Our Team
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Sarah has been a sponsored mountain athlete and ACMG Alpine Guide in the Bow Valley for 20 years. An avid climber, she is the first North American woman to push the Mixed grades from M10 to M14. She's established new routes in Canada, China, Japan, Africa, Iceland and North America, and worked full-time running a business focused primarily on teaching, guiding and empowering women in the mountains.
In March of 2019 Sarah's world was turned upside down when a guided group on her women’s camp experienced a natural avalanche and claimed the life of her dearest friend. Through the shattered pieces of her foundation, she has learned that community, togetherness and compassion are the only ways to handle the grief, shame and regret of mountain accidents like hers. Her hope is to share these learnings while still learning herself how to embrace her passion for the mountains.
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Benjamin Firth is a Bow Valley climber, entrepreneur, IFMGA mountain guide, husband and father. He specializes in risk management related mountainous environments and has worked globally both in the public and private sector. He has a BSc in Computer Science and is a Harvard Business School Alumni having studied in the Executive Management Program. He currently manages a family business and consults for several private and non-for-profits organizations within western Canada.
Ben has a personal purpose dedicated to managing risk and mental health around mountain activities. He is very excited to offer his experience to Mountain Muskox Mentorship to help support individuals who are in need. Ben resides in Canmore with his wife Danielle and children Lauren and Noah.
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Geoff Powter has been a lifelong contributor to the Bow Valley climbing community. He worked for years as a clinical psychologist, often supporting survivors of mountain trauma, and has spoken and written extensively about risk and the mountain experience. He was editor of the Canadian Alpine Journal from 1993-2007, and has hosted the Voices of Adventure interview series at the Banff Mountain Festivals for 24 years. His book Inner Ranges won the 2019 Climbing Literature Award at Banff, and he was the 2012 recipient of the Summit of Excellence Award.
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Darcy Chenoweth holds a doctorate as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, specializing in organizational and personal psychological stress injuries, developing a sense of personal agency, and navigating life transitions. She has worked as an Emergency Department Nurse and spent over a decade teaching wilderness medicine and avalanche courses before a stint as a professional artist. She has taken on risk management advisory roles in several domestic and international organizations, developing resilience-based curricula and peer support for guides, first responders, human service workers, and their families to help them navigate stressful work environments.
Darcy works in private practice in Montana. She has a deep respect for the power of belonging within community and place, which is what led her to Mountain Muskox. She lives with her son, Wolfgang, exploring wild places together whenever possible.
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My name is Rob Rohn, and I am excited and honoured to have the opportunity to join the Board of Mountain Muskox. I recently retired after a 40-year career with CMH Heli-Skiing and Summer Adventures. I started with CMH as a young apprentice ski guide, finished my ACMG Mountain Guide certification, managed the Bobbie Burns Lodge, oversaw mountain operations and finished my career as the President and COO.
I have been passionate about the mountain world all my life and spent many years climbing at a high level. The transformative power of the mountains has been an incredibly positive influence on my life. My two sons, Kevin and Dan, as well as my partner Helen are also avid skiers and climbers and ACMG guides, so I guess it’s contagious!
As guides we have the tremendous privilege to create so much joy for so many people. But on very rare occasions the best day can turn into the worst in the blink of an eye. This is the paradox everyone who finds fulfillment in the mountains (or any other natural environment) must come to terms with.
The trauma of these tragic events spreads far and wide. I started at a time when no one had heard of PTSD, and the prevailing wisdom was that the best thing to do was to “get back on the horse”. I know too many individuals who were irreparably scarred, or worse, as a result.
I believe that Mountain Muskox plays a critical role in supporting individuals who have experienced trauma or loss in the mountains. I hope that through my role on the Board I can contribute towards achieving that mission.
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Phillip Lopresti is a serving officer in the Canadian Armed Forces, researcher, and trauma-informed practitioner with over a decade of experience supporting veterans, ill and injured service members, and marginalized youth. As Officer Commanding of the Vancouver Transition Centre within the Canadian Armed Forces Transition Group, he leads the delivery of personalized transition and casualty-support services, ensuring that members and their families receive dignified, trauma-sensitive care during one of the most challenging periods of military life.
His expertise in transition and veteran well-being led to his appearance as an Expert Witness before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs, where he provided testimony on the psychological and systemic barriers faced by members leaving the Forces.
Phillip’s academic background in Counselling Psychology at the University of British Columbia anchors his work in trauma, group processes, and recovery-oriented practice. He played a key role in the internationally recognized research-based theatre project Contact! Unload, serving as performer, facilitator, and co-author. The project, which explores veterans’ experiences with trauma and reintegration, has been featured at the Invictus Games, Parliament Hill, and major international arts and health conferences. Phillip also acted in the delivery of the keynote presentation during the 9th Annual International Arts and Health Conference Sydney, Australia.
Recognized with the CAF Commander’s Commendation and multiple community awards, Phillip is known for his commitment to compassionate leadership and innovative approaches that promote psychological health, resilience, and meaningful transition for those navigating trauma.
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Oakley grew up in Calgary, spending his weekends hiking and scrambling in the bow valley. It didn’t take long before these activities progressed into more technical and involved mountain hobbies. Today he enjoys alpine climbing, ice/rock climbing, backcountry skiing, caving, and canyoning. Unfortunately, with this progression, more risk was also introduced. Risk always seemed like something far off, with a low probability of concern, until more recently.
Oakley found himself present for two fatal rock-climbing accidents in back-to-back summers. The Muskox were, and continue to be, a key factor in his journey to revive his passion for mountain sports. The ability to relate and have a discussion with someone who understands, is unbelievably healing. Oakley hopes to share what he can to help others find some light during dark times. He’s also a board member of the Alpine Club of Canada’s Calgary Section and of the Alberta Speleological Society.
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My name is Crystal Petrie, and I live in Nelson, BC, with my partner Jeff—a first responder, unit chief, and paramedic—and our two dogs, Walter the Border Collie and Lucy the Bernese Mountain Dog (who’s actually part cartoon character).
I’m an outdoor enthusiast who embraces the culture of “#medium send”; someone who loves to dirt bike, mountain bike, backpack, and snowboard, even if I’m more passionate than polished. Professionally, I bring over 13 years of leadership experience, currently serving as Vice President of Operations at HUB International Insurance Brokers., Aside from my day to day retail operation responsibilities, which includes overseeing 17 branches, my work also includes chairing our leadership development committee and leading our catastrophic loss team, where I help guide both people and processes through moments of growth and challenge.
I hold an MBA with a specialization in Leadership, which has deepened my ability to foster collaboration, strategy, and organizational health. Beyond my professional role, I’ve contributed to the provincial insurance association board and supported various health care fundraising initiatives.
Joining Mountain Muskox represents an opportunity to give back to the communities where I live, work, and play, and to learn from the talented, thoughtful individuals who make this organization so special.
When our community feels a loss in our mountains, we all feel that loss together.
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Danielle has a law degree, is a member of the Alberta bar, and was a board member of the Alpine Club of Edmonton for three years.
Outside of work, Danielle is an avid biker but also dabbles in other outdoor activities such as hiking, skiing, and backpacking.
Danielle started attending circles after a climbing fatality in September 2022. Having discussions in the Mountain Muskox Circles with people who could relate to her specific thoughts and feelings, and "get" the complicated emotions that come with the fatality was crucial in her grief and healing journey. She is now at a point where she is able to give back to the community that helped her so significantly.
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Sydney supports recreationalists and professionals in the adventure community through nervous system and polyvagal informed counselling practice. She holds an undergraduate degree in outdoor recreation leadership, a graduate degree in counselling, and is trained in Somatic Experiencing trauma therapy. Sydney has spent over a decade working professionally in the outdoor industry as an instructor, river guide, ski coach and avalanche educator.
At her first Mountain Muskox immersion weekend Sydney felt immediately at home with the community and its mission. Since then, Sydney and a team of Muskox facilitators and mentors worked together for to launch the Sea to Sky Chapter in September 2023. She is a co-facilitator of our immersion weekend and is operations manager of our current chapters.
Sydney works with counselling clients across the country through her virtual clinic, Back to Earth Counselling.
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Madeleine grew up in Nelson BC where she learned to ski and walk up steep hills.
After an attempt at University education, it was clear that sharing adventures and exploring in the mountains with others was her true passion and priority. She promptly left and pursued more formal avalanche education and training which eventually led to working for Outward Bound Canada and guiding certifications with the ACMG.
As a result of being in involved in avalanche accidents, rescues and personal injuries in her outdoor pursuits, Madeleine has had first hand experience with the challenges of working towards both physical and mental wellbeing following traumatic incidents. For her, working with Mountain Muskox to help ensure that anyone who wants to have access to support in their own journey is an opportunity to help create a mountain community that is more resilient, kind and compassionate.
Chapter Team Members!
Read more about these fine individuals on our Chapter pages, linked below.
Find a Chapter Near You
Thank you to our former founding members and former board members.
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The mountains are Barry Blanchard’s calling. Alpinism has gifted him his most luminous days, as well as his deepest enduring friendships. Barry is an IFMGA Mountain Guide who instructs and guides all aspects of mountaineering. Since his first day teaching ice climbing in Canmore in 1981 he has tallied over 5000 days in his profession. His climbing memoir, The Calling, a Life Rocked by Mountains, won the Boardman Tasker prize for Mountain Literature in 2015, he was awarded the Summit of Excellence at the Banff Mountain Film Festival in 2002 and Honorary Membership in The Alpine Club of Canada in 2011.
In 1986, two of Barry’s clients died in a mountaineering accident. This was the blackest day of his life. David Cheesmond was killed on Mt Logan in 1987 and in 1999 Alex Lowe died on Shishapangma. They were two of Barry’s strongest climbing partners, men that he’d come to love. Mountains are radiant when the sun touches them and dark when the sun leaves. Barry hopes that by sharing what he’s learned from the shadow and the light he can help those dealing with tragedy, loss and love in the mountains.
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Kevin started skiing at the age of six on a ski bump in the prairies. Winning an early big-mountain contest propelled him to mountain ranges around the world for contests and media shoots. He has since appeared in ski flicks, television, and ski magazines. For a decade he was considered one of the top skiers in the Rockies and has a number of first descents.
Kevin built a life and career around skiing as a coach, ski patrol, avalanche forecaster, ski guide, and writer. But serious accidents dealt with in his professional roles cracked his confidence and a fatal avalanche while skiing with friends in 2020 ended his love affair with the sport.
Now, Kevin hopes to learn other ways of living in the mountains.
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Janet McLeod is a well known “psych guide” specializing in Clinical and Community Psychology. Janet guides mountain professionals to modulate and heal trauma, loss and critical stress injuries. Janet knows the terrain of recovery as a “thriver” from PTSD. This alchemy of training and life experience comes together so she can assist clients to move “stuck” memories into the present tense.
Death and loss colours the tapestry of life in the mountains. As a Community Psychologist, Janet believes the next level of healing is through “Trauma Informed Peer Support”. Each person’s healing journey is to travel from the isolating burden of carrying loss individually to a community sense of safety, fellowship and caring with peers knowing similar experiences. Critical incidents cannot be carried by an individual alone, it takes a tribe, a community to remind us of our resilience and recovery.
Thanks for being here.
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