Guides & Staff

Matt has been active in the outdoor industry since the mid-90s. After earning a degree in recreation and outdoor leadership with an instructional emphasis, he led Outward Bound trips across Colorado, Wyoming, and California. He started ski patrolling in Crested Butte before moving to Telluride in 2001. As a ski patroller and snow safety supervisor, he contributed to expanding Telluride Ski Resort's terrain. His final patrolling work involved avalanche and feasibility studies mapping Bear Creek, a backcountry area near the ski resort. From 2011 to 2013, he served as the backcountry avalanche forecaster for North and South San Juan's with the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. He joined Helitrax as Snow Safety Director in the fall of 2013, and in 2024, he became the company's Executive Director. Additionally, Matt owns Telluride Irrigation and San Juan Backflow Services. Don’t miss his stunning aerial photography.

Joe started his professional ski career as a ski patroller in 1981, at Steven’s Pass, Washington. He worked his way up to Snow Safety director before moving to Telluride in 1991, where he was hired to help map out the avalanche terrain in the expansion area of Prospect Bowl and Gold Hill. In 1997, Joe joined Telluride Helitrax, and over the years filled the roles of Guide, Operations Director, Snow Safety Director before becoming the Program Director in 2010. He then steered the ship and managed Helitrax for 14 years before stepping down in 2024 to focus on his real passion which is guiding people in the mountains.

Beyond his time with Helitrax Joe has always sought out challenges in the outdoors including, running, climbing, backcountry skiing and really long bike rides. He lives in Ophir, Colorado, where he schemes up adventures to do with his partner Ali and daughter Dylan.

Mark grew up in Massachusetts and loved skiing so much he moved to Alta, Utah, after high school to try his hand at being a ski bum. He’s been passionate about mountains, snow and skiing ever since, and has created his lifestyle accordingly. Mark received his Masters degree in snow hydrology from CU Boulder and the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR). Before joining the Helitrax team, he worked as a highway and backcountry avalanche forecaster for the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) for seven years, primarily based in Silverton. Mark now continues to be a lead guide at Helitrax and also guides groups of heli skiers and boarders to other amazing locations around the globe through his business Global Powder Stoke. Mark speaks German and Spanish and enjoys meeting and skiing with people from all corners of the globe.

Maddie was born and raised on Hastings Mesa, just outside Telluride, Colorado. Growing up with the San Juans in her backyard she has always had a work hard, play hard mentality. Her parents strapped a pair of skis on her feet at the age of 2 and there was no looking back. While she raced competitively in high school, she switched her focus to big mountain and backcountry skiing when she moved British Columbia to attend university. After graduating from the University of British Columbia, Maddie spent three summers working as a field biologist on Vancouver Island. She returned to Colorado in 2017 and decided to call Telluride her home base again. Since returning stateside she has guided ski mountaineering in California, powder skiing in Japan and cat-skiing/backcountry skiing locally around Telluride. She now splits her time working as a mountain guide on Denali in Alaska and as a heli-ski/backcountry guide in the San Juans. When she’s not guiding skiing in the winter Maddie also teaches avalanches courses and is a member of the Salomon Ambassador Ski Team. Maddie holds her Pro Level 2 certification from Canadian Avalanche Association and is currently an AMGA Assistant Ski, & Apprentice Alpine, and Rock guide. Maddie recently put down roots in Ophir and plans to build a home with her partner Will so they can continue to explore the center of the San Juans for years to come!

Sonja has been working as a ski professional for over 20 years. Ski patrolling at the Telluride ski area, ski guiding for Silverton Mountain, guiding for Mountain Trip, and ski guiding and forecasting for Telluride Helitrax. She grew up skiing in Maine and has since pursued deeper snow and bigger mountains. She finds joy in sharing the mountain experience with others, especially in her back yard of Ophir with her husband, Bil, and son, Parker.

Bill has over two decades of experience guiding skiing and mountaineering trips throughout the world. His passion for skiing and sharing the mountains with others has taken him from Alaska to Antarctica. He has climbed and guided guests to the top of the highest peak on each continent, the "7 Summits" twice around now, with three successful summits of Mount Everest and 30+ expeditions to Denali in Alaska. Bill spent over 10 years combined as a ski patrol/snow safety team member in Park City and at Silverton Mountain before moving to Telluride and joining the Helitrax guide team in 2005. He has his Level 3 avalanche certification and is an AMGA certified Ski Guide. Bill is also the operations manager/co-owner of Mountain Trip International. He lives in Ophir, in the heart of the San Juan Mountains, with his son, Parker, and wife, and fellow Helitrax guide, Sonja.

Drew has been a professional skier, snow safety director and high altitude mountain guide for twenty years leading expeditions around the world for National Geographic and Mountain Trip. He started guiding as a teenager in Telluride after growing up on the Western Slope of Colorado. He received a graduate art degree from RISD and Brown before returning to Telluride to open a coffee shop on main street. When not working he can be found in the deserts outside of Moab, UT climbing and running the days away.

Eric has been guiding for over 25+ years now. He is a licensed AMGA/ IFMGA Mountain Guide since 2010 and currently trains and certifies guides through the American Mountain Guides Association. He has been on the Snow Safety team for 15+ years at the Telluride Ski Resort and now a Snow Safety Supervisor. His passion is for big ski tours through the mountains, connecting different valleys with steep lines on the way. He has ski guided throughout the western US mountains, AK, British Columbia, Alps and memorial ski descent of Mount Vinson in Antarctica. When not ski guiding, Eric is alpine guiding in the Swiss/ French Alps for the summers, basing out of Chamonix. He also can be found guiding in amazing climbing areas around North America, such as Eldorado Canyon outside Boulder or Squamish B.C. near Whistler Canada. Eric and his wife, Kat live in the Mountain Village of Telluride, just steps from the ski slope and single track trails.

Keith has worked full-time as a professional mountain guide for 20+ years. He is a licensed IFMGA Mountain Guide and currently trains and certifies guides through the American Mountain Guides Association. Though he loves climbing, skiing is Keith's true passion. It has taken him to the far reaches of the globe with firsts descents throughout North America, Iceland, Antarctica, and Europe. He's guided ski descents off the summit of Denali, Mont Blanc, and many of the 14ers in Colorado. But when it comes down to it, he really enjoys exploring at home in the rugged and steep San Juan Mountains and he says "flying around these mountains is almost as cool as skiing them!" He is the owner of a small international guide service, All Mountain Adventures, where he spends his spring ski touring throughout the Alps and summers based between Chamonix and Zermatt for summer alpine endeavors.

Sam has been working as a professional ski patroller in Telluride for more than a decade. His focus at the ski area is in avalanche mitigation, where he works as a gunner for the USFS managed artillery program. He’s also specialized in avalanche rescue and handles a CRAD certified avalanche rescue dog, a yellow lab named “Gretchen”. In the non snowy times he works as an arborist and runs a small tree service in the area. Making deep powder turns is among the best feelings in the world, and Sam can’t wait to share that with you.

Noah has been flying for over 9 years. Helicopters have taken him everywhere from the Gulf of Mexico to Alaska. As a Flagstaff, AZ native, Noah has taken many trips to the San Juans to ski, mountain bike, and camp.

Heidi grew up skiing at the age of two in Vail, CO. After moving to the San Juans following college at the University of Colorado in Boulder, she worked in marketing and PR at the Telluride Ski Resort for five years. In 2014, Heidi started her own marketing business and has been working with Telluride Helitrax (and other local outdoor brands) ever since. On her days off, she enjoys backcountry skiing with her dog Annie Oakley and mountain biking in the summer months.

Fiona was lucky enough to be born and raised in Telluride, Colorado, where growing up in the mountains is just something called life. She is an avid backcountry enthusiast and spends as much of her time in the San Juan Mountains among the snow and wildflowers. She graduated from Lewis and Clark College in 2009, but Fiona new she needed to come back to her mountains and the community in Telluride. In 2013 she started her landscaping business, Dig It Gardening. She also helped run Opus Hut for five years. She tries to keep life simple with summers devoted to flowers and winters to skiing… or trying to get on the helicopter. Otherwise, you can find her in the office at Helitrax or managing the Bridal Veil Backcountry Ski Camp.

Sue attended Colorado College and fell in love with the wide open vistas, the perfect weather and the people. Sue quickly became enmeshed in the mountain lifestyle and culture. She moved to Telluride upon graduating thinking to be a ski bum for a year or two.... that was 30 years ago! Over the years she has worn many hats... Outward Bound instructor, massage therapist, homeopathic practitioner, and putting her BA in Art to use, a very successful jewelry designer. Her one true love is skiing. Sue competed throughout her 20s and 30s in telemark bump skiing and even had a cameo in Warren Miller’s Cold Fusion. She is very excited to join the Helitrax team and get folks out into the backcountry powder.