is intimately involved in every detail of all of our tours, and is always looking to make sure you have the best experience possible.

Deborah Charlap manages administrative operations and marketing for Rubicon Outdoors and Alpinehikers. She explores new opportunities to make our office an effective, engaged workplace and celebrates the ways that everyone’s adventures contribute to our company’s story. “I’ve never considered myself an explorer and now I work surrounded by professional guides… Their enthusiasm is contagious! It’s made me more eager to find the adventures in everyday life and just get out there more.”

Some of Deb’s adventures include homesteading in rural Arizona and training companion and working dogs. A magical trip to Switzerland in the summer of 2013 marked her transformation from occasional hiker to avid adventurer, and further travels have only solidified this. “There was this Sound-of-Music-style moment — alone in an alpine meadow, surrounded by yellow globe flowers and towering white peaks… It’s an incredible place to stretch your boundaries.”

Deb is also our in-house designer… gathering photos, designing maps, obsessing over fonts, color, mood, message, and pulling everything together just so.

Mike Cullen took forever to sit down and write this blurb about himself! In fact, as our reservation specialist, he’s too busy answering email questions, editing, printing, and shipping tour materials to think about himself enough to write any more than what you see here!

He does love fly fishing, watching English Premier League matches, hiking, tinkering in his garage, and traveling with his lovely wife, Layla and young son Jack.

Mike is meticulous and detail-oriented, quick to notice something amiss in a hotel confirmation or in need of polishing in a tour packet.  It might feel seamless, but when you arrive at your hotel, your luggage is there, the host is expecting you, and your room has a gorgeous balcony… that’s Mike at work.