That conviction followed him to Texas A&M University, where he initially studied Outdoor Education before earning a degree in Agricultural Leadership. During the summers he chased adventure wherever he could find it—guiding whitewater rafting trips in Buena Vista, Colorado, working as a hunting guide in South Texas, serving as a wrangler and musician at a Colorado guest ranch, and later directing ropes courses at The Pines Catholic Camp.

In the summer of 2001, Mark climbed his first Colorado fourteener—Mount Princeton. That climb ignited a lifelong passion for mountaineering. Over the next two decades he would summit many of Colorado's highest peaks while introducing countless friends, students, and fellow adventurers to the mountains that had shaped him.

It was while serving at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Northglenn, Colorado, and attending World Youth Day that Mark first encountered Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati.

He immediately recognized something familiar.

Here was a young man who loved mountain climbing, treasured authentic friendship, served the poor with humility, laughed easily, and pursued holiness with contagious joy. Over the next twenty years, Pier Giorgio became Mark's patron and quiet mentor, teaching him that the greatest adventures aren't measured by elevation gained, but by the kind of man you become along the way.

For more than twenty years, Mark served in youth, young adult, and campus ministry, helping thousands of people encounter Christ while leading ski trips, adventure expeditions, retreats, mission trips, and leadership experiences. Along the way he also became a Certified Working Genius® Facilitator, coaching business owners and executive teams to build healthier organizations and integrate faith into everyday leadership.

Friends often joke that Mark is what happens when you combine John Eldredge's Wild at Heart with Patrick Lencioni. He believes men are created for adventure, brotherhood, purpose, and sacrifice—but he also believes those experiences should be intentional, transformational, and built around healthy leadership, meaningful conversations, and authentic relationships.

Frassati Adventure Company is where all of those worlds come together.

It's for men who have achieved success but still long for something deeper. It's for fathers, business owners, executives, and leaders who want more than another vacation. They want an experience that challenges them physically, sharpens them spiritually, strengthens lifelong friendships, and reminds them who God created them to be.

Mark doesn't simply guide people into the mountains.

He creates the kind of experiences that have been changing lives for the last twenty-five years.