About

I have extensive experience in the adventure tourism industry. I am currently past chair of the Adventure Tourism Coalition, an organization that includes 18, diverse, province-wide adventure tourism sectors. I was born in Invermere, BC. My father was a true pioneer, a horse packer ensuring that my exposure to the adventure tourism industry started at an early age.

I work with both Avalanche Canada and the Canadian Avalanche Association and have done so for many years. For 15 years I chaired the InfoEx Advisory Committee, the source for avalanche, snowpack and other information that is critical to providing accurate avalanche forecasting for the public, governments and industry in Canada.

I am the Executive Director of the Backcountry Lodges of BC Association, a position I have held for 11 years. As well as working with all levels of government, this position includes oversight of the BLBCA marketing program and coordination with other industry associations and regulatory agencies.

I spent 5 years as a faculty member in the Faculty of Adventure, Culinary and Tourism at Thompson Rivers University. I owned, operated and guided ski guests at Golden Alpine Holidays, a group of 3 backcountry Lodges for over 25 years. I managed the Alpine Club of Canada’s General Mountaineering Camp from 1985 – 2008. I own and operate Colwest Alpine Adventures, offering mountaineering camps in remote settings, avalanche skills training and ski touring/mountaineering adventures.

I have served on numerous boards and committees for years, formerly sat on the Minister of Tourism’s Engagement Council, and currently sit on the Ministry of Forestry’s Forest and Range Practices Advisory Council. Previously I served on the BOD of TIABC, and the WTABC amongst others. I have worked with the government on many initiatives, including the Joint Steering Committee, the Joint Advisory Group (ORV legislation), the Tourism 2020 Strategy, the Natural Resource Road Committee and DBC’s Experiences BC program.

I am keenly interested in the “supply” side of tourism, particularly adventure tourism. It is critical that we increase awareness of the socio-economic value that adventure tourism currently provides and can increasingly provide to rural BC. Policy, infrastructure, destination development, a supportive regulatory framework and access are all very important in helping our industry grow.