Guides Canada

Jörg Wilz

Jörg is the owner and head guide for OnTop. He grew up in Heidelberg, Germany and has been mountaineering and skiing in the Alps since early childhood. He has climbed and guided many “classics” in the Alps (Complete Peuterey Traverse and Freney Pillar on Mont Blanc, Tempi Moderni at the Marmolada, Dolomites), extensive ski traverses as well as fast Big Wall ascents in Yosemite (Salathe on El Capitan at age 18)  and in the Himalayas (Nameless Tower, Yugoslavian Route, 2nd ascent at Age 24).

Internationally certified as a mountain and ski guide (UIAGM / IFMGA) by the Technical University of Munich in 1986, he was granted reciprocity by the American Mountain Guides Association(AMGA) in 1997 and the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG) in 2000. He also holds CAA (Canadian Avalanche Association) Level 3 certification and a blasting license for avalanche control in B.C. The UIAA Expedition Commission appointed him twice to lead their International Mountaineering Camps, 1993 in Pakistan and 1997 in China. In a former life, he took advantage of his graduate business degree and a CPA diploma by working for an international business consulting firm in Frankfurt, Chicago and Denver.

Jörg bases himself for most of the year in Canmore in the Canadian Rockies. He can also be found quite often in the Alps, in Colorado or in Revelstoke BC, where he has been putting in first tracks as a helicopter-ski guide for Canadian Mountain Holidays for over 25 seasons. He speaks German, English, French and Italian.

Nino Guagliano

When Nino was 19, he drove coast to coast in Canada and vowed to come back and live in the Canadian Mountains at some point in his life.  After graduating from the Art Centre College of Design and pursuing a photography career from many years, Nino decided to follow his true love of living and working in the mountains.  Since leaving California, he made Canada his home and is fulfilling his dreams.

Nino started climbing in his late teens and quickly realized it was a deep-rooted passion.  It has taken him around the world and his love for mountain exploration and finding quiet places to share with friends are still a very important part of his life.  Splitting his time between skiing guiding and all disciplines of climbing keeps Nino busy all year long…with the only problem being he doesn’t know which he loves the most!

Nino is a certified IFMGA / UIAGM mountain guide.  He is also currently working on a few photography projects around his home in the Columbia Mountains dealing with glacier recession and large format mountain landscapes.

Lydia Marmont

Lydia is based in Revelstoke, BC but has spent the last 15 years exploring mountain ranges throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and New Zealand – her closet homeland.  Her decision to turn her love of the mountain environment into a career has led to a diverse range of work; 15 years guiding skiing and climbing with some professional mountain rescue, avalanche control, and mountain safety for research and industry thrown in for diversity.  Spending time in the mountains with friends new and old is something that she considers to be a privilege – one that she looks always looks forward to sharing.  She is an ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide and professional member of the Canadian Avalanche Assocaition.

Paul Vidalin

Paul Vidalin is yet another long time friend, who is a lifetime mountain professional. Starting out as a safety and rescue specialist for Alberta Mountain Parks he quickly became certified as a Mountain Guide (IFMGA / UIAGM) in the 90s. By now, Paul spends most of his time in the services of Canadian Mountain Holidays (CMH), currently as the manager of the Monashees Heli Ski Lodge in Mica Creek, BC.

Aside from his native Rockies and Columbia Ranges, Paul also regularly guides for OnTop in the Alps, namely in the Dolomites. Paul is notorious for his practical jokes and sense of humor. He lives with his wife and dog more or less on the other side of the creek from us in Canmore AB.

Mike Koppang

Mike Koppang is another true Albertan boy! Born in Edmonton but spending most of his life in Calgary until he got his drivers license and headed west into the Mountains. Mike has a degree from the University of Calgary in exercise and health physiology wherein he learnt the best way to stay healthy was to get outdoors and play as much as possible.

In spite of working for the government for over 10 years as a public safety specialist with Alberta Parks Mike has not lost his sense of humor. A certified ACMG ski guide and a professional member of the Canadian Avalanche Association Mike is also in charge of avalanche forecasting for Alberta Parks. In his free time, Mike enjoys guiding ski touring, teaching avalanche courses and he frequently guides heli-skiing for RK in Panorama. He is also the proud father of his bear dog “Numa” who learnt quickly that running away from Mike leads to way longer walks. Other than that he maintains he will pursue full guide certification and get married soon.

Mike Blarowski

Mike is an ACMG Certified Apprentice Ski Guide living in Canmore with his wife Alicja and two cats. He has been in Canada for 28 years and started ski touring 20 years ago.

When he is not guiding, he is designing websites and helping companies with digital marketing.

Instagram: instagram.com/mikeblarowski

Tom Wolfe

Originally from Ontario, Tom found his way to the Canadian Rockies in the late 80s and has been climbing and skiing hard there ever since. His passion for the mountains also lured him into the guiding profession and he passed his last exam in 2010 to become a fully certified Mountain Guide (ACMG / IFMGA). Tom, however, is more resourceful than that: He works part of his time as a computer consultant and network administrator, which only remotely has anything to do with his academic training as a school teacher.

Aside from OnTop, Tom also works for Last Frontier Heliskiing and Outward Bound, where he has countless years of experience leading wilderness youth courses in the Rockies.

Tom speaks also German and lives with his wife and two children in Canmore AB.

Marco Delesalle

Marco Delesalle is a fully certified Mountain Guide (ACMG / IFMGA / UIAGM) with well over 10 years of guiding experience.  He grew up and lives in Canmore AB, where at the age of 6, he started exploring the Rockies with his parents, themselves being well known skiers and mountaineers of the pioneering generation. Marco is bi-lingual French and English. Marco is passionate about every facet of mountaineering and skiing and maintains a very high skill level in rock and ice climbing.