Eric is the owner and chief guide. He is a certified IFMGA/ACMG Mountain Guide, CAA Level II & Professional Member as well as CSIA Level II.
Eric brings high enthusiasm, a lifetime of mountain passion, and a great depth and breadth of experience and expertise to Mountain Skills Academy & Adventures.
As a professional Mountain Guide, Eric has been enjoying a very successful career. This is a high-end multi-faceted guide with expert level in Rock, Ice, Mountain and Ski guiding. He has worked in all the great ranges of the world, spending a great deal of time in the Alps but chooses Canada as his base and favourite place to live and work.
Eric has acquired an impressive list of personal and guided accomplishments. He was one of the pioneers of Canadian Mixed climbing, establishing some of the world’s hardest and longest mixed routes. As an alpinist, he did the first ascent of Infinite Patience on Mount Robson’s foreboding Emperor Face. A highlight of his career is what is still the world’s most difficult pure ice climb, Rights of Passage on the North Face of Mt. Kitchener (WI 8). Eric’s guiding achievements also speak of high caliber guiding. Here are some of his more notable guiding exploits:
* Ice: Slip Stream on Snowdome Peak and Stairway to Heaven (one of his first ascent mix routes), Canada
* Mountain: North Face of the Eiger, Switzerland.
* Mt. Robson Kain route in two days car to car, Canada
* Rock: Directe Des Capucin on the Grand Capucin, France. Achilles Spire, 13 pitch new route on dolomite spire * * Canadian Rockies accomplished with guests
* Soft Adventures: Designed and built the Squamish Via Ferrata
* Ski: 100’s of ski mountaineering ascents including Selkirk Lodge, Rogers Pass and Wapta Extreme Skiing the Steeps trips.
Eric proudly supports several mountain community initiatives.
In Eric’s words: “I love what I do and my passion is to share that with others either as a professional or on my off time. I have been very fortunate to have such an exciting and fruitful career. The most important part of being a guide is to always be a great guide; this means to be technically sound, to be humble and to put your guests well-being above all else. That includes their safety, challenging them within their comfort zone, expanding their skill sets, providing them with extraordinary experiences in world class terrain and making damned sure they’re loving it! When I’m guiding, my guests and I are a team and we’re on a mission to have a fun, to be safe and to have a memorable experience.”
Eric lives with his wife and 2 children in Squamish BC, commuting regularly to his other favorite spot on earth, Canmore and the Canadian Rockies.