Explore with Purpose
in the South Canadian Rockies

About Us

Uplift Adventures is a professional guiding and outdoor education company based in the South Canadian Rockies, operating in Waterton Lakes National Park, the Crowsnest Pass, and Castle Provincial Parks. Our work is grounded in respect for Treaty 7 lands and built in collaboration with Indigenous knowledge holders, partners, and communities.

Our purpose is clear: to help people explore the mountains with confidence, connection, and care, while contributing to the long-term conservation of these landscapes.

our mission

We create meaningful mountain experiences that deepen connection to nature, build outdoor confidence, strengthen community, and actively support conservation. Every program, every guide, and every decision aligns with a simple principle:

Explore with Purpose.

Our Story

Uplift Adventures was founded in 2018 by outdoor professional and environmental scientist Heather Davis, who has spent her career leading backcountry projects, managing environmental programs, guiding guests, and teaching natural history. Her experience revealed a need for a guiding company that integrates professional standards, education, and conservation into a unified approach.

What began as a small guiding operation has evolved into a year-round organization with a diverse team of certified guides, instructors, and outdoor specialists. Together, we offer hiking, backpacking, climbing, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, wilderness first aid, navigation, and specialized interpretive programs.

Our growth reflects our core belief: the mountains are not just places to visit—they are places to understand, respect, and protect.

our approach

Professional Expertise
Our guides and instructors are trained and certified through the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG), the Interpretive Guides Association (IGA), and other leading organizations. Professionalism, safety, and expertise define everything we do. Our clients are supported by a team that combines years of field experience, environmental science knowledge, and technical proficiency.

Place-Based Learning
We believe outdoor recreation is more meaningful when grounded in understanding. Our team includes environmental scientists, interpreters, and career outdoor professionals who weave geology, ecology, history, and land stewardship into every experience.

Community & Collaboration
Uplift Adventures is built around people—our guests, our partners, our local communities, and our team of dedicated guides. We collaborate locally and regionally to support responsible tourism and sustainable trail use across the South Canadian Rockies.

Conservation as a Core Value
Our long-term vision is to lead the development of Conservation Tourism—hands-on, science-informed programs where guests can contribute to the restoration and protection of the landscapes they explore. This work is informed by ongoing research, including studies on trail impacts and plant communities in mountain ecosystems.

our PRINCIPLES

Uplift Adventures is guided by our four main principles to create these outdoor experiences and knowledge for all types of people:

To inspire people to CONNECT to the outdoors.
To build CONFIDENCE in people to explore the outdoors safely and responsibly.
To encourage an outdoor COMMUNITY to include all types of people.
To CONSERVE the outdoors for people now and into the future to enjoy.

Our Team

Our team is made up of skilled, certified, and passionate outdoor professionals. They bring diverse backgrounds in guiding, environmental science, education, and technical mountain disciplines—united by a common goal: to help people explore the mountains with purpose.

Heather Davis | Lead Guide & Owner

Heather founded Uplift Adventures in 2018. She comes with years of working as a Professional Agrologist in the environmental science field, running backcountry trail programs for government, and leading tours for large tour companies. She now operates the company with a vision of creating conservation tourism and trying to support professional guides in this growing profession as a certified guide. She also currently works as the Natural History Instructor at the College of the Rockies in Fernie and as a hiking guide instructor with the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides. In her spare time she volunteers to help grow tourism sustainably in the region, and loves to rappel into a cave, travel around the world and explore big mountains.

View Heather's full bio

Heather is the oil for our operation, she keeps things moving and people smiling. She grew up with a team of brothers that taught her that there are no limits. She believes that we are given a long life, so that we can continue to learn as much as we can.

Her formal education has taken her years to accomplish and continues to this day. She first studied Business Marketing, which gives her skills to operate a business. She then went into Biological Sciences, Renewable Resources at NAIT and then transferred to the University of Alberta to finish her degree in Environmental and Conservation Sciences, specializing in land reclamation. She is currently completing her Masters of Science with the University of Lethbridge in Biology studying effects of recreational trails on plant communities in Waterton Lakes National Park.

Her formal education does not stop with business and science. Heather has been through a lot of life-changing and traumatic events that have led her to seek healing in the outdoors. She loves helping others find their passion to be outside, which is why she became a professional guide. Heather is certified with the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG) as a Hiking and Winter Hiking Guide. She is also one of the only guides who is a Professional Interpreter for all mountain National Parks in the Canadian Rockies, including Waterton. She is also certified instructor as a Level 1 CANSI-Coach in cross-country and skate ski. Heather loves to learn and is always signing up for a new course to teach her new skills, from avalanche safety to mountaineering to learning SEO to taking a dance class.

Heather's work life has also revolved around being outdoors. She worked as an environmental consultant in northern Alberta and British Columbia, and then moved to Crowsnest Pass to manage a section of a disaster relief program after the 2013 floods along the eastern slopes. This is where her love for the South Canadian Rockies started. She knew this area previously because she used to pass through Crowsnest Pass when she tour guided for a ski and snowboard company that took large tours to mountain resorts, and even went into Montana. She also enjoyed racing and participated in Sinister 7 before moving to Crowsnest Pass. Her work with the disaster relief program was with the provincial government and restored riparian areas, backcountry trails, and built a lot of infrastructure for recreation in the Castle Parks, Livingstone and Porcupine Hills Public Land Use Zones, and a few other very remote areas in the backcountry.

Heather now works for ACMG instructing and evaluating new hiking guides and for the College of the Rockies in Fernie as their Natural History Instructor for the Mountain Adventures Skills Training Program. She continues to grow Uplift Adventures and ultimately wants to build conservation tourism where she will take tourists on multi-week vacations exploring the Rockies, but also working on a project to give back to the places they explore.

Nathan Dahl | Hiking & Backpacking Guide

Nathan grew up in Alberta, and so he has had the pleasure of being near and in the Rocky Mountains his whole life. He enjoys all aspects of walking through the mountains - whether taking the path less traveled on remote overnight trips, or taking in the familiar sites visited by tourists time and again. Nathan has been guiding for over a decade, so you're sure to hear some interesting stories and learn a thing or two about the spectacular mountain environment that we call home.

darren davis | lead duty officer

Every business has a behind the scenes person. Darren has a technical-working brain, which helps when gear breaks or when we need to purchase new gear. By day, he works as a Civil Engineer Technologist. You will find Darren helping our guests stay safe while we explore.

kyra dumontier | AMBASSADOR manager

Kyra is a Licensed Practical Nurse and during her days off you can usually find her doing all sorts of outdoor adventures, specifically hiking, backpacking, camping, paddling, snowboarding, and snowshoeing. You'll often find her with her dog, Ember. Having grown up in Lethbridge, she moved to the Crowsnest Pass in 2018 in pursuit of a more adventurous lifestyle in the mountains, and safe to say that she's absolutely enjoying it!

morgan fines | lead climbing instructor

Morgan has enjoyed the squeeze of a climbing harness, the helmet tan, and the thrill of tying knots with the wind in his hair since 1997. His climbing career started in Manitoba, but he's found his "niche" in Southern Alberta, with a special place in his heart for Emerald Lake, Crowsnest Pass. He has plenty of experience and training by the ACMG (Association of Canadian Mountain Guides), including CGI level 2 (climbing gym instructor), and TRCI (top rope climbing instructor). He is passionate about helping beginners enjoy rock climbing! Together with his wife and two daughters, he spends as much time adventuring as he can, including: rock climbing, ice climbing, route building, hiking, mountaineering, skiing, backpacking and collecting ticks. He funds his expanding gear closet by working as an Automation Engineer in Lethbridge. You might call him an "anchor" of the climbing community in Southern Alberta. Morgan has been instrumental in setting up new areas for Uplift Adventures’ Outdoor Climbing Programs.

rachel jamieson | wilderness first aid instructor

Rachel is an Advanced Care Paramedic working full-time in the Crowsnest Pass. She is devoted to practicing paramedicine in remote and austere environments.

View Rachel's full bio

Rachel is an Advanced Care Paramedic working full-time in the Crowsnest Pass. She is devoted to practicing paramedicine in remote and austere environments. Rachel has been a Lead Instructor for WMA since 2004. She teaches all levels of courses including WEMS, WALS, and WME. Rachel is an avid adventurer who has spent countless hours guiding multi-day whitewater adventures in remote areas of Ontario, Quebec, and the American Southwest. She also spent numerous years as a volunteer ski patroller at Castle Mountain Ski Resort.

Today she can be found balancing the demands of pre-hospital care with healthy backcountry adventures: hiking, skiing, paddling, mountain biking and climbing in her beloved backyard in the Canadian Rockies. Rachel thoroughly enjoys teaching and brings an infectious enthusiasm and energy to all her courses and students.

duncan maisels | hiking & backpacking guide

Duncan has 'been around a bit' in the best sense, with around 20 years adventuring with clients and friends (and clients who are now friends in BC and Alberta, together with another 20 years foolin’ around in other parts of the world (Scotland, The Black Forest, Cyprus, Greenland, Norway, Turkey, Syria, Algeria, Zaire (as was)). Many tales, many mishaps :-). Mostly, Duncan enjoys learning about you and experiencing the joys of being out there! Duncan also owns an adventure guiding company in Fernie and loves sharing his passion for the area with others.

chris mullally | hiking & backpacking guide

Chris grew up in northern Alberta, but has always been motivated to make the mountains home. Chris brings with him over a decade of work experience in the outdoor recreation industry, from being a backcountry ski lodge custodian to a whitewater canoeing guide. Now living in Fernie BC with his wife and daughter, he is always keen for an adventure. Chris is an ACMG (Association of Canadian Mountain Guides) Hiking Guide, and outside of work he loves to hike, bike, camp, ski, and occasionally get lost in the backcountry! Above all, he is a people person, and he loves meeting new folks and making connections on and off the trail.

sarah nurcombe | cross-country ski instructor

Sarah is an outdoor enthusiast with a background in Outdoor Adventure Leadership education, as an ACMG Hiking Guide, and as an outdoor adventurer in many summer and winter activities. Sarah also runs her own business, Fit2Function, as a personal trainer and running coach. She has been enjoying the nordic ski trails at Allison Chinook for over 25 seasons, and plans to do this sport for many more years to come. Sarah spent 10 years as a volunteer coach, trained through Nordiq Alberta, with the Crowsnest Pass Nordic Club before becoming a CANSI Level 1 Coach. Sarah wants you to be successful on the Skinny Skis! It is an incredible way to enjoy the snow and explore in the winter.

kristine o'rielly | hiking & backpacking guide

Born and raised in the small fishing village of St. Brendan’s, an island off the east coast of Newfoundland, Kristine grew up with the Atlantic Ocean, humpback whales, and icebergs in her backyard. She attributes her rural upbringing for her love of nature. After seeing a photo of the Alpine Club of Canada’s historic Abbot Pass Hut in a 2011 issue of Canadian Geographic, Kristine felt drawn to the Canadian Rocky Mountains. A visit to that very same hut in 2015 and a little luck (or perhaps it was fate?) landed Kristine a full-time job in Calgary, Alberta and she’s been busy exploring western Canada ever since. Kristine is a certified hiking and winter hiking guide with the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG). As a guide, Kristine loves to help others push outside their comfort zone. She also loves to teach others how to minimize their impact while recreating. A type 1 diabetic for 27 years, Kristine believes that everyone – regardless of background and ability – belongs in the great outdoors.

reese pagnucco | hiking & backpacking guide

Reese was an Outdoor Ambassador for Uplift back in the day and we love having her on the team. Reese is an Adventure Tourism Business Operations graduate and an ACMG (Association of Canadian Mountain Guides) Apprentice Hiking Guide. Growing up in the Crowsnest Pass, she had the Rocky Mountains right at her finger tips. This sparked a love for all things outdoors, hiking, skiing, etc. Reese has been living in Fernie, BC the past couple of years working for a sustainable tourism project and fine tuning her backcountry skills/knowledge! Reese is passionate about connecting people with nature and, if you’re looking for mushroom facts or trail snacks, she’s got you covered!

david relkoff | climbing instructor

Nature is best enjoyed in a hammock. While nobody of any notoriety can be quoted as saying this and the apparent laziness in this statement, it is David’s guiding philosophy. However, this philosophy needs to be qualified: enjoying nature from a hammock is conditional on earning it through a fulfilling nature experience first. The more fulfilling the nature experience, the better. David’s happiness stems from his experiences in the out of doors. Committed to life-long learning and sharing his passion for the outdoors, David has become a ski instructor, a climbing instructor, and a moving water canoe instructor. Vagabond in nature, David has paired work and travel to amass nearly two decades of experience teaching climbing to youth and adults both in an indoor and outdoor setting on three continents. Working for Uplift Adventures as a top rope climbing instructor, David continues to share his passion for climbing and stretching his client’s comfortable bubbles in a safe and fun nature experience. Remember, nature is best enjoyed doing what you most enjoy with those you most enjoy.

sabrina ryans | hiking & backpacking guide

Sabrina has been working in the outdoor industry for 20 years as a hiking guide, canoe guide/instructor, and outdoor educator in the summer. In the winter months, she works as a professional ski patroller and avalanche technician. Sabrina is as passionate about helping others connect and enjoy natural spaces as she is about good food. Despite having moved out of the Pass in 2022, her heart remains stolen by the South Rockies and loves that Uplift allows her the chance to return and share her love of the landscape with others. You can find her out in the Rockies, in a canoe, hiking, rock climbing, trail running, or backcountry skiing, most often with her dog Vika along for the adventure! Sabrina is a Hiking Guide with the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides, Paddle Canada Instructor Trainer in Moving Water Canoeing, a Hiking and Paddling Field Leader Instructor with the Outdoor Council of Canada, and has taught numerous outdoor leadership courses.

sara quackenbush | hiking guide

As a certified four-season Professional Interpretive Hiking Guide with the Interpretive Guides Association (IGA), and with a background in geology, Sara is passionate about building connections between people and the natural world. Sara’s dream of living in the mountains brought her to the scenic Crowsnest Pass where she enjoys hiking, cross-country skiing, nature journaling, whitewater kayaking, and snowboarding. When not outside she can be found in her sewing room, making and repairing outdoor gear for her next adventure.

Accreditations

National Geographic Mapguide Destination

Ambassador Program

Do you want to represent an amazing team of adventurers in the Rocky Mountains? Uplift Adventures is looking for new Ambassadors for our team! We are looking for Ambassadors who:

Are passionate advocates for the outdoors and love to explore with purpose.
Will share stories about the hikes, courses, company values, and other unique experiences that Uplift Adventures offers.
Provide invaluable contributions to our mission of promoting exploration and respect for the natural world through conservation.

Our Ambassadors understand that every adventure, big or small, can uplift your day! Does this sound like you? Then follow this link to apply for our Ambassador program!

Explore with Purposein the South Canadian Rockies