About Us

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2008: Northeast Mountain Guiding (NMG) was started by company President Joseph Vulpis in December of 2008 and since then has grown into one of the largest and busiest professional guiding, equipment outfitter and outdoor educational operations in the eastern United States. 2019 has proved to be NMG's best season yet! We worked as a sub-government contractor starting in mid-2009.

2011: In 2011, we branched out into the Southeast US and ran programs in North Carolina and the surrounding area. Our instructors taught SERE trainings at Fort Bragg during this time, and we continue to do so. Our international trips were a big part of our company during this time period.

2014: Vice President Bryan Enberg joined the company and helped launch its Professional Services Division. This division of NMG provides equipment, training and consulting to emergency service organizations as well as professional rope access for construction, inspection and other work at height needs. We are currently the sole provider for search & rescue training for FEMA and the NJ State Police. Bryan left NMG and is now working full time for the NJ State Police. This year we also created our Field Director positions and hired 5 guides to fill these positions. Our Field Directors manage our everyday operations in the field.  

2016: President Joseph Vulpis registered NMG as a full government contractor for equipment, supplies and training. NMG is currently operating on projects and signed their first contract with the US Navy in January 2017 and second contract with the US Marines in February 2017.   We pride ourselves in providing premium outdoor experiences and professional services to outdoor enthusiasts interested in experiencing everything the great wilderness has to offer! NMG has 150+ guides/instructors, all experts and highly experienced in the discipline they guide and people who love the outdoors. Unlike our competitors who only work weekends, we are FULL-TIME career mountain guides. On average, we have 35,000+ clients annually. Our peak season is April through October.   

2017: NMG became the first outdoor adventure franchise in the world operating under a different name. The franchise is called 'Ultimate Outdoor Adventures' and has 9 current locations and 3 more opening in 2020.  

2020: Our new Vice President, Matt Novellino, came on board bringing on a new skill set for advancing our government contracts and helping bring a new insight on our recreational based courses.  This opened up our government bidding for SOCOM, Special Forces and other tiered operator training contracts.

2021: This year brought on many challenges with the pandemic restrictions but we powered through them and created policies to better adapt. We worked on a lot of high end government projects and production shoots. Matt and Joey opened up the National Rescue & Response Institute during 2021 which offers training in various disciplines like rope rescue, swfitwater rescue, technical rescue and much more!

2022: Erin Beach became our Chief of Operations, along with several people to fill our Operations Directors postitions. We're looking forward to another amazing year here at NMG!

We offer courses for the following organizations:  

• American Hiking Guides Association  

• Center for Wilderness Safety  

• National Association for Search and Rescue 

• Wilderness Mountain Safety Institute 

• American Red Cross 

• American Heart Association 

• Professional Climbing Guides Institute 

• National Canyoneering Guides Association  

• National Rescue & Response Institute

We are the only full course provider for the American Hiking Guides Association and the National Canyoneering Association in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. We are the only accredited school in the Northeast US for both the American Hiking Guides Association and the Mountain Safety Institute. We are also accredited by the National Canyoneering Association.    Here at NMG we practice "Leave No Trace" ethics and have several Leave No Trace Master Educators on staff. Almost all of our staff are LNT Trainers. We instruct our clients on every trip how to protect, respect and preserve the wilderness.    

NMG is also a distributor for the best brands in climbing and outdoor recreation. We are distributors for Conterra, Spiroll, CMC Rescue, Sterling Rope, National Geographic Maps, Eureka, JetBoil, Scarpa, Gregory and many more! Stop by our shop for more information and to see our product line. 

DUNS, CAGE Code and NJ Start numbers available upon request.

     Hey everyone!  Over the last couple of decades my path, both in Special Operations and as an outdoorsman, has taken me all over the world, but it all started right here in New Jersey!  I grew up exploring the woods near my home in Denville, where I first found my wilderness inspiration in the echoes of the Native Americans who once inhabited our hills.  Early on, I became interested in the techniques of survival, tracking, and eventually rock climbing, backpacking, and skiing.  In 1999, I visited the Black Hills of South Dakota, and began what has now been a 20 year relationship with the Lakota tribe, and a love for the wild spaces of the American West.  In 2003, I decided to follow my interests in self development and service into the military, and I enlisted in the US Coast Guard where I eventually became a Helicopter Rescue Swimmer.  In 2005, when Hurricane Katrina struck the gulf coast, I was fortunate enough to be involved in 140 helicopter rescues within New Orleans.  Following an extremely rewarding 4+ years in the Coast Guard, I returned to NJ where I began to guide rock climbing, backpacking, and survival training in New Jersey and New Hampshire.  It was during this time, while we were both fixtures in the Allamuchy State Park climbing scene, that I first met Joey from Northeast Mountain Guiding.   

     During this period, I enlisted in the Army National Guard with the goal of entering Special Forces.  After completing Infantry training, Airborne school, and a variety of other schools, I was selected as a candidate for Special Forces.  In 2009 I reported to Ft. Bragg NC, where I underwent 21 months of training in the SFQC (Special Forces Qualification Course).  After making it through training which included small unit tactics, cultural and language training in Arabic, SERE (Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape school), the SF Weapons SGT Course, and an Unconventional Warfare culminating exercise, I finally earned my Green Beret in the summer of 2011. After graduation, I moved to Colorado and reported to my National Guard Special Force unit.  Living in and around Boulder, I had the opportunity to take my passion for the outdoors deep into the Rockies where I continued to polish my navigation, survival, and off-trail skills.  When not exploring the mountains in the US, I traveled around the world as a Green Beret, including missions in Europe, North Africa, two combat deployments to the mountains of Afghanistan, and countless Special Operations schools and training evolutions.  

     Following my last trip to Afghanistan, I transferred to my unit’s “training detachment” where I mentor and assess Special Forces hopefuls from the Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Navy.  On the civilian side, I’ve been able to remain active in the aviation and maritime search-and-rescue fields through jobs as a Rescue Swimmer instructor for Ocean Rescue Systems International, and a hoist and tactical advisor for SRT Helicopters, as well as an independent training contractor for SOCOM.  In my spare time, I have also run my own leadership and team-building company called Origins Training Group and a wilderness mentoring company called Warrior Wilderness Mentoring.  I continue to maintain and develop relationships with the Native American nations which have been so influential on my philosophies in wilderness and in life.  As an aspiring author of historical fiction and non-fiction, one of my long term goals is to share that positive influence I've received through my writing.  In 2018, my wife Aja and I got married in our home town of Denville.  Not long after, we bought a home in the woods in Rockaway NJ where we live today with our fat cat Ocho and our Siberian Husky Sky.  I still travel regularly to the Rockies and the Pacific Northwest to practice my wilderness skills and philosophy, but I am super excited to be back in the New Jersey area, and honored to have the opportunity to become a big part of Northeast Mountain Guiding!  See you out there! 

Matt's Credentials:

Former US Coast Guard Helicopter Rescue Swimmer 

US Army Special Forces Weapons Sergeant (Green Beret) 2011 to present 

Tactical Combat Casualty Care Qualified 

SERE C High Risk 

High Threat CQB instructor 

Colorado National Guard SAR Team Member 

Maritime & Aviation Rescue Instructor 

US Army National Guard 2008 to present 

Helo Cast Master 

Fast Rope Insertion Master 

USMC Scout Swimmer Graduate (2012) 

Bronze Star with Valor (Afghanistan 2013) 

ARCOM with Valor (Afghanistan 2017) 

Bronze Star (Afghanistan 2017) 

Bachelors Degree BFA 

Swiftwater Rescue Awareness (NRRI)

Swiftwater Rescue Operations (NRRI)

PCGI Top-Rope Guide Course