Discipline: Mountain Adventure Skills Training
It was with great enthusiasm that I joined the small but mighty Fernie Campus team at College of the Rockies (COTR) in 2021 as an Auxiliary Faculty and Field Instructor in the Mountain Adventure Skills Training (MAST) Program. Courses I teach include MAST 111 Risk Management in Adventure Tourism and MAST 167 Introduction to Whitewater Kayaking.
Originally from Montreal, Quebec, I moved out West in 2008 to ‘live the dream’ and pursue a career as an adventure guide in beautiful British Columbia. After several years of working in different locations, I am very grateful to have finally landed in Fernie and can comfortably report that our family is here to stay! Every time I look out the window and see the beautiful mountains that surround us, I think to myself: “This was a good move”.
In terms of education, I graduated from Thompson River’s University’s (TRU) Adventure Guide Diploma in 2011 and from the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (BIS) in 2014, with a concentration in Adventure Tourism Community Development. During this time, I also earned the Global Competency Certificate, completing student exchange programs in both Chile and China. Furthermore, while living and working in Iceland, I completed a Master of Arts in Leadership at Royal Roads University in 2020.
Before working at COTR, my post-secondary experience includes five years as the Program Coordinator of an Adventure Guide Certificate program in Iceland, and four years as a Sessional Faculty in the Adventure Guide Diploma at TRU. In addition to my current role within the MAST program, I work as a Ski and Bike Patroller at Fernie Alpine Resort and am the Program Manager for the Ambassador WILD Program at Tourism Fernie. During my time off, I like to explore the many local amenities with my wife and two young daughters, and go ski touring, whitewater kayaking, and mountain biking.