The Australian Team
Adam
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Adam Has been delivering avalanche training in Australia and overseas since 2014. Travels on: Splitboard, Touring Skis or Snowshoes. Specialty : Splitboard touring, Avalanche Instructor. Favourite Australian zone : Carruthers Peak NSW, Razorback VIC. Favourite international destination : Gulmarg. Bucket list destinations : Kamchatka, Chile and the Arctic Circle. A member of CAA , and SIA Ambassador for XTM Performance, Mammut ANZ and Endeavour Snowboards |
Nima
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Nima began his love for all things mountains at an early age in the mountains of the Alvand region near his hometown Hamedan, Iran. Nima has been a mountaineer for 16 years and has made winter and summer ascents of most of the high-altitude peaks in Iran including Mount Alam-Kuh from German Flank (4,848m) and Mount Damavand ( 5610m). Nima was part of an expedition with Iranian Federation of Mountaineering for Muztag-Ata Peak (7546m) in China in 2006. He also skied and climbed in Swiss alps and New Zealand. Nima started backcountry skiing in 2015 and has not headed back to the lift line since. He particularly enjoys long alpine climbs and ski mountaineering. He holds a Level 3 Instructor Certification in Rock climbing and Ice climbing form the Iranian Federation of Mountaineering.
Nima loves that mountaineering differs from other outdoor sports as nature provides the field of action and all the challenges for the participant. Climbing mountains epitomises the sensations provided by putting one's courage, strength, and stamina to the ultimate test in an environment fraught with risk. In his own words, “I strongly believe that mountaineering is not a sport but rather a group activity , with each member both supporting and being supported by the group's achievement at every stage and it is extremely rewarding to assist people in learning new skills or achieving their goals.” |
Antony
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Specialty : Splitboard touring, Avalanche Instructor. |
Marcus
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Marcus is a Ski Patroller at Fernie in B.C. Canada in the Northern Hemisphere Winter and a Ski Patroller at Thredbo in the Australian Winter. Travels on: Touring Skis, Splitboard or Snowshoes. Specialty : Ski touring, Avalanche Instructor. |
Rowan
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Specialty : Ski touring, Avalanche Instructor. |
Nicholas
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Travels on : Touring Skis. |
Paul
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Specialty : Splitboard touring, Avalanche Instructor. |
Tom
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Tom Robb has been working as an outdoor educator and adventure tour guide for the past 13 years.
Tom has certificates to guide Backcountry Touring, canoeing, bushwalking, rock climbing, abseiling, surfing, snowboarding, snorkelling and mountain bike riding.
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Tim
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Lisa
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Specialty : Splitboard touring, Avalanche Instructor. |
Roland
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Jacqui
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Vail - Colorado - USA 1998-99 Fernie - BC - Canada 1999-2002 Christchurch - NZ 2003-2004 Travels on: Splitboard Specialty : Splitboard touring, Instructor. Favourite International destination: Canada Bucket list destinations: Alaska, Austria |
Darren
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Specialty: Splitboard touring, Avalanche Training and guiding professional athletes and film crews. Favourite Australian zone: The Main Range NSW Favourite International zone: Central Hokkaido, Japan Darren has worked across Hokkaido, Japan as a mountain guide for over 8 years. He regularly leads production teams and professional athletes into some of Hokkaido’s most extreme locations. Before moving to Japan Darren spent 12 seasons working in the NSW ski fields. |
Blake
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Travels on: Splitboards Specialty: Splitboard touring, Avalanche Instructor and guiding overseas. Favourite Australian zone: The Main Range NSW Blake has worked in Japan as a mountain guide for many years. Has spent many days also touring around the world chasing the stoke. |
The Gulmarg Team
Omar
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FOUNDER | DIRECTOR OF MOUNTAIN OPERATIONS | HEAD GUIDE
Omar is the beating heart of Kashmir Powder Tours, a third generation Gulmarg skier and a former Indian National Ski Team member. The son of a local skiing legend, he literally grew up on the slopes of Mt Affarwat. After years of racing, Omar turned to Guiding as a way to share his passion for his home with the increasing number of foreigners visiting Gulmarg in Winter. Respected as a local heavy hitter, Omar is one of the most accomplished guides in Gulmarg. As the Director Of Mountain Operations and Head Guide, Omar is responsible for day to day operations during the winter months. He keeps the stoke high on the tough hikes with his infectious positivity and penchant for teaching you Kashmiri whilst you are gasping for thin Himalayan air. |
Anees
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MOUNTAIN GUIDE | POWDER HUNTER
Anees Bhatt is a professional snowboarder and with over 15 years of experience competing and training locally and globally. He grew up in Gulmarg and truly loves “his” mountains. As such he’s travelled through and ridden every nook and cranny that Gulmarg has to offer. Be it Phase 1 or the back mountains Anees has brushed them all. He is a fantastic guide who has many secret powder stashes up his sleeve which you’d miss if heading out alone. |
Mehraj
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MOUNTAIN GUIDE | POWDER HUNTER
Mehraj Bhatt is a professional Skier. Known for his calm demeanour and eye for detail, one can always find Mehraj investing time with his students to help them excel. Mehraj has also competed in various competitions with podium finishes and needless to say has traversed every slope that Gulmarg has to offer. |
Ambassadors
Michaela Davis - Meehan
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We first met Michaela when she booked on an avalanche course in 2014.
Since then Michaela has won the Freeride World Qualifier Tour for 2019. Winning the FWQ has secured Michaela a spot on the elite Freeride World Tour (FWT) in 2020, making her one of six female snowboarders and the only Australian athlete (ski or snowboard) to compete in this extreme event. In 2020 Michaela come 2nd in the Freeride World Tour cementing here spot in the 2021 Freeride World Tour. Despite her achievements, Michaela’s road to success hasn’t been easy. A potentially career ending accident resulted in a broken back in 2010 when she was competing in an elite slopestyle event in Mammoth, California. This required two grueling surgeries, and intensive rehab to be able to compete at the highest level again. With determination, bravery and resilience, Michaela fought her way back to be selected for the Australian Olympic Shadow team and compete in the World Championships in Slopestyle. She later switched her focus to filming (Persian Powder) and to freeride. After a year off with a knee reconstruction in 2017/18, Michaela went on to have her best ever year in international competition, winning the FWQ and her spot in the professional FWT for 2020. Michaela will be hosting alongside Snow Safety Australia a "Women in the Backcountry" Avalanche course in Jindabyne this year and we will continue to support her on her path to becoming the winner of the FWT in 2021. Images by Andrew Mazzocato. |
Leonie
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Leonie has been snowboarding for 10 years first entering the backcountry in 2015 she then went on to complete her AST1 in 2016. Leonie’s chosen mode of transport in the backcountry is splitboarding which has taken her locally into the Main Range and abroad to Virginia Lakes and Mammoth lakes in California. ‘Wohl’ as she is known to her friends, has a passion for promoting and encouraging women in adventure sports which lead her to create a women’s backcountry group and forum in 2018 with an aim to build the women’s backcountry community and participation in Australia. Leonie’s positive vibes and and high stoke are all geared towards good times and building knowledge throughout the community. Leonie will be completing her Level 2 safety training and taking a women’s tour for Splitfest this coming season.
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