Guides and Pilots of Great Canadian Heli-Skiing

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Our Guides

Great Canadian Heli-Skiing holds your safety as our #1 priority. Our guides are experienced and certified professionals (Association of Canadian Mountain Guides, Canadian Ski Guide Association and International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations). They are all trained in snow safety, weather analysis, and emergency medical techniques and mechanized ski guiding. You know you are in safe hands since all of our guides have, at the very least, +10 years of experience out in the field. Day by day they will find the best of what Mother Nature has to offer.

Greg Golovach has been guiding for 21 years including guiding for 18 years at Great Canadian Heli-Skiing! Greg is a fully certified I.F.M.G.A. Mountain Guide and became a professional guide “because he could not imagine doing anything else for a living”. Greg's passion for guiding is evident: not only is he a heli-ski guide, he also guides ski touring, ice climbing, rock climbing, and mountaineering. Safety is Greg's #1 concern. A true man of the mountains, when asked what his dreams are, Greg unequivocally states, “I'm living my dream.” When not guiding, Greg spends his time enjoying the outdoors with his wonderful wife Mischi and their three adorable children, Hunter, Bryce & Tia.

If you are interested in doing any climbing, touring or mountaineering, check out Greg's website: www.alpineadventureguide.com

Inspired by friends in Grindelwald, Switzerland where he worked as a ski tech, Rob has guided for 17 years, 16 of which have been with Great Canadian Heli-Skiing.

Since 2002, after putting his Aircraft Maintenance career on the back burner, Rob has worked year-round for Great Canadian as Operations Manager. In general, Rob takes care of all the various things that need taking care of. He admits that although there were aspects of his former full-time career he really liked, he feels that “the current arrangement keeps me around the people and the sport I love”.
Happily married to another GCH Ski Guide, Sue Gould, he lists Keelan (11) and Neva (8) as his other interests.

“I have been guiding in and around Golden for 10 years, 8 of these with Great Canadian Heliskiing. Previous to this I ski patrolled and did avalanche forecasting in the Canadian Rockies for 10 years. In the winter when I am not guiding for Great Canadian I guide ski mountaineering and ski touring. Summers are spent surfing as much as possible.

My certification includes ACMG Ski Guide and Professional Membership in the Canadian Avalanche Association. My favorite part of guiding, other than epic deep powder, is sharing guests "Best Day Ever" - on any day!”

Dave holds a B.A. in Geography. His favourite type of day is a snowy day in January at -10 degrees and skiing the steep and deep trees (like Velcro, Big O, etc). First tracks are always a bonus!

Terry's been guiding 20 years and has been guiding with GCH for 15 years. When he's not guiding you'll find Terry running his highly successful business Footworks, where he provides high performance ski boot fitting and dispenses prescription orthotics for guides, climbers and outdoor enthusiasts. TM is our resident oenophile: he’s always looking for a good Shiraz to share with guests at Heather Mountain Lodge! When he's not working, TM enjoys windsurfing and has a passion for fly fishing and wine.

Alison has been guiding (officially) since 1992. As past owner, operator, and guide of a 3 lodge ski-touring business (Golden Alpine Holidays) Alison has now happily moved into the heliski world and is heading into her 5th winter with Great Canadian Heli-Skiing. “I thought I might give up guiding all together, but skiing at GCHS has just been too much fun, so I'm back for more” Al is a well entrenched local Goldenite with ancestry in the Columbia Valley that dates back to the 1890's. “It's the best place to live. I hope that not too many people figure that out!”. When not working Al still loves to ski-tour, climb and build things. She looks forward to another winter of outrageous skiing, camaraderie and the opportunity to sample a few more of Terry's favourite wines.

Dave was born and raised in Golden and learnt to ski at a young age right on the old Mt.7 Ski Hill. Dave still lives in Golden with his partner Cindy and their two beautiful little girls. As an ACMG certified ski guide since 1988 and a professional member of the CAA, Dave has guided all over Western Canada and even a few winters in the New Zealand Southern Alps. Dave splits his winter time between heli guiding at GCH, looking after his girls and operating his gorgeous backcountry lodge, “Mistaya Lodge” in the Rockies.

He enjoys being out in the mountains skiing with people everyday and having the best job around.

Paddy Jerome has been a skier since the age of 4 and has made an amazing lifestyle out of his love of skiing and climbing. He is a fully certified IFMGA/ACMG Mountain Guide and has worked for more than 12 years in the ski industry, having worked extensively throughout B.C. at various catskiing and heliskiing operations as an apprentice ACMG Guide. Paddy has now finally settling in at Great Canadian Heli-Skiing where he has been for the last 6 years. A professional member of the Canadian Avalanche Association - Paddy also has a passion for teaching and guiding Avalanche Education Programs, Ice, Rock and Alpine Climbing.

Guiding is a full time year round profession for Paddy and he has has worked overseas in North Africa as a ‘SPRAT Rope Access Technician’ and has guided 4000 meter peaks around Chamonix and Zermatt in Europe. Travelling and working overseas is great, but Canada is home and in his experience is one of most amazing places in the world for living and working amongst big remote peaks. Paddy says “Skiing is definitively an expression of yourself and your place in the mountains. Carving ski tracks on the side of a mountain for a living with a group of ecstatic people is a career that boasts tremendous job satisfaction!”

http://www.internationalguidebureau.com/paddy-jerome-ski-guide

Sue has been guiding for Great Canadian Heli-Skiing since 1996. She can also be found guiding ski touring and teaching avalanche courses around the province. Not wanting to limit herself, she also teaches piano, conducts and directs a children's choir, performs classical and jazz piano with different groups around BC and Alberta and has been recently appointed Programming Assistant for Kicking Horse Culture, Golden's local arts council.

Sue likes to feel the love. Her love of the mountains is only surpassed by the love of her 2 kids, Keelan, 11 and Neva, 8. Her other loves? Mountain biking, rock climbing, a really good tequila and her husband Rob Dalinghaus.

Julian has been guiding with GCH for 11 years starting out in the GCH "basement"; shoveling, doing maintenance and getting the odd day out tail guiding. He has since achieved his level 3 C.S.G.A. guide certification and oddly enough shovels even more. Having taught skiing since he was 16 he naturally enjoys teaching powder technique to whoever will listen. Even though he is a bit of a professional student he still has lots to learn.

Working here quenches his powder thirst but Julian says “the best part about being with GCH for so long is the relationships you form and develop with the guides, pilots and clientele year after year. It's like a big reunion, week after week”.

In the off season Julian is an electrician; and is busy fixing up his recently purchased home in Rossland, B.C. His wife Marcy and son Ezra also keep him honest. Julian's other interests include ski touring, kayaking, fly fishing, and long walks on the beach.

Great Canadian Heli-Skiing guide since 2002, John's first guiding job was in the summer of 1986. When he's not at Heather Mountain Lodge, John is a senior manager at Mt Norquay Ski Resort in Banff. During the summer, John guides exclusive family-oriented outdoor adventures for professionals and executives, and spends as much time as possible with his own family canoeing, hiking, mountaineering and generally enjoying the outdoors. He has competed (and won) at national and world Ultimate championships. He also is an energy consultant, specializing in distributed generation and demand-response programs. John says that he guides because he's addicted to powder skiing and flying in helicopters.

Shaun is a Mountain Guide with the ACMG/IFMGA and a professional member of the Canadian Avalanche Association. He has been teaching avalanche courses for the past 9 years and has managed the climbing, skiing and avalanche programs at the University of Calgary's Outdoor Centre for over 8 years before moving to Switzerland and France where he guided and was married in 2007. Shaun has worked and toured at many of the backcountry ski lodges in the Rockies and Interior. Now in his third year at Great Canadian Heli-Skiing, Shaun looks forward to sharing great powder and his love of the mountains with you!

The other guides think his wife Linda has her hands full with three kids not one! Hailing from Canmore, Alberta, Alex has been guiding for 21 years; with GCH for 11, Besides guiding, and being a busy parent, Alex is a construction contractor in and around the many parks of the Canadian Rockies. He says his reason for guiding is to spend time in the mountains, with the best skiing in the world!

Our Pilots

At Great Canadian Heli-Skiing we use the ultimate heli-skiing machine, the AStar B2. These are powerful, very comfortable helicopters, ideal for mountain flying. In order to fly and maintain these awesome machines, we employ very experienced onsite engineers, and ‘high-hour’, mountain-trained pilots supplied by Canadian Helicopters, the largest helicopter company in Canada. Canadian Helicopters has the extensive infrastructure to ensure the rigorous maintenance schedule and safety inspections required for helicopters.