Our Guides
Most of our trips are guided by one of the guides listed below. Depending on the demand of a given trip, extra guides may be hired to meet the needs of the trip and keep our client-to-guide ratios low. Any guide landing a job with Pro Guiding Service will be highly qualified and will be involved in an internationally accredited certification program. The UIAGM (Union Internationale des Associations de Guides de Montagnes) and the AMGA (American Mountain Guides Association) run internationally recognized certification programs for aspiring mountain guides. It requires three to four years of intense training, testing, and supervised guiding to become fully certified. For more information about UIAGM and AMGA qualifications, check the AMGA home page at www.amga.com.
Martin Volken
Martin is the owner of Pro Ski Service and Pro Guiding Service and is a UIAGM certified Swiss Mountain Guide. He was born and raised in Switzerland in the village of Stalden outside Zermatt. This is where he received his formal training as a Swiss Mountain Guide. Martin moved to the Seattle area in the late 1980's. He also works as an instructor/examiner for the AMGA ski mountaineering program. Martin guides all facets of mountaineering.
Ben Haskell
Benjamin Haskell is an AMGA certified Ski Mountaineering Guide and AMGA Single Pitch (rock climbing) Instructor who has been with Pro Guiding Service since 1998. Ben has a passion for the mountains of the Pacific Northwest, which he has been exploring since the mid 1980s. He has also guided in Alaska, Canada, and Europe. Ben grew up skiing and hiking in New Hampshire. He lives in Seattle, where he also works as a firefighter/EMT.
Margaret Wheeler
Margaret Wheeler learned to ski and climb at an early age in New England, and became interested in ski mountaineering while living in Europe for several seasons. As a transplant to the Northwest, she guides ski mountaineering, alpine, and rock objectives. In 2006, Margaret became the second woman in the US to complete her full UIAGM guide certification. An active member of the guiding community, she is an instructor of guide training for the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) and serves on its board of directors and as president of the organization. She is involved in avalanche education through her work as an AIARE (American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education) instructor and trainer. View her recent article in The Avalanche Review.
Mike Hattrup
Mike is an AMGA certified ski mountaineering Guide and an aspiring AMGA alpine guide. He manages the K2 Telemark and Backcountry program and has starred in numerous ski films. Mike is a former mogul specialist on the US freestyle Ski Team.
Pablo Puruncajas
Pablo Puruncajas fell in love with the mountains at a young age while climbing Ecuador’s volcanoes with his family-owned mountan guide company. He has been guiding in the Andes since 1999 and has been guiding for the past six years in the Northwest United States. In 1997 he expanded his adventure skills by taking on rock climbing. He represented Chimborazo province three times as the Ecuadorian National Rock Climbing Champion. In 2002 he moved to the United States to study English at Eastern Kentucky University. While in the U.S. he has spent his free time exploring the vast alpine, mixed, ice and rock climbing areas, throughout North America. He completed his UIAGM certification with the Bolivian Mountain & Trekking Guide Association, accredited by the National School of Ski and Alpinism of Chamonix (ENSA), and has completed Advanced Alpine and Rock Guides Courses with American Mountain Guide Association (AMGA).
Erica Engle
Erica Engle grew up in the Puget Sound region. She learned to ski and climb in the Cascades and is an aspiring ski mountaineering guide. Her background and interests include a B.S. in environmental science from Western Washington University and a love of engaging people in their wild, natural surroundings. She has guided throughout the Cascades and has spent personal time in Washington, Alaska, the Sierras, and most recently, Nepal.
Rinaldo Borra
Rinaldo is a UIAGM certified Swiss mountain guide and guides in the Alps, Canada and the US in all facets of mountaineering. He currently lives in Grindelwald at the base of the Eiger Nord Wand. In the winter, he is a heli-ski guide in Canada.
Aaron Mainer
A Washington Native, Aaron grew up skiing the wild hills of Eastern Washington. After getting a degree in International Political Economy from the University of Puget Sound, he developed a passion for backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering while working on the ski patrol at Crystal Mountain. He now guides year round from his home in Enumclaw, Wa and is pursuing full UIAGM certification.
Trevor Kostanich
Trevor Kostanich is a native Washingtonian who loves exploring snowy mountains. He utilized a civil engineering degree to land a career and home on Snoqualmie Pass. When not ski touring in his backyard, Trevor has spent long periods of time skiing in India, Alaska, New Zealand, and Argentina. He is an aspiring ski mountaineering guide.
Dave Jordan
Dave Jordan is an aspiring ski mountaineering guide and is pursuing AMGA certification. He grew up in the northwest and lives in North Bend, Washington. He learned to ski and climb in the cascades and spends his time exploring new ski descents and climbing routes.
