Our Guides
Most of our trips are guided by one of the guides listed below. Depending on the demand of a given trip, extra guides may be hired to meet the needs of the trip and keep our client-to-guide ratios low. Any guide landing a job with Pro Guiding Service will be highly qualified and will be involved in an internationally accredited certification program. The UIAGM (Union Internationale des Associations de Guides de Montagnes) and the AMGA (American Mountain Guides Association) run internationally recognized certification programs for aspiring mountain guides. It requires three to four years of intense training, testing, and supervised guiding to become fully certified. For more information about UIAGM and AMGA qualifications, check the AMGA home page at www.amga.com.
Martin Volken
Martin is the owner of Pro Ski Service and Pro Guiding Service and is a UIAGM certified Swiss Mountain Guide. He was born and raised in Switzerland in the village of Stalden outside Zermatt. This is where he received his formal training as a Swiss Mountain Guide. Martin moved to the Seattle area in the late 1980's. He also works as an instructor/examiner for the AMGA ski mountaineering program. Martin guides all facets of mountaineering.
Mike Hattrup
Mike is an AMGA certified ski mountaineering Guide and an aspiring AMGA alpine guide. He manages the K2 Telemark and Backcountry program and has starred in numerous ski films. Mike is a former mogul specialist on the US freestyle Ski Team.
Rinaldo Borra
Rinaldo is a UIAGM certified Swiss mountain guide and guides in the Alps, Canada and the US in all facets of mountaineering. He currently lives in Grindelwald at the base of the Eiger Nord Wand. In the winter, he is a heli-ski guide in Canada.
Ben Haskell
Benjamin Haskell is an AMGA certified Ski Mountaineering Guide who has worked with Pro Guiding Service since 1998. He has guided in Europe, Canada, and the United States. Ben's passion for the mountains developed while growing up skiing and hiking in New England. He has been exploring the snow, rock, and ice of the Pacific Northwest since the mid 1980s.
Margaret Wheeler
Margaret Wheeler learned to ski and climb at an early age in New England, and became interested in ski mountaineering while living in Europe for several seasons. As a transplant to the Northwest, she guides ski mountaineering, alpine, and rock objectives. Margaret is one of two women in the US who is a UIAGM certified mountain guide.
Mason Stafford
Mason Stafford is an AMGA certified ski mountaineering guide from Bellingham Washington who grew up skiing and climbing in the North Cascades. Mason guides year round in Washington and is pursuing full IFMGA certification.
Erica Engle
Erica Engle grew up in the Puget Sound region. She learned to ski and climb in the Cascades and is an aspiring ski mountaineering guide. Her background and interests include a B.S. in environmental science from Western Washington University and a love of engaging people in their wild, natural surroundings. She has guided throughout the Cascades and has spent personal time in Washington, Alaska, the Sierras, and most recently, Nepal.
