Michael was born and raised in Washington State and began climbing in the Cascades as a young teenager. He began his career working in the mountains as a Climbing Ranger on Mount Rainier, where he worked seasonally for 5 years. During some of this time, he attained a degree from Montana State University in Bozeman, studying Geography.

He began guiding in Alaska and internationally in 2014. He has been climbing and guiding in greater mountain ranges around the world, including; Nepal, Patagonia, The Andes, and Alaska. Michael is certified in Rigging for Rescue, Avalanche Level II, Helicopter Crewmember, and Leave No Trace. He has been an instructor for the Khumbu Climbing School and was given the Denali Pro Award in 2017. He continues to love spending time in the mountains and climbing when he is not working.