Meet Our Summer Hiking Guides
Summer is officially here. The sun is blazing, the snow is melting, and we are itching to get up into the Coast Range’s alpine terrain. Before our summer trips are underway, there is a group of key players in our team that we’d like to introduce – the hiking guides. This crew of adventurous souls have dedicated years of their lives to learn the intricacies and nuances of the mountains by way of both ACMG guide training and personal pursuits. They also have personalities to boot.
In the lead up to our first summer hiking trip of 2021, we will feature each one of our awesome summer hiking guides. To kick things off, we have Christine Feleki. Not only is this talented queen an ACMG Hiking Guide, but also holds the title of the first female in North America to be certified as an ACMG Splitboard Guide. We put the hard questions to this tough lady, and in true Christine fashion, she answered in swift style.
Name: Christine Feleki
Born: Canmore Alberta
Most incredible place you have hiked (not including Whitecap): Mt. Fansipan, Vietnam’s tallest mountain. This is my most underprepared and exotic hike I have done, but sometimes skate shoes, pyjamas and a backpack full of water are all you need to get you to the top. Oh and maybe 5 german dudes, and a Vietnamese guide outfit telling you that girls have never climbed it in two days without crying or being helped off the mountain, that helps with motivation as well… I think that now this is considered a classic tourist hike with a reasonable trail etc, but at the time we were wading through rice fields and jungle-gym-climbing our way to the top.
Favourite hiking snack: anything made by Nat 😉
Favourite BC wild flower and why: I have always loved grasses of parnassus, mostly due to an early memory of hiking with my friend and her Mom when we were kids and laughing about the funny flower name and story of how ancient Grecian cattle loved to eat it on the hillsides of Mount Parnassus.
Biggest hiking fail you have made: Bringing too much and bringing too little, usually this relates to snacks
Best hiking hack: Plan for more time than you need, that way there is always time for an alpine swim.
