Our Guides

Your Safety is your Guide's first priority. Each of our guides is a member of either the ACMG (Association of Canadian Mountain Guides) or the IFMGA (International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations) as well as the CAA (Canadian Avalanche Association) and have advanced wilderness medical training.

The ACMG is dedicated to protecting the public interest in mountain travel, and is the only internationally recognized professional association of trained and certified mountain guides and instructors in Canada. The ACMG sets and maintains standards for admission to, and practice of, the mountain guiding profession. For more information on the ACMG go to http://www.acmg.ca.

UIAGM

ACMG

Clair Israelson

Operations Manager/ACMG Mountain Guide

Clair’s career in the mountains started in the 1970’s when he was hired by Canada’s National Parks Service because of his passion for climbing and skiing. Assigned to the avalanche control and mountain rescue programs, his twenty six years with National Parks turned into a love affair with the mountains. In 1981 he received his mountain guide certification and began guiding heli-skiing, ski touring, mountaineering and high altitude expeditions on his time off from National Parks. Through the 1980’s and 90’s Clair was also active as an instructor and examiner for the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides and the Canadian Avalanche Association. Clair left National Parks in 1996 to work as a mountain safety consultant in Canada and the USA. In 2000 he took the position of Executive Director for the Canadian Avalanche Association, where he worked until the spring of 2009. Clair’s one condition for taking that job? Time off to guide heli-skiing each winter!

Clair says “Guiding heli-skiing is more than my passion, its oxygen for my life. The past thirty five years working in the mountains has been an incredible adventure, and guiding here at Northern Escape is the best job of all, exploring these fantastic wild mountains with interesting people from all over the world! Let’s have some fun together!”
When not heli-skiing Clair spends his time – you guessed it – having fun in the mountains with his wife Barbara, their dog Willi, and friends.

John Forrest

ACMG Ski Guide

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When John is wearing his "Guide's Hat", which he dons nearly every morning, it's his opportunity to get back to his roots and what he really loves - Heliskiing in wild new places with great people from all over the globe. John's passion for the mountains began in the late 70's when he was in his early teens and spending his summers at a mountain camp in Kooteny Plains near the Columbia Icefields. He went on to, at the age of 16, become a climbing instructor for these summer programs. Once free from school, in the mid 80's, John moved to Banff and began his journey through the ACMG Guide's program and his guiding career. His passion for the mountains has taken him climbing and skiing all over the world. Since starting Northern Escape Heli-Skiing John has now settled in Terrace with his new family, Jody and their little girl Makayla. The best part of my day, says John, is taking off that "Owner/Manager's Hat" in the early morning and putting on my "Toque". That means I'm going skiing!

Greg Yavorsky

ACMG Mountain Guide

Greg has worked in the Heli-ski industry as a guide, lead guide & manager since 1983 and still gets excited about it when the first snows start to fall on the summits in October. He is a UIAGM/IFMGA Mountain Guide and has worked as an instructor/examiner for the ACMG and filled various positions on their board of directors. He also has Masters degrees from McGill University & the University of British Columbia. He's guided climbing extensively in Austria, Italy, France & Switzerland and ski touring in the Alps & Norway. "When I'm not guiding", Greg says "I like travel and play music with my friends, make b&white photographs with big old film cameras and hang out with my teenage kids."

Yvan Sabourin

ACMG Assistant Guide

Yvan Gaston Sabourin is a long standing and colorful member of the NEH team. He started his career in the heli-ski industry as a certified chef and worked at remote lodges in the interior mountains. Yvan developed a reputation for descending bold lines on telemarkskis and travelled from Chamonix to Alaska and the Andes skiing extreme descents. He turned in his apron and knives to pursue his guiding career and has enjoyed the opportunity to assist in film production exploring new possibilities with snowboarders and skiers alike. Yvan is passionate in his pursuit to learn more about this northern region and is serious about flyfishing and explores rivers with his partner Michelle. He is a proud father, Tristan Tafel his son is presently member of the Skier Cross Team of Alberta.

Owen Day

ACMG Assistant Ski Guide

Owen started skiing at an early age on the icy prairie slopes of "The Bump". Since then he has traveled, worked and lived in the mountains in pursuit of powder. After spending several years exploring the Alps, he started to make the annual summer exodus down south to Chile and Argentina. For 6 years he ski guided in the Andes for Powder Quest tours, enjoying the Latino style of mountain culture. Recently he has started to work on wind turbines in Europe and during his time off he can be found climbing somewhere in the Alps.

Joe Ronan

ACMG Assistant Ski Guide

Joe grew up skiing the icy slopes of Ontario and moved to BC at the age of 19. Since then, the mountains have inspired Joe to pursue his passion for back-country skiing and guiding. Joe has worked in the ski guiding industry for the last nine years; seven of those years have been spent in the Monashee and Selkirk mountains where returning clients are familiar with his large laugh and enthusiasm for picking a good line. Joe is currently pursuing his Full Ski guide credentials and holds a Level 2 in Avalanche Safety. In the ‘off’ season, Joe is a Journeyman Electrician. Joe currently resides in Revelstoke with his wife and two daughters.