Meet Doom & Lizzy
With 50+ years collective experience in backcountry adventures and almost as much working in the outdoor industry, Steve “Doom” Fassbinder and Lizzy Scully know what it takes to live and play in the world’s wildest areas. Out of a desire to share our passion with others, we created Four Corners Guides.
We met in 2015 through outdoor industry connections. In 2016, we climbed “The Cruise” in the Black Canyon on our first date and the “Naked Edge” in Eldorado Canyon shortly thereafter. And after soloing to the summit of the First Flatiron we decided we were a match made on sandstone. Shortly after Lizzy moved to Mancos, we bought an idyllic, remote cabin and 35 acres at the tip of Weber Mountain. And since 2020 we got married, wrote The Bikeraft Guide, and built our remote “basecamp,” Scullbinder Ranch.
The Guide Service: What it and we are all about
Obsessed with adventuring, it only made sense for us to pursue a dream we both shared of running this base camp and an adventure guide service together, with Steve the head “Bikeraft Guide” and Lizzy running the business. We seek to offer adventure opportunities that, “get you on the edge of your own reality to feel things you’ve never experienced,” as Doom says. And we work hard to enhance your existing backcountry skills so you can do bigger and more exciting bike and packraft adventures, while at the same time pushing you just a bit further so you can, “find out what you’re really made of.”
While we do offer no-frills courses where you can learn just the bike and packraft skills, Scullbinder Ranch is an integral component of Four Corners Guides. It’s remote, so you must disconnect from the outside world. The property is expansive, with three canyons emanating out three directions from the property. It’s peaceful, with the Mancos River flowing through it. And it’s equipped with 2.5 miles of trails, a cabin, glamping tents and a Main House, at which guests dine on delicious, locally-sourced food while watching the sun set over the red canyon cliffs of Mesa Verde. In other words, it’s the perfect place for you to unplug, get ready to play hard and discover more about yourself, wild landscapes and the people you’re with.
All together, we feel certain you will walk away with a deeper sense of enjoyment for both living in and utilizing human-powered tools to pass through remote landscapes. We want your experience at the Ranch and on your course to be the milestone in your life that you measure everything else up to.
The Team
Lizzy Scully
Founder, CEO, Adventurer
A dedicated and passionate adventurer, Lizzy spent more than two decades climbing big walls around the world. She’s best known for her for her first free ascent with Heidi Wirtz of “Bad Hair Day” (5.12-) on the South Howser Minaret, Bugaboos, Canada and her third ascent of “Inshallah,” a route up the 4400-foot Shipton Spire (19,700’) in the Karakoram Range of Pakistan. She focuses now on cycling and packrafting. Read the “Success Story” about Lizzy and FCG. Follow Lizzy @scullbinderranch on Instagram. Get to know Lizzy!
Steve Fassbinder
Founder, Head Bike & Packrafting Guide, Adventurer
Steve Fassbinder, known as “Doom” among his friends and within the tight-knit mountain bike industry, started adventuring at age 14. He raced single-speed mountain bikes until his 30s, but eventually started focusing on exploring huge backcountry landscapes. Passionate about creative, human powered, low-impact travel, he’s likely explored more of the Southwest United States by both bike and packraft than any other person. Read about him in Outside mag, and follow him @republicofdoom on Instagram. Get to know Doom!
Thad Ferrell
Head Bike & Packrafting Guide, Fly Fishing Magician
Thad spent his childhood traveling out West to fish with his parents. They planted a seed, and whether the branches led to climbing, biking, hiking, fly fishing, or floating the rivers of the West, he knew this was where he wanted to put down roots. Always thinking about fly fishing, and after a very narrow brush with death in 2017, Thad decided to move forward with his dream of starting a guide service. Join Thad on the San Juan River! Check out King Fisher Fly Guides. Follow Thad @kingfisherflyguides on Instagram. Get to know Thad!
Dan Thurber
Adv. Whitewater Paddling Guide, Adventurer, Class V Packrafter
Passionate about expedition paddling, Dan has explored dozens of Class V rivers all over the Americas. He took up packrafting as a way to access more remote corridors. Dan has guided some form of whitewater boating for 20 year. And he’s taught swiftwater rescue for SSI since 2011. Between river safety, technical paddling skill and expedition practice, Dan has a wealth of knowledge and experience which he is excited to share with anyone looking to take their packrafting to a new level. Follow Dan @extraintermediate.
Jon “The Legend” Bailey
Packrafting & Bikerafting Guide, Artist, Adventurer
Jon has been exploring and tracing lines in the Southwest and the San Juan Mountains since 2000. With 15+ years of experience guiding with the local youth cycling program Durango Devo, 25 years of bicycle wrenching and enthusiasm, and a lifetime of connecting dots with his pen, Jon has been able to reach the community by sharing the wilderness experience and the freedom of the bicycle through adventure, art and love. Find him @jonathansbailey on Instagram.
Jonathan Yazzie
Bikepacking & Bikerafting Guide, Owner Dzil Ta’ah Adventures
Jon is a full-blooded Navajo and adventure cyclist and mountain bike racer. He runs bikepacking tours through his company Dzil Ta’ah Adventures, Kayenta, Ariz. He has developed bikepacking routes across Navajolands. Jon brings both bikepacking expertise and a more in-depth cultural experience to Four Corners Guides. Find Jon @dziltaahadventures on Instagram. Read about him on Bikepacking.com and Radavist articles about his new business and bike adventures.
Cara Kropp
Packrafting & Bikerafting Guide, Outdoor Educator
Cara has been exploring the Southwest and the San Juan Mountains for the last 15 years. She has spent time guiding rivers, rock climbing and now coaches mountain biking for Trek Dirt Series and Durango Devo. After being enlisted on a “Doom Tour” several years ago, she has guided bikepacking and bikerafting tours for kids and young adults since. She enjoys fostering new wilderness experiences that are life altering. Find her @ckropp5 on Instagram.
Ben Phillips
Adv. Whitewater Paddling Instructor
With decades of Class V whitewater packrafting and kayaking experience, Ben can take you to the next level of boating. Ben lives in Hesperus with his wife, Kate, and two children, Thorne and Raef. Find him @benton3017 on Instagram.
Cool Companies We Work With
Thank you! These companies provide us with the high-quality, lightweight gear that we use on both our personal adventures and our guided trips. We could not do what we do, as well as we do it, or have as much fun, without the awesome gear these companies make. The companies are: Titan Straps, Aqua Bound, Rocky Mounts, Alpacka Raft, Big Agnes, Hyperlite Mountain Gear and Revelate Designs.
