Heli Guides and Pilots
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, Lead Guide, CSGA Level 3, Certified Sommelier
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, contributing to our carbon offset.
In November of 2009, Patric became a certified sommelier. Needless to say, the wine selection at Snowwater has take a huge leap forward. Patric pairs every dinner at Snowwater with a selection of fine wines to choose from. Patric is a crowd favorite. When you are skiing with "El Presidente" you will definitely be shown the goods. Recently Patric obtained his pyro-technics ticket. What does that mean for you? FIREWORKS!
STEFAN KREUZER
Lead Guide, CSGA Level 3, ACMG ASG, CAA Professional Member
Stefan remembers his first ride on skis when he was four years old. That one was on the tail of his uncle's skis hanging on to his uncle's legs. From then on he was in love with the sport of skiing and the mountains and never looked back.
Stefan's professional ski career spans more than 25 years. he has worked as a ski instructor, a ski patroller, a skiing tour guide, a snow cat ski guide and the last ten years as a heli ski guide for one of the larger outfits up north.
His favorite activity on his days off is going ski touring. Stef speaks four languages, has lived in "the valley" for more than twenty years and is stoked to be guiding at home.
MARIA GRANT
Owner, Business Manager, Assistant Guide CSGA level 2, BA
Maria (pronounced "Mariah"), has been with Snowwater for 14 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.
SIMON KELLY
Assistant Guide, CSGA 2
Simon has been skiing in the Selkirk Mountains his entire life. He worked with Snowwater for 4 years in the early years, helping us create heli pads, develop ski runs, build the business, tail guide and do snow safety. He took a few years off from snowwater to pursue his plumber apprenticeship, and has since installed our entire boiler system, enabling us to have natural in-floor heating. He has been guiding at other local snowcat operations in the past few years and we are thrilled to have him back joining the Snowwater team this winter in the helicopter.
TYLER TOEWS
Assistant Guide, CSGA 2
Tyler has been roaming and exploring the hills and mountains of BC's interior as long as he can remember. Growing up in Vernon BC he started snowboarding at Silverstar mountain in the late 80's. His love for the mountains brought him to the kootenays 11years ago where he landed in the dream job working for Valhalla Powdercats. Having worked there from the beginning Tyler has done just about everything for Snowwaters sister company. From shoveling snow, answering phones, and cat driving to now, where he is guiding and operations manager.
In the summer Tyler has been building his company Canadian Murals and has painted numerous large scale murals across Canada. CanadianMurals.com
CHRISTIAN BAK JENSEN
Originally a flatlander from Denmark, Christian discovered skiing on a holiday to Norway and has had the ski bug ever since. While working as an electrician on oil rigs he skied all over Europe, but had Canada on his 'hit list'. Once he hit it in Canada there was no going back. After spending three full winters here he decided to stay and start a new life in Nelson, BC. Christian has guided ski touring and cat skiing locally and is excited to join the Snowwater team this winter. On his time off he likes to explore local valleys on snowmobile for good ski touring.
GALENA PAL
Tail Guide
A true Kootenay girl, she has grown up in the mountains here in beautiful Nelson B.C.
With 7 years experience as a certified massage therapist and spa owner, she is well known in the community for her healing hands and killer deep tissue massage. Studying all around the world, she is a graduate of the Maui School of Therapeutic Massage, the Canadian Institute Of Palliative Care, as well as certified in Thai and Ayurvedic Yoga Massage. In addition to her extensive massage therapy background Galena, is an avid snowboarder/skier and loves the outdoors and big powder days at Snowwater!
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 fifth 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 (yikes!). This will be his fifth season with Snowwater.
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 at Snowwater 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. This will be Ben's fourth season with Snowwater!
Ben also races BMW motorcylces.
He is married and has a 3 year old girl.
CONTACT US
1 866 722 7669