Meet Our Guides

Growing up in British Columbia, Hayden Buck spent his youth exploring the temperate rainforests of western North America. Once the snowboarding bug bit him in 1995, it was extremely rare to find him anywhere but in the mountains. After taking a break from completing his studies in Criminal Justice to travel Australia and New Zealand, his lifelong dream of being a police officer shifted and his dreams of guiding began. From hiking in the Himalaya to living in Hokkaido, Japan for almost 12 years, to Munich, living abroad has become a way of life.

Hayden now calls British Columbia home, and his heart lives in the mountains. The Alps are some of Hayden’s favorite peaks, not just for their majesty, but also the historical significance of places like Lagazuoi in the Dolomites, and Grindelwald in Switzerland’s Bernese Oberland, where some of Canada’s first mountain explorers made their mark.

That’s where you’ll find him guiding – with a permanent smile and a commitment to help his guests gain grins of their own!

Bruno Yates considers himself extremely lucky to have grown up on the beautiful island of Jersey, part of The British Isles, but only a stone’s throw from the coast of France. Long summers spent playing on the beaches, swimming and sea kayaking, led to a lasting fascination with the outdoors and consequently a degree in Sports Science and Physical Geography. While on the mainland of Britain, he also discovered the fantastic mountains of the Lake District, Snowdonia and the Highlands of Scotland.

Bruno is an International Mountain Leader and a British Mountaineering Instructor. These qualifications have led to a variety of interesting work including guiding groups in far flung places (Greenland, Japan, India and Namibia to name a few) and teaching rock climbing and mountaineering in the United Kingdom. He worked at an Outward Bound School for several years and then as a college lecturer in Outdoor Education before becoming a freelance guide in 2011. He’s still an Associate Instructor at Outward Bound and also works for a charity which uses the mountain environment to help veterans struggling with PTSD.

“I love my job because of the variety of beautiful places it takes me to and the variety of people I get to work with, all age groups, nationalities and backgrounds. I’m blessed to live on the shores of the stunning Lac d’Annecy in France with The Aravis Mountains on the doorstep and Mont Blanc only an hour away. In my free-time you’ll find me either running, climbing, canoeing, swimming, cycling or skiing. The mountain environment is a unique place to escape the hum drum – a place to be grounded and re-connect with some of life’s simple pleasures.”

Jakub Doubic brings an irresistible sense of fun to every adventure. Born and raised in the Czech Republic, Jakub is a global citizen. Traveling from Europe to the US and Canada, north Africa, and Asia, he has made the whole world his playground for mountain biking, rock climbing, mountaineering, ocean windsurfing, kitesurfing, and diving. His masters degree in computer engineering certainly did not keep him from his passion for the outdoors and his gift with group leadership.

“Life is a never ending learning process for me. New places and guests make it interesting every summer. New challenges to approach and solve, new people to meet. I am inspired by our bigsmall planet – how can you get bored?”

Jakub’s depth and breadth of experience comes from many years as a guide and instructor helping people of all ability levels with hiking, skiing, biking, and rock climbing.

“My favorite part of leading the group is sharing the great outdoor places worth visiting with our guests. With the right approach, everyone can enjoy it!”

Alistair Crompton was first introduced to the Alps on a school skiing trip at the age of eleven and has been in love with mountains ever since. He is a qualified international mountain leader, Wilderness Medical First Responder and yoga teacher, and has been living in the Chamonix Valley for nearly 7 years.

A visit to the Grosglockner glacier in Austria in 2008 made him realize the seriousness of global climate change, and selfishly he wanted to indulge his passion for skiing before snow and winter sports became a thing of the past, so in 2012 he quit his job in London, packed up his life and moved to the Alps, and has been here ever since. Realizing we all have a personal responsibility to lessen our impact on the planet he now eats a plant-based diet, has not owned a car for over 6 years and has gone from a career of traveling the world incessantly to staying in one place and connecting with nature that can be accessed from his home.

Having used yoga as part of his training plan for the Sydney Marathon in 2014, Alistair saw how complimentary yoga could be in maintaining strength and flexibility for outdoor sports. He qualified as a yoga teacher in 2015 and has been teaching ever since, helping mountain sports athletes and enthusiasts in the Chamonix valley.

Alistair is an expert on the flora and fauna of the Alps, with his latest obsession being the world of fungi. Alistair’s interest in the environment encapsulates climate change and the effect this is having on the landscape that surrounds us. He exudes a passion for the mountains and a simple life and loves to encourage people to reconnect with nature, with the mental and physical health benefits this brings. Working as a hiking guide provides a perfect outlet for this.

Emmanuel Roux has been guiding in the Mont Blanc, Grand Combin and Haute Route regions for 25 years.  Emmanuel is from les Houches, and Mont Blanc is his home so he has stories and insights that only a local can provide, and he loves to share them with his guests.

Beyond the Alps, Emmanuel has also guided in Norway, Iceland, Sicily, Cinque Terre and Madeira, but when he has free time, he likes to spend it at home with his family.

For Emmanuel, hiking provides a pathway to feel good about yourself, to feel strong in your mind and confident in your body.  Fast or slow, you will reach your goal, with accomplishments to celebrate and time to relax.  Emmanuel has a great sense of humor, is always positive, patient, and just plain fun to be around.