How It All Started
A Letter From Altum Co-founder Cherise Tuttle
Last year I found myself in Nepal once again. One of the evenings I spent in Pokhara, I got together with a few friends for dinner. One couple I first met in 2016 in the Eastern Sierras of California where I reside. We all had just started to paraglide and they were traveling through. We became fast friends and kept in touch ever since. Another friend was someone I had met in the wine industry near Santa Barbara, CA only months before this Nepal trip. And the other friend I met in Nepal while many of us came together directly after the massive earthquake in 2015 to work with emergency aid relief programs in areas devastated by the natural disaster. Later she became one of my paragliding mentors and a close friend. Needless to say, the crew was a motley group from diverse backgrounds and without planning on it, we all managed to be at the same place at the same time. I love that about travel - the more you explore the world around you, the more diverse your global community becomes.
As we looked through our menus, they urged me to choose the wine. I studied the list, asking my friend, who is a winemaker, what his opinion was and proceeded to nerd out. Satisfied with our decision, we ordered and continued with our evening. The night was clear and warm and conversation exciting as everyone spoke of travel plans, life transitions, and dreams. I, myself, was also in a transition seeking out what was the next project and place I wanted to be. Nepal always has a way of bringing clarity for me. Having spent countless months living there throughout the last 8 years, it has become like a second home.
The conversations paused slightly and a question was posed to me, “When are you going to start combining the types of trips you do here with wine? Like an adventure wine trip?” I sat back and thought for a moment. “When I find the perfect place. It has to be somewhere where it isn’t being done - somewhere off the beaten path.” We chatted about a few potential places in the world and then the conversation flowed to other subjects. But the seed had been planted. I had spent many years running logistics for film projects in remote, high altitude, and complicated locations in the world - mostly rugged mountain regions such as the Himalaya, Alps and locations throughout western Canada and the States. It had also led to bringing groups to Nepal for trekking trips and managing climbing expeditions. But it had always been separate from my studies as a Sommelier. The wine industry was something that I pursued outside of the outdoor industry, but why not combine the two?
The next month was filled with exploring new places, paragliding, and reconnecting with friends. Things were shifting and I knew I wanted to explore this concept more. I arrived back in Canada where I had left my dog and truck with my family. My brother, Chris, picked me up from the airport and as we drove through Vancouver and moved further east out of the city traffic, I unleashed the idea on him. I said, ‘I think the first place to look for this type of trip is Argentina.’ Before I could go further, he said he was in. I couldn’t have asked for a better business partner in this endeavour than my brother. Aside from being siblings, he has many qualifications to compliment my strengths.
Over the coming months we made contact with the right people down in Argentina to start making this concept into a reality. Taking our vision, they curated an epically busy and thorough scouting trip. We could not have imagined what we could fit into a relatively short trip and what we discovered was Patagonia had everything we were looking for, plus some! And we want to share our discoveries! The tour that we have curated in Patagonia is packed full of adventure, good wine, and immersion of traditional culture. Working with local guides, we wanted to ensure that we understand and respect the rich traditions of Argentina and Patagonia culture. And thus, Altum Adventures has taken root! We’re excited to share our adventures with you!
Cheers!
Cherise