Led by local ACMG hiking guides

Jacob Downie

Jacob's connection to the mountains began in childhood, in summers with family in the Columbia Valley near Cranbrook, where long days of hiking and hunting taught him the rhythms of wild places. He still spends each spring there foraging for mushrooms.

He later spent several years as a professional wilderness guide in New Zealand. That experience sharpened his judgment and shaped a calm, adaptable approach to leading people in changing mountain conditions, built on preparation, flexibility and clear decisions.

Jacob is an ACMG-certified Hiking Guide and a certified Wilderness First Responder. He has spent time on Mount Assiniboine, Denali and countless lesser-known routes throughout the Canadian Rockies.

He believes the mountains offer their greatest lessons when approached with humility and patience. Jacob lives in Cochrane with his wife and children.

Chris Murray-Schlitt

Born and raised in Chilliwack, BC, Chris grew up camping and hiking among the rainforests and alpine meadows of the Cascade Mountains, which gave him a lasting curiosity for montane plants, wildlife and the stories the land has to tell.

In 2019 he hiked 4,200 km on the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada. That journey convinced him to build a career sharing the mountains with others. He studied guiding and adventure tourism at Thompson Rivers University and became an ACMG-certified Hiking Guide.

Chris leads trips in the Canadian Rockies, Wells Gray Provincial Park and on Vancouver Island's West Coast Trail. In winter he works as a ski patroller and avalanche technician in Banff. Based in Canmore, he brings a naturalist's eye to every trip.