Joe Schwartz

Joe is a Kootenay-raised ACMG Ski and Hiking Guide who now calls Cumberland home, and is the owner of Hike Vancouver Island. For over 20 years he's guided across BC and the Rockies. He loves nothing more than uncovering the lesser traveled corners of Strathcona Park and the rest of Vancouver Island and sharing them with guests.

In a previous life, Joe was a professional mountain bike athlete, competing in events like Red Bull Rampage and traveling to far flung locales for photo shoots and competitions. He also holds a business degree with a marketing communications focus, which he puts to work building the Hike Vancouver Island brand when he's not out on trail.

When he's not guiding or in the office, Joe is chasing around his 5 year old, biking, surfing, or out in the garden.

Rachel Drury

Rachel was raised in Meadow Creek, BC, where her parents founded Selkirk Wilderness Skiing, the world's first cat-skiing operation, and ran it for nearly 40 years. Growing up inside a safety-critical, seasonal, weather-dependent family business gave her a firsthand understanding of what it takes to run this kind of operation day to day. As a young adult she completed her first-aid and CAA Level 1 certifications, and throughout her 20s she helped out across the business whenever she wasn't in university, taking on snow safety support, guest services, marketing, and whatever else needed doing.
Rachel now works full-time as a family physician in Comox, a role she continues today. She is co-owner of Island Alpine Guides and Hike Vancouver Island alongside Joe, and works mostly behind the scenes, stepping in on the operational side when needed.

Graeme White

Graeme’s love of wild spaces began at an early age camping with his family and exploring Western Canada and the Yukon. His own explorations continued across Western North America, South America, the UK and Africa. For sixteen years, Graeme worked with Outward Bound Canada, starting as an instructor and later as manager of their Western Canada operations. He also works with a Victoria area private school Outdoor Ed program, and fills the time between teaching and guiding with work as a carpenter. Graeme is often noted for his calming and level-headed presence in the mountains. He enjoys coaching individuals towards self-reliance, and always does his best to ensure everyone has a great day out. Graeme is a year-round fixture on the IAG team, and is well-versed on rock, snow, and ice.

Robert Coates

Rob brings more than 20 years of professional Mountain Operations and Mountain Rescue experience to the HVI team. He recently completed a 29-year career with the Canadian Armed Forces - both with the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. For 18 years of his military career, Rob was an RCAF Search and Rescue Technician (SAR Tech) and instructed at the Canadian Forces School of Search and Rescue (CFSSAR).

Along with his many years service as a SAR Tech, Rob has been employed as a Paramedic with BC Ambulance, worked as a ski patroller, has been an expedition leader for trips including the Arctic, Mount Logan, the Rockies, and in the BC Coastal Ranges. Rob is an ACMG certified Hiking Guide and Via Ferrata Guide, and Canadian Avalanche Association certified Avalanche Technician.

Rob is an instructor/examiner on our Emergency BC Rope Rescue Technician courses as well as teaching on the mountain rescue training programs we run for BC SAR teams and hiking and avalanche skills training programs. He really enjoys traveling in wild places around the planet, spending time in the mountains and being able to share these things. His extensive experience and calm, steady demeanor make him an ideal instructor and guide.

Holly Walker

Holly was born in Vancouver to a family of hikers and skiers. She was swept away from the West Coast at age 10 to live a vagabond lifestyle around the world. Now settled in Squamish, she's an ACMG Ski & Hiking Guide who shares a new appreciation for the mountains of British Columbia. She's a retired Park Ranger with years of experience remote backpacking in her backyard and other places, such as the West Coast Trail, Yoho National Park, Kluane National Park, Tombstone Territorial Park, and on expeditions in obscure places such as the Pamirs of Tajikistan. She's passionate about meeting new people and assisting them in discovering the great outdoors.

Christine Feleki

Christine was first introduced to the idea of guiding through her high school outdoor education program in Canmore, Alberta. She always knew she wasn’t cut out for an “inside job,” but it wasn’t until 2010, after a detour in photojournalism, that she committed to the path of becoming an ACMG-certified guide -- a path that has been full of almost daily highlights. Today, she is the first (and currently the only) female to pass an ACMG Ski Guide exam on a splitboard. She is also an ACMG-certified Hiking Guide, a CSIA Level 1 Ski Instructor and a member of the Canadian Avalanche Association. While Christine is adamant that she is incapable of sitting still, her clients often note her calm approach to teaching. She strives to create a low pressure environment for learning and exploring, while still supporting clients in their goals. After 16 years in the Sea to Sky region, Christine recently moved to Ucluelet and is excited to explore her new zone.

Jan Neuspiel

Jan has been guiding and teaching all over the world for more than 40 years. He spent almost half of that time in the Himalayan region, including six years living in Nepal and 11 years running a helicopter skiing operation in the India Himalaya. From a circumnavigation of Denali and a ski traverse of the Wrangle St. Elias, to an ascent of Mount Asgard in the Canadian arctic and a solo summit on Pumori (7161m) in the Nepal Himalaya, his personal adventures have taken him far and wide. Back at home on Vancouver Island he’s guided most of the major island peaks, authored a number of first ascents and taught countless islanders rock climbing, mountaineering, backcountry skiing and avalanche skills. Jan co-founded and ran the Vancouver Island Avalanche Centre which provided avalanche forecasts for Vancouver Island from 2007 to 2021. He started Island Alpine Guides in 2006 and has since nurtured it into the island's premier mountain school and guide service. He is also a Guide and Mountain Safety Manager for Bella Coola Helisports, which runs heliskiing operations in the BC Coast Range and a Peer Responder with the Mountain Professionals Critical Incident Stress Management Team. Jan has been recognized with a Distinguished Service Award by the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides and an Aspiring Individual Award by HeliCat Canada.