Our Guides

Our Backcountry Guides

All guided backcountry trips are overseen by our head guides, who all have large mountain resumes including ski patrolling, mountain guiding, alpine cliff rescue and personal recreation with a cumulative experience of more than 70 years in the mountains.

Mike Adolph, Head Guide – Whakapapa

Mike is an ACMG (Canada) qualified alpine guide and assistant ski guide who manages his own outdoor education centre in Alberta, Canada. Mike is one exam away from completing his international mountain guiding qualification and has climbed and skied extensively in Canada and NZ. Mike commutes between Canada and NZ to keep his feet in the snow.

Andy Hoyle, Guide - Whakapapa

Andy is working through the NZ Mountain Guides Association ski guide qualifications and works full-time at Mt Ruapehu as the Safety Services Manager at Whakapapa. Andy oversees the summer guiding programme at the same time as managing his own rock-climbing business on and around Mt Ruapehu.

Hans Hjelde, Head Guide – Turoa

Hans has been travelling between Turoa (New Zealand) and Snowbasin (Utah) for 8 years now and has extensive Ski Mountianeering and Ski Patrolling experience. He now specialises in the Snow Safety and Guiding operations and intimately knows every square meter inside and outside the boundaries of both ski areas. Hans recently spent a month in the Himalaya as an Avalanche Mitigation Consutant, he is fantastic as a guide and specialises in finding the best quality snow.

Murray Brown, Guide - Turoa 

Murray Brown - Better known as Muz to locals, was the Snow Safety Officer at Turoa for 8 years and has a massive knowledge of snow conditions on Ruapehu. Murray Ski Patrolled full time for 15 years at Turoa and has also spent time in the Banff region of Canada patrolling at Sunshine Village. Muz has named several areas inside and outside the Ski Area Boundary and knows the mountain like the back of his hand. He is an epic storyteller that can relate stories to most of the areas he’s named.