Discipline: Mountain Adventure Skills Training
I joined College of the Rockies at the Fernie Campus in 2021 with the great privilege of carrying on the 25+ year legacy of the Mountain Adventure Skills Training (MAST) program as the Program Coordinator and Instructor. Classroom courses I teach are: Wilderness Travel, The Adventure Tourism Industry and Guiding and Leadership. I also instruct and/or support logistics in all field courses. Service includes mentoring students in their outdoor pursuits and future professional endeavours and coordinating with our talented guide and instructor team and the growing robust adventure tourism sector.
As an experienced educator, adventure guide, instructor and guide trainer I am thrilled to call Fernie home and MAST and College of the Rockies my professional landing place. I am a life-long learner in all things outdoors, caring deeply about the environments that I wander through and live in and the people with whom I do it.
Since 2001 I have been leading groups hiking, rock climbing, mountaineering, ski touring, winter camping, canoeing and sea kayaking. I completed a Bachelor of Education from the University of Victoria in 2004 and a Master of Science in Outdoor, Environmental and Sustainability Education from the University of Edinburgh in 2012. I hold professional-level certifications and memberships with the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides, Canadian Avalanche Association, Recreational Canoeing Association of BC, Wilderness Medical Associates and Rescue Canada.
My professional interests involve mountain travel in all seasons from high alpine to rivers, leadership development, risk management, understanding our natural environment, expedition-based learning and wilderness self-reliance. I adore spending time with my family.
I believe meaningful learning happens when we are invested, immersed and when we have a positive learning environment. Diverse pedagogical practices are highly valued in my instructional approach such as experiential learning, storytelling, discussion, activities and problem-solving based scenarios. I value connecting with students, meeting them where they are at, developing a team and am committed to students’ outcomes. I believe that success and growth are dependent on effort, learning from feedback, embracing challenges and persistence. It is a privilege to work with MAST students.
I encourage people to consider the rewarding field of adventure. We now have decades of MAST graduates demonstrating life-long careers in this sector. Please feel free to connect.