Artistry in Asian Travel
Designing trips that flow smoothly through Asia is an art. After 15 years of specialization and experience in travel through this vast and complex continent, we understand how to weave your expectations and dreams into the actual intricacies of permits, flights, visas and hotel reservations.
When you call the Snow Lion office, our consultants will assist you in choosing the trip that matches your schedule, budget and interests. Then we set the wheels in motion to land you in the most remote as well as the most highly sought-after destinations in Asia.
Members of our Salt Lake City staff come from diverse backgrounds, but share key interests. We all settled in this city as an attractive compromise between living in an urban environment and enjoying easy access to some of North America's best skiing, fishing, mountain biking, and hiking. The mountainous landscape surrounding the Salt Lake valley reminds us daily of Asia's high ranges and plateaus.
Together, we continually build on our knowledge of all-things-Asian through an ongoing training program which includes study, reading, motion pictures, food tasting, cooking, local culture, and periodic travel abroad.
To speak to us personally, give our office a call at 1-800-525-8735.
Ron Barness - Founder and CEO
An adventure travel pioneer for nearly 25 years, Ron's entrepreneurial spirit and experience are the heart and soul of Snow Lion Expeditions. The company’s founder and president, he maintains a keen interest in the study of global culture and mountaineering lore; and his determination and unwavering devotion to the highest standards has become the keystone of the organization.
A native of South Dakota, he makes friends easily and surrounds himself with extraordinary people. He has amassed an extensive network of contacts, which enable Snow Lion to excel both as a business enterprise and as a purveyor of unique and compelling adventures.
Ron has a strong relationship to landscapes and their effects on culture. In Snow Lion's 1997 catalog, he described his connection with his native landscape of South Dakota and the Tibetan Plateau this way:
As a youngster growing up in South Dakota, I was drawn to explore the Missouri River bluffs and the grasslands behind my house. I imagined the Great Sioux Nation following herds of buffalo across the plains… I continue to seek pristine landscapes and authentic cultures which remain unaffected at the dawn of the 21st century.
In 1988, through a twist of fate, I met my first Tibetans and since then have been enthralled and committed to the beauty of their country and culture. The Tibetan people and their lofty plateau are faced with a modern world prying its way into their inner sanctums, a world that has not taken much notice of their cultural survival. Snow Lion Expeditions is committed to helping protect and preserve the traditions of the Himalaya and the Tibetan Plateau.
He was the co-founder of the Tibetan Resettlement Project in 1991, which relocated more than 75 Tibetan refugees in Salt Lake City. As a result of this work, His Holiness the Dalai Lama acknowledged Ron and the resettlement team at a private reception at the Utah Governor's Mansion in May 2001.
Ron lives in Salt Lake City's foothills with his 5-year-old golden retreiver. Ron currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy and KRCL (90.9 FM)––Utah's venerable community radio station. He is a member of Great Salt Lakekeeper, the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, the University of Utah President's Club and the University of Utah Alumni Association. He is a member of Equality Utah, HRC, St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, the University of Utah President's Club and KUER’s Producer’s Circle.
Anna Griswold - Vice President of Operations
Anna Griswold oversees quality control pertaining to the complex travel details of Asian adventure, hiring and development of trip leaders, coordination of groups and institutional clients. Anna was an executive for a German-based travel company in New York City before she "retired" to pursue career in leading adventures full-time.
Before joining the Snow Lion Team in Salt Lake City, Anna served as a Snow Lion Expedition Manager for six years. She led trips in nearly every venue where Snow Lion operates: Himalaya, Indochina, Mongolia, China and India. She is fluent in six languages and semi-conversational in a dozen more, Anna was educated in the former USSR, U.S., Germany, Czech Republic, and her native Hungary.
Anna lives on Salt Lake City’s Capitol Hill where she grows exotic plants.
She still leads trips for Snow Lion whenever she can squeeze it in between working in the office and jaunting about visiting family and friends in Europe, New York and other exciting world capitals.
Steve Pastorino - VP / Marketing
Leading Snow Lion’s aggressive expansion plans, Steve Pastorino brings a lifetime of wanderlust and 16 years of sales and marketing experience to Snow Lion. Steve directs Snow Lion’s advertising, marketing and branding efforts – including not-for-profit groups and the emerging Latin America market.
Born in Venezuela, he claims San Francisco, Chicago and now, Salt Lake City, as “home.” Growing up in Mexico, South America and Europe, he developed a love of travel, great books and soccer.
A 1990 journalism graduate of Northwestern University, he has worked for five professional baseball and soccer teams –– the last of which, Real Salt Lake, brought him to Utah for the first time. He spent the summer writing the 2008 Fodor’s Guide to Yellowstone National Park and supporting his wife Teri’s triathlon habit.
Steve and Teri met training for the Anchorage Midnight Sun Marathon while raising thousands of dollars for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. They live on Salt Lake City’s east side and can be found running all over Utah in pursuit of their “three little ducks” – sons Lucca and Declan, and daughter Sophia.
Ira Hinckley - Senior Expedition Coordinator
Often the first person at Snow Lion a guest will speak with, Ira Hinckley is Snow Lion’s Senior Expedition Coordinator. He spends time with each guest, learning their needs and expectations, and helping them choose destinations, customize itineraries and create dream journeys.
Ira has recently reconnected with his Mormon pioneer roots by relocating to Salt Lake City after living 12 years in San Francisco. He grew up in New Mexico but has close ties to Utah with family settling throughout the state five generations ago.
After receiving his M.B.A. from the American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird) in Arizona where he also studied Japanese, he moved to San Francisco. He worked in the International Shipping arena and relishing the diverse cultural influences of the “city by the bay.” His interest in Asian culture drew him to Japan where he resided in Tokyo teaching Spanish and English. Ira has also studied French, Portuguese and German.
Travel is his passion and he has toured extensively throughout Europe, the U.S., Australia and parts of the Far East. In addition he enjoys hiking, biking, playing the piano, spending time with his large family of 11 siblings and restoring historic homes.
Cel Jennings - International Air Desk Manager
Snow Lion’s air travel expert, Cel Jennings (pronounced “seal” which is short of Cecelia) began her career in travel management 25 years ago, and has worked in all facets of travel from management to leisure, corporate and group travel reservations.
Cel telecommutes to Snow Lion from her home in Golden, Colorado where she lives with her husband and two teenage boys. From the "other side" of the Rockies, Cel is connected to Snow Lion via the magic of technology where she manages contract and published airfares to every major and minor Asian gateway.
Snow Lion is a member of Travel Society, a $85 million Denver-based travel agency comprised of more than 110 independent owner-agents; and Travel Society is a member of Virtuoso, an exclusive world-wide network of 300 elite travel agencies. Cel uses the buying power of Travel Society and Virtuoso to deliver the best value airline product to every Snow Lion traveler.
Flor Aguilar - Guest Services Manager
Nate Isom - Expedition Sales Manager