Alaska Heli Sking Guides
<< Back to about us page

At Valdez Heli-Camps, your safety is our number one priority.  With this in mind, we settle for nothing less than the best guides in the business.  A good guide is the key to ensuring that you not only have the best time you've ever had in your life, but that you maximize the potential of any slope and ski the right areas at the right time. 

All of our guides have extensive heli-skiing and back country guiding experience as well as the most current emergency procedure, first aid, and rescue training available today.  As intense mountain sport enthusiasts themselves, our guides understand the needs of our customers and bend over backwards to make sure that your experience is second to none.  We look forward to skiing with you!

Testimonials

William A Spilo, Lead Guide

Hometown: Vail, Colorado

Guiding Since: 1997

Certifications: Avalanche III Heli Guide, Avalanche III American Avalanche Association, Wilderness EMT, Crevasse Rescue Certification American Mountain Guides Association, Incident Command System Operations, AAI Weather Forecasting.

Worldly Experience: Alaska, Colorado, Ice climbing guide for Apex Guides - Vail, Fly fishing Guide, Chile

My "Other" Life: Construction and real estate investing in Vail, Colorado

Other Passions/Hobbies: Blue water fly fishing, surfing, mountaineering, mt biking

Favorite Quote or Personal Slogan: You create your own reality

What I've Been Doing This Summer: Heli-ski guiding in Valle Nevado, Chile

What Keeps Me Coming Back to AK: Alaska is the greatest skiing on Earth, hands down.

Back to Top

Kirk Maes, Operations Manager

Hometown: June Lake California

Guiding Since: 1998

Certifications: Canadian Ski Guides Association Level II, Canadian Avalanche Association Level I, National Ski Patrol Mountaineering Level II, National Ski Patrol Avalanche Level II, American Avalanche Institute Level II, Professional Ski Instructor Level II, Professional Snowboard Instructor Level II.

Worldly Experience: Eastern Sierras and Valdez Alaska

My "Other" Life:  Systems Administration 

Favorite Quote or Personal Slogan: When it's good, you go.

Other Passions/Hobbies: Flying big kites on water or snow and surfing.

What I've Been Doing This Summer: Making sure I can come back to Valdez.

What Keeps Me Coming Back to AK: The best terrain I have found

Back to Top

Nik Suddards, Pilot

Hometown: Juneau, Alaska

Piloting Since: 1976

Certifications: Commercial Pilot - Rotorcraft, Helicopter and Airplane. Night and Instrument Rating.

Worldly Experience: Europe, Australia, and 49 of the 50 States

My "Other" Life: Fly 8 months a year, then spend four months private flying and adventure world travel

Other Passions/Hobbies: Adventure travel, off road excursions, musician (guitar, bagpipes and sea shantyman)

Favorite Quote or Personal Slogan: If the world was flat, we'd be the ones living on the edge!

What I've Been Doing This Summer: Flying Glacier Trekking in Juneau, AK

What Keeps Me Coming Back to AK: The wildlife, the Mountain Gods, their haunting call, and the spectacular scenery

Back to Top

Doug Lewis, Guide

Hometown: Valdez AK, Silverton CO, Crested Butte CO, Bend OR

Guiding since: 1988

Certifications : American Avalanche Institute Level II, Canadian Avalanche Association Level ll, Emergency Medical Technician, and Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician

Worldly Experience:  Greenland - Field Safety & Medical Officer, Chile - Avalanche Forecaster New Zealand - Operations Safety Consultant / Guide Colorado - Avalanche Forecaster, Lead Guide/Mountain Manager Alaska - Avalanche Forecaster - (Alaska Department of Transportation), Guide/Co-Snow Safety Coordinator Valdez Heli-Camps

Personal Slogans: Don't sweat the petty stuff, just pet the sweaty stuff.

Last Summer: Worked as a Operations Safety Consultant/ Guide in New Zealand, biked my ass off throughout the South Island when the season was over.

Back to Top

Christian Cabanilla

Hometown: Visalia, California

Guiding Since: 2000

Certifications: Level 3 Avalanche training - American Avalanche Institute 2000; Level 2 Avalanche Certification- American Avalanche Institute 1999; Wilderness First Responder- Wilderness Medical Associates, 2004; Outdoor Emergency Care, National Ski Patrol, 1999; Crevasse Rescue Training, Whistler,B.C. - Canadian Mountain West School 2004; Incident Command Course, Alaska State Troopers 2000; Certified Flight Instructor/Instrument, Rotorcraft/Helicopter, Classic Helicopter Corp. 2004; Commercial/Instrument Helicopter Pilot Certificate, Classic Helicopter Corp. 2003

Worldly Experience:  California, Wyoming, Alaska

My "Other" Life:  Flying helicopters, globe trotting, and LIVING THE DREAM

Favorite Quote or Personal Slogan:

"For believe me: the secret for harvesting from existence the greatest fruitfulness and greatest enjoyment is - to live dangerously." Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher (1844 - 1900)

and, "If you don't do it this year, you'll be one year older when you do."-Warren Miller

Other Passions/Hobbies: Surfing, skateboarding, mountain biking, hiking, snowmobiling, whitewater rafting, cliff diving, and general pleasure seeking.

What I've Been Doing This Summer:  Teaching people to fly helicopters 

What Keeps Me Coming Back to AK:   Alaskan women.... duh

Back to Top

Ehren Wiener

Hometown: Poulsbo, WA

Guiding Since: 1995

Certifications: Canadian Ski Guide Training; Canadian Ski Guide Association/Mike Wiegele Helicopter Skiing Canadian Avalanche Association. Avalanche safety for ski operations level one, Rogers Pass, BC. Heli-Ski Guides Course; Northwest Avalanche Institute Emergency Medical Technician, EMT Alaska. Kitsap County Firefighter Recruit Academy State of Wa, Firetraining Academy, Search and Rescue State of Wa, Firetraining Academy, Burn to Learn Wa State Patrol, Hazardous Materials Emergency Response: Operations Level; WAC 296-62-(P), NFPA 472 Health Care Provider (CPR), American Heart Association CPR for the Professional Rescuer, American Red Cross Outdoor Emergency Care; Snoqualmie Pass Ski Patrol Mountain Travel & Rescue Course; National Ski Patrol. 1996 Ski-Patrol for Crystal Mountain. Also selected for 1996 Mt Baker Ski-Patrol as one of the first snowboarding patrol members.

Worldly Experience: Washington State, Chamonix France, and Valdez Alaska

My "Other" Life:  Living and working in Anchorage for "Humpy's Alehouse" and "The Bear Tooth Grill"

Other Passions/Hobbies: Sea-Surf-Whitewater-Kayaking, Mountian Biking, Hiking/Camping, Photography, Toyota FJ-40 Landcruiser owner/restorer

Favorite Quote or Personal Slogan: It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, And if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

What I've Been Doing This Summer: Instructor for the Alaska Sea Kayak Symposium. Working with Doug Odgen Photography at different motorsport events in Alaska.The major summer project was staking 40 arces of remote land here in Alaska (A modern day land rush)

What Keeps Me Coming Back to AK: I currently live in Alaska, it is one of the most amazing places in the world! Why leave?.......well sun would be nice!

Back to Top

Wes Wylie

Hometown: Calgary, Canada and Provo, Utah

Guiding Since: 1996

Certifications: CSGA certified with 8 years guiding experience . National Ski Patrol Level Three with six years experience. Advanced Trauma and Life Support Trained/ ACLS/PALS/ and NALS certified.

Worldly Experience: Canada, Utah, Alaska

My "Other" Life: M.D. '89 currently in private practice Provo, Utah

Other Passions/Hobbies: Surfing, climbing, mountain biking, my three boys Cameron, Collin, and "Danger" Cliff. I affectionally refer to as the Stormy "C's"

Favorite Quote or Personal Slogan: "Knowledge speaks but wisdom listens"-Jimi Hendrix

What I've Been Doing This Summer: Fiji to surf, Italy to drink, and Work to pay for it

What Keeps Me Coming Back to AK: To finish what I started 16 years ago to ski a line in Alaska I've never done

Back to Top