Mustang Guides

Garret Boyd

This will be Garret's sixth season guiding with Mustang Powder. Garret has been actively involved in the outdoor industry for 10 years - when he became a professional Ski Patroler at the age of only 16. He has been keeping himself busy with British Columbia's deep powder snow in the winter, and exploring Canada's Northern wilderness on foot, or via canoe during the summer.

This past spring, Garret continued his professional development and successfully completed the ACMG Full Ski Guide exam. He is also a professional member of the CAA.

When not out and about in the mountains, Garret has been trying his hand at Homesteading. Milling his own lumber for an off the grid cabin, growing a big vegetable garden and swimming in the pond keeps the summer days sliding by.

Scott Davis

Scott Davis needs no introduction to those in the ski industry. He has worked in the industry for over 25 years. Scott is a full IFMGA/ACMG Mountain Guide focusing on skiing and climbing.

Along with being a member of the ACMG, he is also a Professional Member of the CAA and has worked as an Avalanche Forecaster for ski and highway operations as well as a consultant on film projects and for forestry operations. Scott is a past president of the ACMG as well as an instructor and examiner for both the ACMG and CAA.

Scott is an exceptional teacher and brings an extremely high level of professionalism to all his endeavours. We feel lucky to have him for the short time he can work with us.

JP McCarthy

J.P. is an ACMG Assistant Ski Guide and has been guiding groups at Mustang Powder for three seasons. He actively continues his training through both the ACMG and the CAA and is looking to become a full ski guide in the near future.

J.P. started teaching skiing and snowboarding at the age of 15 and has worked in the ski industry every winter since. Having shifted his focus toward backcountry travel and mechanized skiing in the last 10 years he enjoys sharing his passion and love for the sport with all those who join him in the mountains.

Grant Statham

Grant Statham has been an IFMGA Mountain Guide since he was 24 years old, and has developed a solid reputation as a climber, guide, and avalanche forecaster. He has 25 years of experience guiding heli-ski trips and doing avalanche safety consulting work. Grant has been the Snow Safety Director for the World Freeskiing Championships in Alaska three times and is currently employed as Parks Canada's Avalanche Risk Specialist. Grant has been instrumental in developing many of the avalanche warning systems and education tools that are used in Canada today. In 2005, he was awarded the Public Service Award of Excellence for his work in public avalanche safety.

Some of Grant's biggest alpine climbing accomplishments include ascents of the SW Pillar of Bhagirathi 3 in India, the Wild Thing on Mt. Chephren in the Canadian Rockies, All Along the Watchtower in the Bugaboos, and guided trips up some of the big ones in the Yukon and Himalayas. Grant has numerous repeats and first ascents to his credit.

Grant currently lives in Canmore, Alberta with his 13-year old son Ryan. We are very excited that he will be able to find some time in his busy schedule to return to Mustang Powder and lead some groups again this upcoming season!

Larry Stanier

Larry is an International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations (IIFMGA)/ACMG Mountain Guide based out of Canmore, Alberta. He has worked in the avalanche patch for almost 30 years in ski areas, highways, consulting and education but first and foremost he is ski guide.

Larry has organized our early season guide training for the past 3 seasons now and is one of our main early season guides. The rest of his season is spent guiding guests in places such as the Japanese and European Alps and doing safety inspections for Helicat Canada.

Larry says he will keep coming back to Mustang at least until he gets to ski "Fifth Dimension" at least twice in perfect conditions.

Mathieu Valade

Mat is a graduate of Thompson Rivers University and holds a Bachelor of Tourism Management. He's been involved with Mustang Powder since the very beginning. Mat enjoys sharing his passion for the mountains and the deep Monashee powder. He is now an ACMG certified Ski Guide and aspires to complete the Full Mountain Guide certification.

When he's away from his office at Mustang Powder he spends his time chasing waves, ski touring, climbing, and hanging out on the wet coast.

Colin Zacharias

Colin has worked in the ski industry since 1980 and is a certified IFMGA/ACMG Mountain Guide. He is also the past Technical Director for the ACMG and past course coordinator for the Thompson Rivers University Mountain and Ski Guide Certification Program. Colin currently instructs on the professional training programs for the CAA and consults as a mountain safety specialist in the heliski guiding and avalanche industries both in the USA and Canada.

Colin's interesting life takes him to many places amazing places... As a guide and film industry rigger he has worked for EcoChallenge in remote Borneo, Fiji, Morocco and other countries. As an adventure travel guide he has taken clients climbing and trekking to locations such as the gorges of Morocco, the seaside Costa Blanca in Spain, the Matterhorn in Switzerland, Baffin Island and the spectacular volcanic plateau's of BC's Mt. Edziza. What else you ask? Colin's love of surfing regularly takes him away from snowy mountains to the reefs and beaches of the tropics. Colin frequently travels and works with his partner, Julia Taffe. Julia is every bit the adventurer that Colin is, working as a stunt woman, aerial dancer, choreographer and founder of the Aeriosa Dance Society.

You can find out more about Colin on his website http://web.mac.com/quixoticadventures.