Our Team
Paul McSorley
Paul is a longtime ice climber, Arcteryx athlete and ACMG guide who still gets fired up when the ice goblins start their winter mischief. Though he's lived in the Canadian Rockies and traveled from Patagonia to Norway to climb ice, his favorite place to winter climb is in his home village of Squamish, BC.
Allison Oaks
Allie comes from midwestern roots; born in Indianapolis then moved to Wisconsin for high school. Later, she moved to Arizona for nursing school and soon after found her love of climbing. It wasn’t without an eclectic phase of dabbling in many different activities - her friends thought climbing would never last. However, climbing stuck!
For Allie, climbing feels grounded. Through climbing, she has grown into an accomplished female athlete able to push physical limitations. Climbing has allowed her to experience pristine natural landscapes, and build deep climbing partnerships that have sustained her passion.
She keeps busy in her hometown Cody, WY through work as a nurse, athlete, and rock & ice guide.
Brian Shannon
Brian Shannon is an ACMG Apprentice Alpine Guide, and CAA Level 2 Practitioner Member. Based of out Squamish, BC, Brian loves climbing in all it’s forms, from long splitter cracks to patchy coastal ice smears.
While he loves tackling ambitious objectives and pushing his skills, Brian's favourite part of guiding is meeting new people and sharing the magic moments of connection, beauty, and self discovery that climbing entails.
Brent Nixon
Brent is the owner/operator of Vancouver Mountain Guides. He has been climbing for 35 years and enjoys all climbing disciplines from ice climbing and big wall climbing, to bouldering and sport climbing.
Currently, he is an ACMG Apprentice Alpine Guide with certifications in Avalanche Level 1 Operations, Advanced Avalanche Search & Rescue, and Guide Medic First Responder First Aid 80hrs.
In the spring 2017, Brent bolted and redpointed the first ascent of Vancouver's first 5.13 rock climb (Antisocial Media). In the winter of 2018, with Eric Hughes, he enchained the first one day free ascent of the ice/mixed routes The Theft WI6 M7+ 300m and The Gift WI5+ 300m in the Bridge River Canyon, BC.
Nathalie Fortin
Nathalie is an Arcteryx ambassador that has been climbing ice (her favorite) for more than 20 years. Although she calls herself a weekend warrior with a weekday government job, she is a climbing instructor that has traveled the world climbing peaks up to 8848m.
Nathalie has a passion for community and loves to give back. She strives to make the sport more accessible by providing free women’s ice climbing and dry tooling clinics. Her work with the community, creating a Facebook meetup group, has brought many women into the sport she loves. For Nathalie, it’s all about sharing the passion and seeing the smiles.
Tim Emmett
Tim Emmett is a long standing Petzl athlete and is one of the most well-rounded climbers in the world. Tim has established some of the hardest rock and ice climbs in Canada, Cuba, Mongolia, and Wales; authored a book, titled, Preposterous Tales; and appeared in more than 50 magazines and many climbing films.
A pioneer at Helmcken Falls, he has set new levels in the ice climbing world. His most recent ascent, Mission To Mars WI 13 is the only climb of its grade. What defines Tim’s climbing is his vision to see potential in something new. From pioneering deep water solos to climbing dicey, run-out routes with ease - he holds himself to high standards.
Tim lives in Squamish, with his family and travels the world to climb and speak.
Angela VanWiemeersch
Angela (or VanStein as she is known for epic stein pulls), lives for the mountains. From the peaks of Alaska to her home crags of Zion, where she works as a climbing guide, Angela is constantly seeking to push herself to higher limits.
As an accomplished climber on rock, ice and mixed terrain Angela views her self as an explorer at heart. In 2010 she completed a 1400 mile solo unsupported bike tour from Detroit, Michigan to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The lure of the unknown and the vast beauty of untouched landscapes then continued to drive her North.