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Head Office - Sales, Reservations and Administration |
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Our Internationally Certified Team of Guides |
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Aircrew - Pilots and Engineers |
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Lodge Crew |
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Massage Therapists |
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Photographers |
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Lodge Security |
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Head Office - Sales, Reservations and Administration |
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Geoff
Straight Sales and Reservations Manager Geoff was raised in the wilderness of Kenora, Ontario. The Kenora Thistles won the Stanley cup in 1907 and as such Geoff played alot of hockey growing up. Geoff began working for TLH in 1998. When Geoff has any free time he is steelhead fishing. Finding the time to fish has become harder and harder with recent additions to his family. |
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Anne-Marie LeFaivre Heliski Sales Born and raised in Quebec city, after completing University Anne-Marie moved to BC two years ago with her boyfriend Matt . Their dream finally came through to enjoy the outdoor paradise. She also adopted a big Husky-Malamute by the name of Chimo that keeps her active and on the run... She joined the team in 2006 and is now living the dream and helping as many others as possible do the same. |
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Elaine Childs TLH Reservations Elaine was born and raised in Salford, England and become a permanent resident of Canada in September 2005 with her husband Will. They moved to BC to escape the world of software support in the UK and to enjoy the skiing in Canada. Elaine feels she was tricked, she cannot believe how hot this part of Canada actually is in the summer (bummer!). When not working, she enjoys camping, skiing, reading and drinking, although not necessarily in that order. Elaine is currently learning how to play the trumpet and hopes one day to travel across Antarctica in the footsteps of Sir Douglas Mawson with her dog, Gizmo. |
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Chris Lloyd Marketing Coordinator Raised in the Okanagan Valley, Chris learned to love the outdoors at an early age. As an avid skier and ski instructor Chris always knew that he wanted to make a career in the ski industry. After finishing university, Chris quickly found himself in his dream job with TLH Heliskiing. When not ‘working’ you’ll find Chris and his wife Aleita, playing in the mountains whether by hiking, camping, mountain biking, or fishing…this list goes on. Someday Chris would like to bike across Canada…a patriotic kind of thing. |
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Michelle
Ueckert TLH Reservations and database guru Michelle was born and raised in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. She spends as much time outdoors and away from the city as she possibly can enjoying activities such as mountain biking, hiking, swimming and snowboarding. Her boyfriend Jared and their two big dogs and two cats share her home. The pets are of course treated as if they were her children - spoiled and loved every moment. |
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Sally
Kunzelman Accounting / Payroll Sally joined the team in the summer of 2005. She is a 3rd year CGA student and brings many years of ski resort experience to her new job at TLH and Last Frontier. Born in Pouce Coupe, BC, Sally migrated to Vernon when she was 5 years old. A true Okanagan resident she has never found it necessary to live elsewhere. She enjoys kayaking, camping, snowshoeing and spending time with her family and friends. |
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George
and Edith Rosset President and First Lady George was born in Biel-Bienne in Switzerland and is tri-lingual. He emigrated to Canada a first time at age 21 and narrowly missed a career as a professional football player in Montreal. He returned to Switzerland and worked for IBM and 3M. He met his wife Edith in 1974. They soon discovered their love for heli-skiing in BC. In 1991 they moved with their children to Gold Bridge to start TLH Heliskiing. Five years later Last Frontier Heliskiing was started and they enjoy spending their powder days with skiers and boarders from around the world. |
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Mike
Watling General Manager Born and raised in the UK, he worked for Shell in Argentina before making the move to join TLH and Last Frontier Heliskiing in 1996. He became a Canadian citizen in 2003 - (but still can't skate). He spends much of the winter at the Tyax Lodge and when not working you'll generally find him and his better half, Heather enjoying the best of what British Columbia's outdoors has to offer - whether it be on snow, on water or in the air. |
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Our Internationally Certified Team of Guides |
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Cliff
Umpleby Operations Manager Born and raised in Scotland, Cliff immigrated to Canada in 1982. Cliff joined TLH in 1998 and is now the Operations Manager. Prior to that he was employed by the British Army and trained troops in ski mountaineering. Cliff has taken part in several ski expeditions in northern Canada and has the claim to fame of going thirteen days without food. After his family, 'Kiter-Cliff's" main passion is kiteboarding. |
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Keith Reid Asst. Operations Manager Keith is an IFMGA mountain guide and specialty ACMG rock guide. He has worked in the industry since the late 80’s, and has guided at TLH for the past 4 seasons. Keith grew up on Canada’s west coast and now resides in the “quiet little hamlet of Whistler”… Having skied, climbed and worked internationally as a certified mountain guide the coastal mountains are still first choice for skiing and home. |
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Clair
Israelson Guide Clair has been guiding at TLH since 1998. With more than 30 years experience in guiding, avalanche and mountain safety operations, Clair enjoys guiding at TLH because "the skiing tenure is huge, and there are still new heli-ski runs to explore!" When not guiding for TLH, he serves as Executive Director of the Canadian Avalanche Association. Leisure time is spent outdoors, experiencing wild and beautiful places with interesting people. |
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Lee Usher A heliski guide, a cat ski guide and a logger. Lee is also a bit of a motor head When not in MX races he can be found ripping around in the mountains trying to climb anything his wheels will stick to. Leigh is the only guide that calls the Kootenays home. |
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Bernie Protsch Bernie heads up the safety program at Whistler Blackcomb and guides at TLH a few weeks every year. When not living the dream, Bernie is working on his martial arts skills or perhaps working on a movie sets as safety coordinator. |
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Conny Amelunxem
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Ken Linville Ken started at TLH in 2002. He began working in the Ski Shop and has been working hard to attain Assistant Ski Guide status with the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides. Drawing on his extensive ski touring of Western Canada and Ski Patrolling he now occupies the position of Snow Safety Technician as well as the duties of ski shop guy. When not skiing, Ken can be found in remote locations of the world such as the Middle East working as an Alpine Specialist, helping fuel the world for our need of oil and gas. |
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David Fraser After growing up in the rain and fog of Vancouver Island, 'Picket' decided that he had enough of skiing in the rain and moved inland. After bouncing around in the BC interior for a couple of years, he decided to see what all the fuss was about heliskiing. When not skiing, Dave is either mountain biking or finding other ways to go down hill fast. |
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Rich Prohaska After growing up in the rain and fog of Vancouver Island, 'Picket' decided that he had enough of skiing in the rain and moved inland. After bouncing around in the BC interior for a couple of years, he decided to see what all the fuss was about heliskiing. When not skiing, Dave is either mountain biking or finding other ways to go down hill fast. |
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Aircrew - Pilots and Engineers |
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Ian Wilson A New Zealand native, Ian moved to Canada in 1997, first flew at TLH in 2000 and now lives in the Okanagan Valley with his wife and two young boys. While his friends down south are surfing, swimming and spending time at the beach he's happy flying in the snow and says he wouldn't change it. He has over 15 years experience flying all kinds of machines in both the Southern Alps of New Zealand, and Canada. All his experience is with mountain flying for both aerial fire fighting and heliskiing. |
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Mike Michaud President, Founder and Engineer at Wildcat Helicopters, he first took an interest in the rotary wing back in 1980. Based first in Revelstoke, his work has since taken him to Kenya, Somalia, Myanmar (formerly Burma), and Mongolia just to name a few. He has specialized on the Bell 212 for the last 20 years and is currently modifying the Wildcat machines with the latest upgrades to ensure the greatest efficiency. Another inhabitant of the Okanagan Valley he loves his Bobcat, wife and two kids. |
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Justan Chartier Before becoming an engineer, he spent many interesting years flying in the Canadian North for the military (you can ask him what 'interesting' means when you are here). His wife flies for the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) and he now lives in London, Ontario. He loves spending time outdoors fishing, hunting and trapping. His colleagues reckon he is most content in either of two scenarios; 1. miles from nowhere with 1 match, no water and a Swiss Army Knife or 2. in a Hugo Boss suit on the cover of GQ Magazine. |
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Clayton Bosman With over 30 years as a helicopter pilot, Clayton is our most experienced crew member. He has worked throughout all of Canada and parts of Australia. He lives in the northern community of Prince George. When not flying, Clayton always has a smile when riding his Harley Davidson. |
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Scott Hayward With a heavy duty mechanical background he started
out working on the Wildcat 'butt n'top' log loader
back in 2002. He swiftly progressed as an engineer
to work on 212's. His work has taken him all over
Canada and Australia. He's newly married with his
first monkey on the way (and yes he was married
first) has just purchased a new home, car and sizable
debt, which according to his boss, makes him the
ideal employee. He's a keen fisherman and outdoors
enthusiast who loves a good sushi dinner and a plate
of raw oysters. |
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Massage Therapists |
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Becky Tull Platinum Concierge / Massage Therapist A born and raised BC girl, Becky comes from a strong athletic background having been on the national team for Rhythmic Gymnastics, a competitive equestrian, a competitive dancer, rock climber, and surfer. Coming from a family of massage therapists and personal trainers, massage seemed the natural progression. She is skilled in Myofacial Integration, deep tissue, sports massage, reflexology, Shiatsu and Ayurvedic techniques. She enjoys helping everyone, healing bodies of all types from athletes to office workers, and has a strong belief that massage is essential to increased immune response and effective posture and muscle recovery. Becky accepted the position of Platinum Concierge in 2007 working with private Heliskiing groups, which she found incredibly rewarding and a great new way to incorporate all of her skills! |
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Alison Hunter
Platinum Concierge Comming soon |
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Lisa Day
Platinum Concierge Lisa has been massaging and working with different types of bodywork for almost 5 years now. She has recently joined TLH Heliskiing as the lead therapist at Tyax Resort. In the past 5 years, Lisa has used her trade as the perfect tool allowing for adventurous travel in wild and beautiful environments. Her passion is life and it is beauty that will continue to find her, wherever she may decide to be. |
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Lodge Crew |
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Robin James
Tyax Lodge Manager Robin is a long-standing employee of Tyax Resort and has held several positions, most recently accepting the role of Assistant Resort Manager. Robin escaped crowded Southern California to pursue life in the backcountry of beautiful BC. In his off time he can be found enjoying the great outdoors with his fiancé Jenny. He usually starts looking for snow around September. Git er dun. |
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Katharina Geyer
Assistant Front Desk Manager Katharina is originally from Bottrop-Kirchhellen, Germany and has been studying Tourism Management at Thompson Rivers University in nearby Kamloops. In addition to working as Assistant Front Desk Manager Kat is our part-time wrangler in the summer and enjoys leading horseback rides on Tyax’s many trails. |
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Melanie Thistle Hailing from the self-proclaimed epicenter of Canada, better known as Ontario, Melanie moved to beautiful British Columbia a year ago. It was the west coast culture and scenery that brought her here. For Melanie, the best part about working for TLH is the three ‘G’s’: great people, great personalities, and good times. She wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. |
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Sanja Schutte Originally from the Northern Cape area of South Africa, Sanja has been studying accounting and is currently a law student at UNISA, South Africa. Working the front desk at Tyax Resort, Sanja is enjoying all the adventurous outdoor adventures that British Columbia has to offer. Sanja says the best part about working for TLH is meeting people from all corners of the globe and hearing the adventurous stories of their lives. Find Sanja when you’re at TLH, I’m sure she’d like to hear your story |
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Jenny Knox Operations Coordinator Jenny has recently joined TLH as the Operations Assistant and is enjoying the country life as a refugee from the big city ! She is also soon to be married to our Assistant Resort Manager Robin from whom she is learning the zen of fire wood cutting and snowmobiling. |
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Sue James Head Housekeeper Sue has lived and worked in the Bridge River Valley for most of her life and is an integral part of the team that keeps Tyax running smoothly! Sue would not choose to live anywhere else, in her words, “it’s the most beautiful place in the world to live & work”. |
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Blanka Ryba Blanka comes from Czechoslovakia and loves having British Columbia’s great outdoors right at her doorstep. When not working with Tyax’s housekeeping team Blanka spends her time with husband Dennis hiking the mountains in the summertime and snowshoeing in the winter. |
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Dennis Ryba Maintenance Manager Originally from Czechoslovakia, Dennis has made his home in the Southern Chilcotin Mountains with his wife Blanka. Dennis spent several years working in the booming construction industry of Vancouver and Whistler and is now enjoying the benefits of living on beautiful Tyaughton Lake and a short commute to work! |
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Chris Wex TLH radio & horse wrangler Chris moved with his family from South Africa in January 2007. Coming from a background in professional hunting and formal conservation (Natal Parks Board) where he ended his career as a manager in the World Heritage site of the Ukhalamba Drakenesperg Park. The transformation to a life in the Southern Chilcotin Mountains was welcomed as an opportunity to adventures in new territory. When not working with the TLH team as radio operator and ski shop guy, Chris can be found cross country skiing around Gold Bridge. In the summer, Chris is the horse wrangler at Tyax Resort. When not working, canoeing, hiking and mountain biking fill up Chris’ days. |
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Jeremy Spraugue Assistant Food and Beverage Manager Jeremy , originally from Canada’s East Coast, has recently joined Tyax Resort and is loving his first winter in the Southern Chilcotin Mountains. Jeremy hopes to return to New Brunswick some day to run his own maple sugar farm but in the meantime is happily entertaining guests and offering up his signature martinis and cocktails in our cozy lounge. |
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Nicky Richards Server Nikki is originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba but grew up in Richmond, British Columbia. Nikki has spent much of her time travelling, having visited over 20 countries and most recently, has worked in Banff & Switzerland. While she loves beaches and warm weather she is always drawn back to mountains and deep powder snow! Go Vancouver Canucks! (that’s a hockey team for those not from Canada) |
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Nita Gales Server Another rare local, Nita has lived in the Bridge River Valley are since 1956 and was the first breakfast waitress at Tyax Resort. Meeting and talking to people who come heliskiing from all over the world is what Nita loves about working for TLH. Nita enjoys gardening and spends countless hours in the summer tending to her flower and vegetable garden. Need gardening tips? |
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Harmony Wilson Server Harmony, originally from Vancouver, came to the Southern Chilcotin Mountains for her love of the great outdoors and to be a part of the first class service team at Tyax Resort. In her spare time she enjoys her daily aerobics workout as well as walking her beloved dog, Sphinxy, who was adopted from the notorious lower east side in Vancouver. |
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Jessica Reed Server Jessica is actively involved in all aspects of the Resort. She comes from Vancouver Island and loves horseback riding and ice-fishing. In her spare time she enjoys playing and singing Christian rock tunes on her guitar, and other indoor activities such as; bartending, playing ping pong, baking and sewing. If you’re unlucky enough to experience a down day at TLH, maybe you can talk Jessica into taking you ice-fishing. |
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Kristi Milne Server Kristi originally comes from Vancouver and has lived in the Tyax area for 2 years. She has done everything at Tyax from serving in the dining room, bartending, housekeeping and now you can find her at the front desk greeting all of our guests with a friendly smile. When not working, Kristi can be found snowmobiling or working on her new home with her soon to be hubby, Tarn (a local yocal) and 4 year old son Landen. All three of them are very excited about the stork arriving in May with a new baby girl. |
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Pascal Morin Born in Vancouver and raised in Quebec City, Pascal made his return to the west in 2000 to pursue his cooking career. Pascal has been developing menu ideas together with chef Nick for almost five years and is looking forward to sharing with our clients. Pascal joined the TLH team because the idea of combining food and powder all winter was too good to pass up. |
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Johnathan Carmel After a few apprenticeships in the French Riviera he helped open a Mediterranean Restaurant in Quebec City. Since the successful opening, Joe has been the sous-chef for four years. Joe came to Tyax to reunite with old friends, to work on his English and to take full advantage of our winter wonderland. |
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Tanis Dubeck Comming soon |
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Heather Murray Comming soon |
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Megan Sprout
Kitchen Crew Megan is from Protection Island, British Columbia and has been honing her skills in the kitchen for the last 8 years. Megan has worked in Costa Rica and Banff and is a welcome addition to the all male team in the Tyax kitchen! She has learned to keep focused when working with Matt because if you laugh too hard you’ll cut your thumb off! |
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Matt Wright
Kitchen Crew Matt comes to Tyax from Toronto (the other city) and has been working in Montreal and Vancouver for the last 8 years. Matt finally heard the call of the wild and left the city for a more relaxing life in the mountains of British Columbia. When not creating fabulous meals for guests and staff Matt can be found watching his favourite hockey team, the Toronto Maple Leafs or working on his most recent macramé project. |
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Devin Moore
Kitchen Crew A true ‘BC boy’, Devin is from Clearwater, British Columbia and is currently living in Kamloops. It’s the snow and the experience that brings Devin out to TLH. You can talk hockey with Devin, he’ll tell you how bad the Toronto Maple Leafs are. |
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Heather Murray
Kitchen Crew Heather, a rare local, was raised in the Bridge River Valley and lives in nearby Gold Bridge with her husband John. Heather has been part of the kitchen team since 2001 and helps keep everyone smiling! She is a devoted gardener and her summer bouquets often grace our lodge’s dining room in the summer months. -picture already on site |
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Tanis Dubeck
Kitchen Crew Comming soon |
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Marek Komisarski
Kitchen Crew Comming soon |
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