Guide Profile Archives - Whisper Ridge

Chris Ebeling

Chris first clicked into a pair of skis on a ropetow in Oregon at the age of 3. For the 25 years since, the sport has shaped his life. Chris raced and trained across the Northwest, specializing in Super-G and Downhill events. At 18, he moved to Bozeman to attend Montana State to trade his race sticks for a pair of powder skis. Since then he has toured and skied all over the Rockies and Tetons, including descents off the Grand and Middle Teton in Wyoming, Koch and Imp Peak in Montana, and Mt Rainier, Mt Baker, and Mt Hood in Oregon and Washington. In the summer, Chris guides alpine climbing in the Pacific Northwest and has spent his prior winters ski patrolling at Big Sky Resort. He holds a level 3 avalanche certificate from AIARE and is an AMGA Apprentice Ski and Alpine Guide. He also has extensive experience with patrol and SAR teams practicing under his Wilderness EMT license. Chris recently moved to the Salt Lake area to spend more time in the Wasatch as well as surrounding climbing areas. More than big steep lines, Chris loves finding intricate aesthetic zones to ski, finding good snow with good people.

November 16, 2017/by Cort Lockwood

Guide Profile

Kyle Bates

Originally from Illinois, Kyle earned a BS in Earth Science and very briefly thereafter was on the road to chase the fabled snows of Utah. What followed was a whirlwind 14 years of professional ski and mountain guiding in the greatest and most celebrated mountain expanses – Utah, Alaska, Nepal, or India – you name it, Kyle has probably skied it or climbed it. Helicopter skiing big lines in the Valdez Chugach or the remote White Pass of South East Alaska, speed ascents on Denali or massive glacier traverses in India, Kyle’s passion for the mountains is big. With a Level III certification in Avalanche Safety from AAI and years of experience as an EMT and WFR, Kyle has the drive and exemplary safety record to give clients a remarkable and rewarding experience. When he isn’t slashing turns in the deep Utah backcountry, Kyle can likely be found surfing the remote coast of his hometown Alaska.

October 31, 2017/by Cort Lockwood

Guide Profile

Cory Adams

This weeks Guide Highlight goes to another one of our returning team members; Cory Adams. We are extremely excited to have Cory back as a part of the team.

Raised in Germany as a child, Cory learned to ski in the euro alps at age 3. Eventually relocating to Ogden, UT as a teenager, he joined the US Army at seventeen years old. As a Paratrooper with the famous 82nd Airborne Division, he deployed to several countries around the world to include combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. After completing his service, he returned to the Middle East where he lived and fought with the Assyrian Militias against ISIS in Kurdistan and Syria. He has now settled back in N.Utah with his fiancé and two sons, spending winters as a SkiPatroller and Backcountry SkiGuide, and in the summer is a member of the elite U.S. Forest Service Smokejumpers in Montana where he parachutes into the rugged wilderness to fight forest fires. Cory is the guy you want on your side if something goes wrong; his knowledge, charisma and humility make you know you’re in good hands if he’s your guide.

October 3, 2017/by Cort Lockwood

Guide Profile

Drew Layman

This weeks Guide Highlight goes to one of our new team members for this upcoming season; Drew Layman. We are extremely excited to have Drew as part of the team.

Drew has been skiing and climbing since he was about four years old and his Dad finally talked his Mom into taking him into the mountains. About seven years ago he began backcountry skiing and has been an addicted to powder descents ever since. He’s worked and skied all over North America, Europe and New Zealand. He’s completed several major descents including the Grand Teton in Wyoming, Capitol Peak in Colorado, and an expedition to the Icefield Ranges in Yukon where he and his team skied 18 lines that were first descents. When not on snow Drew, can be found either on the river taking clients and friends down the Royal Gorge or enjoying the vertical world, with a couple climbs up El Capitan and several first ascents in the Arkansas River Valley under his belt. He holds a Professional Level 1 Avalanche Management Certification and is a current Wilderness First Responder.

September 26, 2017/by Cort Lockwood

Guide Profile

Meredith Riley

We have just 15 weeks remaining until our season opener!! Over these next 15 weeks we will be highlighting one of our awesome guides per week. Get to know our incredible guides and their stories.

This week we are very excited to introduce Meredith Riley. We had a great experience with her last year and we are proud to announce that she will be back for another season here at Whisper Ridge!

Having grown up between Hong Kong and Park City, Utah, Meredith found a passion for adventure and travel early on. After graduating college, she spent several years guiding in Alaska and Utah. During her time in Alaska she spent her time guiding mountaineering and sea kayaking trips for college students and youth in and around Haines and Skagway Alaska. Her off seasons were spent traveling the world and guiding internationally, including 7 successful summits of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. She is a Current EMT, Avalanche 2 and has multiple seasons ski patrol experience.

September 19, 2017/0 Comments/by Cort Lockwood

Guide Profile

Dan Lockwood

Name: Dan

Nickname: Keyboard, Lockness, Lutenient Dan, Danny…I have a lot

Job Title: Owner

Zodiac Sign: Gemini

Favorite Food: Spencer’s Steak, Pittsburg Medium, no question about that

Countries Visited:10

Favorite Country: I have favorite things about each Country, but my favorite is the United States. What don’t we have?

Favorite Hobby: Fly Fishing

Scariest thing you’ve done: I went on a solo walk in Kruger National Park in South Africa. Once I got to my bed, there was a pride of lions. They were right under my elevated tent. You could smell them they were so close. I laid in my bed barely breathing because I didn’t know what else to do.

OR

Standing on the float of a float airplane. When we taxied to the boat ramp we didn’t know we had a puncture in the pontoon. I started pumping the water out and tried to plug it, but it didn’t work. I had to stand on the back of the pontoon until we broke surface tension, where I then crawled into the plane.

Coolest thing you’ve done: Fishing Brooks Falls in Alaska with bears all around

Guilty Pleasure: German Chocolate Cake

Fun Fact: I’ve made it to 50!

Favorite Place to Ski: I don’t ski, I snowboard. Anytime I go with friends is always great.

April 27, 2017/by Cort Lockwood

Guide Profile

Cort Lockwood

Name: Cort

Nickname: Nails

Job Title: Owner

Zodiac Sign: Aires

Favorite Food: Authentic Mexican Food

Countries Visited: 2

Favorite Country: ‘Merica!

Favorite Hobby: Sports in general

Scariest thing you’ve done: I got charged by a moose when I was 14. I was walking home after a day of skiing in my open ski boots. I heard the trees rustling next to me in the creek bed behind my house, before I even looked I knew what was happening, I was being charged. But I looked over my shoulder and caught direct eye contact with the moose. At that moment I knew, “This is how I’m going out,” I dropped to the ground in the fetal position. I was so petrified from the shock that in my head I thought that I was actually trampled but luckily when I dropped to the ground the moose turned around and ran away.

Coolest thing you’ve done: I lived in Mexico City for nine months.

Guilty Pleasure: ICE CREAM! Ben & Jerry’s Americone Dream to be specific

Fun Fact: My left arm is shorter than my right. I seperated my shoulder and broke my growth plate playing football when I was about 14 and my left arm never grew anymore.

Favorite Place to Ski: Whisper Ridge, especially Paradox!

April 25, 2017/0 Comments/by Cort Lockwood