Julie has been exploring Southern Alberta's Rockies since she could walk. She grew up chasing her brothers and cousins through the mountains, developing a deep love for the forests, wildlife and history. She has worked in Waterton National Park for a number of years, where she honed her love of creating connections with people of all walks of life through the mountains and the great outdoors. Today, she lives in the Crowsnest Pass where she is a volunteer firefighter and on our local search and rescue team, an avid trail runner, lover of rock climbing, backpacking, scrambling and kayaking. Julie loves storytelling and helping people connect to our landscape and unique history. She strives to create magic for people in places they might not have otherwise known, and inspire a love of the outdoors. It is a rare sight to see her without a ukulele strapped to her back in the mountains... if you’re lucky, she may serenade you with songs about bears and trees. (But maybe “lucky” depends on if you like her singing or not...).

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.

Reese is an Adventure Tourism Business Operations student, working her way towards a degree. Growing up in the Crowsnest Pass, she had the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains right at her finger tips which sparked a love for the outdoors right from the beginning.

Reese spent her childhood figure skating, but later fell in love with hiking where she spends more time eating jolly ranchers and looking at the ground for mushrooms than she does at the view (or carrying her dog Beans up the trail).

After graduating in 2018, she moved to Vancouver Island where she worked at Mount Washington Alpine Resort skiing in the morning and visiting the ocean in the evenings. She then applied to take the Mountain Adventure Skills Training Program in Fernie, BC. After overcoming a variety of obstacles and completing a range of week long expeditions such as ski touring on the Peyto Glacier, it has confirmed her dream to one day be a guide.

Hillary is the outdoor student ambassador for Uplift Adventures this summer. She was born with a heart for adventure and a love for the outdoors. Hillary loves telling bad jokes, country music, singing and eating Costco trail mix (mostly the M&Ms). In her free time she paints landscapes that she desires to see one day. She is crazy about the stars and the colours the sky makes when the sun is setting. Hillary sees the outdoors like a therapeutic walk in heaven. She conquers the trails with a pep in her step and tries not to pick all the pretty flowers. Her dream is to become an outdoor tour guide in Alberta when she graduates high school. She hopes that people will feel the love and peace that she feels when she's surrounded by trees and mountains. She thinks that life is an ongoing learning process. When she finds new resources and skills she uses them to help herself and others. She is always willing to lend a hand, share an uplifting compliment and give love and comfort to people around her.