About Uplift Adventures

"Climb Mountains, and get their good tidings." - John Muir

Uplift Adventures in the Canadian Rockies

We include destinations in Waterton, Castle Parks, and Crowsnest Pass, Alberta.

view our summer 2023 Program

Our Story

Uplift Adventures is a small business homegrown in Crowsnest Pass. We have won provincial tourism awards and continue to inspire sustainable outdoor recreation throughout the Canadian Rockies. We mainly operate in the South Canadian Rockies, more specifically Waterton, Castle Parks, and Crowsnest Pass.

While we offer several year-round outdoor services and gear rental that are bookable online, Uplift Adventures also works closely with schools to provide curriculum-based programs and mentorship experiences. In addition, we provide private trips for corporations and have even worked with trauma and recovering addiction groups to help them get outside. We offer consulting services, including trail planning and mapping, interpretive programs, and environmental work.

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 ultimate goal at Uplift Adventures is to create something we call: Conservation Tourism. We want to create either reclamation or sustainable development projects where people can give back to the places they are visiting. We have members of our team who are environmental scientists with a lot of experience in development and reclamation, and have worked on recovery programs. We want to take this experience to rebuild some of the damaged landscapes from historical mining, exploration, and neglected trail use in the Canadian Rockies and encourage people to explore with purpose.

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Our Team

Dedicated, adventurous people. Getting people outside is our profession and career, not just a lifestyle.

Heather Davis | Lead Guide & Owner

Adventure designer

Wildflower knowledge

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 an 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 has spent a lifetime learning and continues to expand her knowledge. First studying Business Marketing, she actually thought she would go into something more creative. After having some tragic life events, she decided that the mountains and being outdoors was more important. This is when she decided to return to school to give back to something that she felt gave her so much: the environment. She studied Biological Sciences, Renewable Resources and then Environmental and Conservation Sciences. While she was in school, she worked as a tour guide for a ski and snowboard company taking outdoor enthusiasts to different mountain towns. She knew she was on the right path, and worked in the environment field as a consultant and then with Alberta Environment and Parks. She managed an amazing team of outdoor, backcountry crews and contractors to rebuild trails after the 2013 floods; and this is what brought her to Crowsnest Pass and ignited a passion for combining the environment and recreation. She quickly feel in love with the South Canadian Rockies and started developing initiatives to get people outside.

She also continued her career by becoming a Hiking and Winter Hiking Guide with the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides, and is currently an Apprentice Interpretive Guide with the Interpretive Guide Association for all Canadian mountain National Parks. She believes that we are given a long life to live so that we can continue to learn.

Heather continues to grow Uplift Adventures and now uses her creative juices to inspire and create experiences for others to get outside. She continues to learn as a Professional Agrologist so that she can create Conservation Tourism. She worked on projects within the provincial government to reclaim and prioritize reclamation along the eastern slopes of the Rockies as the environmental disturbance levels are above current thresholds. She wants to inspire tourists to think about giving back to the place they travel and to explore with purpose. She wants to include students and schools in her vision to create tourism and educational outdoor experiences that will ultimately give back to a place.

Nathan Dahl | Hiking & Backpacking Guide

Nature knowledge

Can make a good cup of coffee

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

Zombie expert

Cheering on adventurers

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 | Brand Manager

Hype woman

Community supporter

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

Setting climbing routes

Inspiring youth to get outside

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’s Outdoor Climbing Programs.

Rachel Jamieson | Wilderness First Aid Instructor

Maple syrup connoisseur

Loves to rope swing over water

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.

Lisa Larson | Hiking & Backpacking Guide

Breaking down stereotypes

Perfecting the bear hang

Lisa is a true flatlander whose parents loved to ski and filled the suburban with all seven of siblings every weekend to stay in a winterized 5th wheel in Fernie. Those winter weekends grew into an all-year love affair with the mountains. She later moved to Fernie and made a profession out of being a ski bum and spent the summers mountain biking and hiking. She has called the Crowsnest Pass home for the last 20 years, where she has raised two children. You will often find her in the mountains with her Golden Doodle, Gracie or teaching Avalanche Safety Training courses with her business, My Terrain.

Duncan Maisels | Hiking & Backpacking Guide

Loves to learn your story

Would rather be outside

Duncan has ‘been around a bit’ in the best sense, with around 20 years guiding in BC and Alberta, together with another 20 years prior in various places (Scotland, The Black Forest, Cyprus, Greenland, Norway, Turkey, Syria, Algeria, Eastern Zaire). Duncan has lots to chat about once you’re tired of learning about the Canadian Rockies, he will surely entertain you with stories of guiding around the world. Mostly, Duncan enjoys learning about you and experiencing the joys of being out there!

Colin MacLennan | Hiking & Backpacking Guide, Climbing Instructor

Loves to learn your story

Would rather be outside

Colin is an avid hiker, climber and adventure traveler. He was born in Canada and grew up in Toronto, then went to China on a University exchange when he was 21 and ended up living in Asia for the better part of two decades. Based in China for a total of 16 years, he worked as a guide throughout China, other parts of Asia and Africa for more than a decade. In late 2022, he settled in Crowsnest Pass with his wife and two young children to continue his guiding career in Southern Alberta. Colin speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese.

Kristine O'Rielly | Hiking & Backpacking Guide

Bringing an east coast charm to the mountains

Loving every moment

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 apprentice 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.

David Relkoff | Climbing Instructor

Snoozing in a hammock

Contemplating the meaning of life

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 an 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 out of doors, 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

Making gourmet backcountry meals

Finding private locations

Sabrina is passionate about helping youth and adults get outside and connect with their local landscape. She considers herself very lucky to have been able to build a career doing exactly that. Sabrina has a Bachelor of Applied Ecotourism and Outdoor Leadership and holds certifications with the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides, the Interpretive Guides Association, Outdoor Council of Canada, Canadian Avalanche Association and Paddle Canada. Born and raised in Alberta, she is currently based out of the Crowsnest Pass where you can generally find her skiing, hiking, whitewater canoeing, or experimenting with new recipes.

Outdoor Ambassadors

Growing the next generation of adventurers.

Jack Bailey | 2022 Outdoor Student Ambassador

Finds adventure whereever he goes

Is never late

Jack has grown up hiking in the mountains of Crowsnest Pass. He can often be found running, biking, and hiking throughout the Rocky Mountains on most weekends.

Reese Pagnucco | 2021 Outdoor Ambassador

Mushroom finder

Inspiring others to feel connected

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.

View Reese's full bio

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 Erickson | 2021 Outdoor Student Ambassador

Gear organizer

Encouraging a positive attitude

View Hillary's full bio

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.

We are accredited and recognized through:

National Geographic Mapguide Destination