Who Am I?
I’m Oli, a mountain junkie; deeply passionate about backcountry skiing and mountaineering.
Arising from Montreal, Canada, I was pretty much born on a pair of skis. At the age of 16, I started work as a CSIA-2 ski instructor and CSC-1 race coach for the Mont-Tremblant Ski School. My training as a coach not only sharpened my skiing (get the pun) but also kindled my love for the sport. After tossing around the idea, I traded a mechanical engineer’s desk for a pair of climbing skins.
In 2015, I crossed the Atlantic Ocean in search of true alpine adventures and landed in Chamonix, France, the birthplace of mountaineering and steep skiing. Armed with a pair of sticks that had seen better days, I made my way up couloirs and jagged peaks in search of an endless supply of powder, sweat, and fear. After many mistakes, broken bones and close calls, I moved to the sleepy Canadian town of Revelstoke, BC, nestled between the rugged Selkirk and Monashee Mountains. I am now fully committed to the long, humbling road that is becoming a certified ACMG ski guide. I aim to deliver life-changing experiences in the mountains, get people stoked on ski touring and heli-skiing, and show them how to flow safely through hazardous terrain. To me, it’s equally about leading and educating.
What Is Beyond Our Peak?
A few years ago, I found photography and blogging were a match made in heaven. Subsequently, Beyond Our Peak and its funky acronym, BOP, was born with goals of:
- Introducing the niche sports of backcountry skiing and mountaineering to a wider audience.
- Being the one-stop-shop for resources on how to get into the sports, both of which have high barriers to entry (cost, training, experience).
- Motivating the Armchair Adventurers to explore the outdoors – without necessarily quitting their office job!
What are my current qualifications?
- ACMG Apprentice Ski Guide (ACMG-ASG)
- Canadian Avalanche Association (CAA-1)
- Avalanche Skills Training (AST-1)
- Non-Urban Emergency Care (NUEC-3)
- Occupational First Aid (OFA-3)
- Canadian Ski Instructors Alliance (CSIA-2)
- Canadian Ski Coaches (CSC-1)