Meet our Heli Guides and Pilots
Our heli guides have been chosen not only for their guiding skills and certification, but also their enthusiastic and outgoing nature. They are professionals who are members of either the ACMG (Association of Canadian Mountain Guides) or CSGA (Canadian Ski Guide Association), and the CAA (Canadian Avalanche Association). They all have advanced first aid training and are trained in mountain rescue.
PATRIC MALONEY
Owner and Lead Guide, CSGA
For most of his life Patric has been skiing and exploring these mountains. In 1993 he and friends built a small ski touring cabin, which later became Snowwater. As a forester, his mapping and layout skills have greatly contributed to the selection of prime ski runs in the tenure area. He is also a professional tree climber and arborist and has been harvesting seed for reforestation for over 20 years. Patric is a crowd favorite. When you are skiing with "El Presidente" you will definitely be shown the goods.
ERIC CHEVALIER (AKA CHEV)
Lead Guide, CSGA Level 3
Eric has been working and playing in the mountains of BC for 20 years. He has been with Snowwater and Valhalla for over five years. His love for all things snow in the winter is balanced by his passion for sailing and building wooden boats in the summer. When he’s not in the water or in his workshop, Eric is busy climbing, hiking and camping with his wife, daughter and new addition, as well as his dog, Ladybug.
MATT PINTO
Lead Guide, CSGA Level 3
Matt is pleased to be joining the guiding team at Snowwater Heli-Skiing this winter. Born and raised in the mountains of B.C., Matt has spent the past 25 years immersed in Canadian ski culture. He is a fully certified Ski Instructor and Coach, and has spent the past 11 years guiding at various heli-ski operations throughout B.C., and in the Andes mountains of Chile. Matt is happiest when his skis are on and pointing downhill. Matt spends his summers exploring the backloads of B.C. with his girlfriend Eleanor and their two dogs. He is looking forward to sharing great times in the mountains this winter, with both new guests and returning guests alike.
LEO JANSMA
Lead Guide, ACMG SKI GUIDE
Leo saw his first mountains at 18 and fell in love with them. He moved from Ontario to BC as a young lad and began his seasonal life style of tree planting contractor in the spring and summer, and skiing in the winters. He also owns and operates his own ski touring lodge in the Valhallas. Leo has now been ski guiding for over 30 years in this area. Leo's guiding career has involved guiding ski tours, heli-skiing, cat skiing, and teaching avalanche and backcountry ski courses over the past 25 years. Many guests have enjoyed Leo's easy-going personality. He has a wife and two children, one of who followed his path and became a professional ski guide herself!
LILA JANSMA
Lead Guide, ACMG SKI GUIDE
Lila Jansma grew up in the Nelson area. She has been playing in the mountains all of her life and is at home in the snow. She started her guiding career at a young age following her father Leo around. She has been working as a ski guide for 7 years, working mostly heli skiing in the wilds of northern BC. Recently married to our chef, Chris Or, Lila is very excited to be returning for her second year with us.
MARIA GRANT
Owner and Assistant Guide, CSGA
Maria (pronounced "Mariah"), has been with Snowwater for 10 years. She is an assistant ski guide and oversees the business management of both Snowwater and Valhalla Powdercats in the off-season. After getting her BA at McGill University, she moved out west where she quickly realized that the seasonal lifestyle of forestry worker in the summer would afford her the opportunity to ski all winter long. She has worked as a canoe trip leader, wilderness first aid instructor, forestry worker, and ski patroller, where she met Patric over 12 years ago. Certified by the CSGA and CAA, she is also a telemark and alpine level II ski instructor.
SHAWN WEST
Assistant Guide, ACMG
Shawn has been guiding with the company for five years. He is an avid skier and climber who has lived in and skied in the Valhalla range for the last 15 years. Originally a snowboarder, he now tends to ski most of the time, but can easily switch to a board if he’s guiding a group of boarders. He is a professional tree climber and arborist as well as an assistant ski guide. He lives in the Slocan with his wife, brand new red haired baby girl names Rio, 2 dogs, 2 cats, 15 chickens and a beautiful pig!
SCOTT NEWSOME
Assistant Guide, ACMG
Scott joins us this winter for his third season at Snowwater. Scott has paved the way for other aspiring snowboard guides and claims the title as world's first Assistant ACMG snowboard guide. Born into the mountain community of Jasper in the Canadian Rockies, Scott has been skiing and riding the big mountains his whole life. You may have heard of Scott before - he has been in many snowboard movies carving the big lines of Alaska since the 80's. He has worked as a coach and instructor for snowboarders and currently teaches avalanche courses for the CAA. He resides in Revelstoke with his wife and two little boys.
PILOTS
Our pilots have years of specialized heli skiing experience are supplied to us with our helicopter by Blackhomb helicopters, out of Whistler BC.
PAUL WINIECKI
Rotary Pilot and Aircraft Maintenance Engineer
Paul Winiecki has the experience to fly anywhere he wants in this business. A superb pilot, he is always in high demand. He chooses to come back to Snowwater for his fourth season because he loves it so much.
He is a Rotary Pilot and Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (Category M1. Paul has 25 years experience with 7900+ flight hours and is endorsed on AS350, AS355, R22, Bell 47, Bell 205, Bell 206 and Bell 212 aircraft. His pilot hours have been earned in firefighting, multiple seasons of heli skiing, film work, seismic, longline and geophysical survey bird towing and general charters. Paul has worked throughout Canada and internationally, including flight operations in Panama, the West Indies and the United States. He is married with two teenage daughters.
He aslo races motorcycles...."because we're not getting any younger and we're not having enough fun!"
BEN WHYTE
Rotary Pilot
Ben is a gem to work with. With 10 years experience flying, and 6 years of specific heli skiing experience, he has over 4000 hours of flight time logged. His favorite place to fly is in the mountains – which is good – because that’s what we’re all about! He’s a BC boy and has flown the majority of his time in this province, doing anything from firefighting, forestry, seismic and mining. He is also a certified rescue pilot! We feel we have the perfect heli skiing team, with the approachability and professionalism you want in this field.
Ben also races BMW motorcylces.
He is happily married with a 2 year old little girl.
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