Heliski Guides

Michael Horst, Manager of Heli Ski Operations and Lead Guide

Michael’s passion for adventure in the mountains is boundless!  He’s made a life of working with skiers and climbers, to seek new experiences, reach new peaks and make amazing descents.  He is an IFMGA/UIAGM certified mountain guide and has been guiding for twenty years. Michael has guided on each of the seven continents, has led multiple expeditions to 8000m peaks of the Himalayas including Mt. Everest, and continues to dream of the next big adventure. He believes the best skiers in the world are simply the skiers who are having the most fun!  

Tyler Petrusic, Assistant Manager of Heli Ski Operations and Lead Guide

Tyler has been with Tyax since 2014. He is an ACMG Ski Guide and our Assistant Heliskiing Operations Manager and Lead Guide.  He figured he’d try some heliskiing back in 2009 and it took over completely. He keeps coming back for the vast alpine terrain in the remote Tyax tenure. 

Originally from the Vancouver area, Tyler moved to Pemberton BC 20 years ago where he lives with his wife and 3 kids. He enjoys running on the Pemberton trails and long rural roads in the summer. In winter, he works in the area in the industrial avalanche world producing weather and avalanche forecasts along with avalanche blasting and control work. 

He says: “ Heliskiing is a grand adventure in a grand landscape. It is a privilege to share this adventure with our guests.  There’s always something new around the next corner.”

Glen Kaleka, Lead Guide

Glen Kaleka is an ACMG Ski guide since 1998 and has been with the Tyax team 2011. 

Glen has lived on the west coast of Vancouver Island since 2008 and enjoys the vast wilderness of Canada and the world. 

In his off season, he works as a small business owner / operator in tourism industry. 

Hobbies include travel, mountain biking, surfing, skiing and snowboarding. 

Glen is also a Level 2 member of the Canadian Avalanche Association.

James Blench, Lead Guide

James began his guiding career in the late 1970’s in the Canadian Rockies near Banff. His career has been quite diverse including lots of work in the mechanized ski world, avalanche forecasting for industrial applications and managing the training program for the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides. He is passionate about skiing and traveling through the mountains and considers himself lucky to be able to share his enthusiasm with his guests. He lives in Canmore Alberta with his wife and son.

Phil Marchand, Lead Guide

Phil has been working in the Ski Guiding industry for 15 years and this will be his 8th season with Tyax Lodge. He has spent time skiing and guiding all over the world including Chile, Argentina, Japan, France, Iceland, and New Zealand. He currently resides in Revelstoke, BC and when he is not skiing you can find him mountain biking or surfing. 

Scott Flavelle, Lead Guide

Scott has been enjoying guiding heli-skiing since he was twenty. Besides arcing turns down intricate terrain, he loves the big vistas, the quick access, and watching the mountains change daily. At other times one may find him in the avalanche industry, ski touring, or producing wilderness TV shows. In his spare time he goes on paragliding expeditions, treks with his wife, and works around their homestead.

Dave Sarkany, Lead Guide

A mountain explorer/adventurer at heart, Dave began his career in backcountry ski touring in the early 1980’s in the local Western Canadian Mountains, where he spent the majority of his winter days on skiis exploring; often for weeks at a time away in the ice fields.   To-date, he has logged innumerable days Heli, Cat, and Ski Tour guiding, and loves to share his enthusiasm for unlimited powder and big runs in the open terrain of our vast Coast Mountains. Dave’s experience, positive outlook, humour, and intense desire for the ultimate long mountain lines, provides each guest with the best possible Heli Ski experience”

Garret Boyd, Lead Guide

Garret has been an ACMG Ski Guide for 15 years, working throughout the mountain ranges of BC. Garret finds joy in the simplicity, beauty, excitement and challenge of backcountry skiing.

Summer’s are spent guiding whitewater rivers and mountain hiking in Canada’s northern wIlderness. When not away guiding, Garret enjoy’s spending time with his young family at his off-grid homestead, growing food, and finding adventures in their backyard near Golden BC.

Garret has been at Tyax since 2016 and he’s excited to be back. Powder to the People!’

David Bryan, Apprentice Ski Guide

David grew up on a farm in the interior of BC, which sometimes leads guests to calling him “The Cowboy” He has been backcountry skiing, snowmobiling, mountain biking and climbing since he was 6 years old – oh and driving farm tractors..

Since 2004 he has been a Paramedic, and has worked the streets of Vancouver, rural Yukon and BC. He also runs a contracting company which does custom wood and metalworking as well as earthworks with a small backhoe. A certified “rope geek” at heart,  in his “spare” time he volunteers with the local Search and Rescue as an instructor and is a member of the regional Mountain Rescue Team. 

David has been guiding since 2001 and is an ACMG Hiking and Apprentice Ski Guide, CAA Level 2, CSIA Level 2 instructor as well as a BC-licensed Primary Care Paramedic. This is his 3rd season at Tyax and he really enjoys sharing his “church” (aka the mountains) with his guests. 

He lives with his wife Christina and toddler son Jack in a tiny town called Silverton BC, and tries to ski year round.

Christie Long, Apprentice Ski Guide

Christy has forever been drawn to the mountains and working in the outdoors. She has worked as a river guide for 16 years throughout BC, Yukon, France, Italy, and Norway. And since 2000 she has worked in the ski industry as a ski patroller and tail guide at Catski operations in the Coast and Monashee Ranges of BC. This is Christy’s third season at Tyax. Christy is an ACMG Apprentice Ski Guide, Active Member of the Canadian Avalanche Association, and a Registered Nurse.

Gavin Williams, Apprentice Ski Guide

Gavin grew up skiing and boarding on the Coast Mountains near Vancouver BC. Since finishing his studies in adventure tourism Gavin’s passion for exploring the backcountry led him on some epic journeys. From champagne powder in Japan to corn chowder in South America, Gavin loves to chase the stoke worldwide. His career to date has been focused on all things snow, including avalanche forecasting, industrial snow safety and ski guiding. He looks forward to showing you the goods deep in the South Chilcotins.

Max Lang, Tail Guide

A German immigrant to Canada Max grew up on a Ranch in a remote interior valley of BC, called Mabel Lake, where all he knew was farm life. In his mid teens on a trip to a teammates family run catskiing operation is where Max caught the mountain bug. He had a brief 8 year hiatus from the mountains going to the University of Washington in Seattle for a rowing scholarship and a few years on the Canadian national team. He traded in his oars for a set of skis and never looked back. Max is a Canadian Avalanche Association Level 2 member. He is engaged in the ACMG Mountain and Ski Guide Training Program and is on his way to becoming an ACMG Apprentice Ski Guide. Max has been with Tyax Lodge and Heliskiing since 2017.

Anne Cayer-Huard, Tail Guide

Originally from Quebec, after spending a season in France, Anne moved to the mountains of western BC. She is currently training for her ACMG Apprentice Ski Guide certification. When not working at Tyax Heli Skiing, she spends her free time ski touring and exploring the remote regions of British Columbia. In the off seasons you can find her rock climbing in Squamish or surfing the cold waters of Tofino.

Clement Carasco, Ski Technician, Tail Guide

Clement is a ski addict, and he has been skiing since he was 9 in France.  He has since moved to Canada, in order to “taste” the delicate BC powder. He can be found in the mountains climbing, skiing and hiking or in the ocean surfing, sea-kayaking or even diving.  He is in his happy place outdoors seeking adrenaline and magical landscapes. He holds a Tourism diploma and is a TRU Adventure Guide graduate.

At Tyax you will find him covering many tasks, from being the lodge ski-tech, tail guiding and radio dispatching, or making up some sweet après-ski playlist to play in the lodge’s ski room.

He is currently working towards his ski-guiding certifications, doing courses with the Canadian Avalanche Association towards his level 2, and building up his skiing resume to become an active part of the prestigious ACMG.