Guides & Staff

I grew up in Calgary AB and my very early days on skis were at Fortress Mountain. I started skiing in the backcountry at 19...decided on a guiding career at 28....now at 52, I am in my 22 year of ski guiding. I first came to MPS 'to help out' for a week and I am really looking forward to season 5 with this awesome team! Throughout my 20's I was nomadic, combining work with travel and exploring. I called Golden, BC home for a long time until relocating to Revelstoke, BC in 2012. Now I live with my partner Greg, I have 3 step kids, 5 chickens and I run a small urban farm in the summer.

Kevin Armstrong is a Nelson BC based ACMG Ski Guide and CAA Professional member. He has been working in the avalanche industry for 10 years and guiding at MPS for 4 years. In addition to guiding for MPS he also guides at ski touring lodges and teaches avalanche training courses. His partner, Nashira, is a kindergarten teacher in Nelson, and they have one boy named Mica, age 4 who loves crushing the bunny-hill and having hot chocolate on the weekends.

Jamie Whiteside is from Golden, BC and has spent the past 25 years guiding backcountry, cat, and heli-skiing. Staying home has never been his forte, as he tends to spend more of his time in the mountains, paddling down rivers, or on some grand adventure overseas. You might find him on days off snuggled up with a book, or playing a few songs on his guitar. He is an ACMG ski guide, River Guide, Ex-Cowboy and holds an M.A in Organizational Leadership and Training.

Born and raised on BC powder, Brodie spends his winters exploring the mountains on skis. A passionate people person Brodie is looking forward to sharing his enthusiasm for the sport and finding great lines to ski. When the snow melts you can find Brodie riding his mountain bike or woodworking near his home in Golden.

Oscar’s back for another season at Monashee Powder Snowcats as a lead guide. As an Englishman, he is naturally at ease in the mountains and, having lived in Japan and Spain, he now calls the West Kootenays home. In summer, Oscar loves to climb and mountain bike on his days off from running his online learning business; Backcountry Learning.

Vince started as a practicum in 2018. After 5 years of tail guiding at MPS, he is now a certified CSGA guide and has started leading groups in 2024. With a background in ice skiing in Mount Sutton, Québec, he has been Revelstuck since 2016. To finance his backcountry ski addiction, he works as a mechanical engineer in the off season. When not at the lodge, Vince loves exploring different mountains around the globe, looking for good skiing, but always comes back to Monashee Powder Snowcats for the best snow in the world!

A passionate mountaineer with a wide range of skiing and climbing experience, Sylvia is happiest outside, especially when sharing the stoke with others. Growing up in BC, she’s always loved the fluffy white stuff but never intended to make a career out of it. She used to be very serious, studying economics and working as a financial advisor, until she realized all she wanted to do with the money was to buy skis. Finding true joy in the mountains, she decided to dedicate her life to them. When she is away from the lodge you'll find her ski touring, ice climbing, and teaching Avalanche Safety Training courses. In the summertime, she teaches rock climbing and leads via ferrata adventures. She believes that when we challenge ourselves outside, we are able to tap into a deeper strength and bring that with us into the rest of our lives. Her favorite part of MPS is the amazing team, and she is excited to be back for another season!

Dan is excited to be joining MPS for another season as a tail guide. He has been skiing since before he can remember, spending much of his time at Sun Peaks and Harper Mountain while growing up in Kamloops, BC. Post-secondary, Dan pursued adventure guiding at Thompson Rivers University where he was first introduced to backcountry skiing. Dan is looking forward to working with the team at MPS, getting to know the ski lines, and skiing the sweet sweet powder of the Monashee mountains.

Liam is a former nordic ski racer from Ontario who traded in his Spandex for Gore-Tex and never looked back. In addition to being a skier, he is an avid mountain biker, woodworker, whitewater paddler, and cat-snuggler. He lives in the Kootenays with his wife in the small town of Salmo.

Ben is excited to be joining Monashee Powder Snowcats for his third season. After completing the Mountain Adventure Skills Training program with the College of the Rockies in Fernie, BC, Ben spent the following four winters as a ski patroller at Castle Mountain Resort in Southern Alberta. He has been living in Revelstoke for the past three summer seasons working as a mountain bike trail builder, and he is excited to call Revelstoke home year-round.

Mad Max is from Chilliwack, BC, Canada. His early years skiing Mount Baker transitioned into a passion for local coast Mountain ski touring. During the switch from riding chairlifts to walking up mountains, he raced his mountain bike across the globe. Now 25, with 20 years of skiing experience, he resides in a tiny home built by his own two hands. This is Max’s first season tail guiding at MPS, and we look forward to embracing what his energy and passion brings to the team.

I grew up in Albert and currently live in Golden. I took the TRU adventure guide program in Kamloops in 2018-2020. I am excited to work here because I like meeting people and building relationships through my work and travels. In the past I used to do a lot of hiking guide and white water raft guiding, and in my free time I enjoy ski touring, skiing pow, as well as fishing. Dessert is my favourite part of the day while at the lodge!

Margaret joined our team in 2022, and quickly felt like a part of the family at Monashee Powder. She has a background of ski patrolling, search and rescue, as well as canoe guiding all over Canada's expansive North, leading multi-day river expeditions. Her favourite part about guiding is connecting with guests, teaching, and helping to put folks at ease as they expand their comfort zones. She'll probably also tell you a few terrible puns. 

Chris grew up in Ontario and moved out west for a winter season 5 years ago. He discovered backcountry snowboarding and was immediately hooked. Two years ago he made the transition to skis where he honed his skills ski patrolling. He currently fills his winters between MPS and Canmore where he is still working patrol. This is his first year tailguiding and he is ecstatic to be joining the team following a practicum last year.

She’s the best!

Jenny is excited to be back for her 7th season in the majestic Monashees! She is eager to welcome everyone back to the lodge for another season of plentiful powder, fantastic food, and hot tub hangouts.

When she’s not in front of her computer taking bookings or talking on the phone about the amazing experience you’ll have at Monashee, Julie is out playing in the snow, walking her dogs or on her mountain bike.

Dave studied Culinary Arts for his Red Seal certification at Okangan College. He hails from Penticton where he previously worked as the Sous Chef at Naramata Heritage Inn. Aside from cooking, Dave enjoys snowmobiling, downhill mountain biking, dirt biking and cruising on his street bike. Dave is very good at digging his sled out of tree wells - now he has to work on not ending up in them in the first place!

Terri hails from Nova Scotia cooking her way through Canada starting in Calgary, AB. Working at some of the top restaurants in the city such as Deane House and Teatro earning her Red Seal through S.A.I.T. Being inspired by cooking locally and seasonally, moved to BC to work with farm to table-based businesses, such as Joy Road Catering and Pilgrimme Restaurant. When not working in the kitchen she can be found doing some favorite past times such as reading, skating, nature walks, foraging mushrooms & camping.

Lindsay hails from the South Okanagan where she spends her summers working in the wine industry. Having grown up camping, fishing, hunting and paddling, she feels very at home in the mountains of Monashee. Lindsay, as a new and extremely mediocre snowboarder, feels very spoiled to be learning in world-class powder at MPS and is super appreciative of every tailguide that has excavated her from a wipeout. She loves fueling the guests and staff of Monashee for their adventures in the snow. She is thankful to be returning to her second season to live, work and play with the incredible team at Monashee.

Brian is our full time mechanic with over 25 years experience. He enjoys camping and trips to the hot springs. He is originally from the west coast and has moved to Vernon, B.C in recent years to be closer to the Monashee family!

Moved west from Ontario in 91 to Whistler and became a Crane operator in the summer and Cat Driver/Road builder for life. Married my girl from Whistler and moved around the Kootenays searching for that perfect piece of heaven and finally found a home at Monashee Powder.

I grew up in Enderby with an agricultural background. Fell in love with the mountains first from x-country skiing, then downhill. I joined a freestyle program, and was competitive for some years. I started a construction company and had the great honour of building the guest lodge, and then fell in love with the mountains up here. And here I am.

Nicole is excited to return to Monashee Powder for her twelfth season! After graduating from university in Sydney, Australia, with a BA degree in Communications & Public Relations, she decided to pursue her own eighteen year program of snowboarding, skiing, mountain biking and scuba diving around the world. Nicole is now a homeowner and dog mother on Vancouver Island, where she spent her summer enjoying exploring the new trails and beaches.

Jasmine is from Australia and came to Canada for "just one ski season" in 2012 and to look for igloos (true story). She has recently graduated from ski resorts to work at Monashee Powder where she hopes to specialize in powderboardology, backcountry touring and quite possibly skiing.

Kait is back at Monashee Powder for her 8th season and 5th season as an RMT. She graduated from the Vancouver College of Massage Therapy in 2020 where she gained an in-depth understanding of human anatomy, physiology and orthopaedic pathology. She’s all about treatment that blends relaxation with an orthopedic approach. Hailing from Vernon Kait is a mountain and lake enthusiast. When she’s not at Monashee Powder she’s out there hiking, gardening, wine touring, listening to Taylor Swift, camping, cloud gazing, swimming, visiting new places, snowboarding and getting wild in the backcountry. In all seriousness though, Kait Swales truly loves three things and three things only; looking sexy, Taylor Swift and Shaye Sawatzky.

Sabine Burns is a photographer, designer and aspiring filmmaker who hangs her many hats in many places. Born and raised in Calgary, she feels at home under prairie skies, but spends most of her time in interior BC. She dedicates time to said hats seasonally. In the winter she can be found taking photos at Monashee Powder Snowcats and around the Kootenays. In the spring you may catch her with her hands in the dirt planting trees in the Columbia and Rocky Mountains. She spends her summers in the Yukon with the Canadian Wilderness Artist Residency. In the fall… her hat seems to fly off somewhere different annually. She can always be found with a big grin, a little too much coffee, her sweet pup, and a camera. Sabine currently resides along the Slocan River in Sinixt Territory, BC, and is scheming up her next projects.

www.sabineburns.com

Laura Szanto is returning for another season as a photographer to continue capturing those moments of pure bliss, bottomless powder, and of course, spectacular crashes! Laura is an internationally published photographer based in Revelstoke, who's focus is on creating interesting visual stories of people and their wild pursuits in the outdoors. In her free time, she enjoys snowboarding, rock climbing, eating pastries and traveling the world.

www.lauraszanto.com