Our Guides

Victor McNeil

Owner, IFMGA/AMGA Mountain Guide

Victor grew up in Western Oregon and after completing his degree at Southern Oregon University began working as a professional mountain guide in 2008. As part of this experience he has guided, skied and climbed around the world, including in Peru, Chile, Argentina and Japan. During the summer he currently works for Alpine Ascents International, guiding and leading courses on Denali, Rainier, the North Cascades and internationally in Peru. As part of this work he also teaches mountaineering courses and instructs guide training across the American West.

Since 2017 Victor has served as the Executive Director and Lead Forecaster for the Wallowa Avalanche Center in Eastern Oregon. There he runs and operates the center, organizing, fundraising and helping facilitate and lead AIARE Avalanche Courses.

Among his certifications, Victor is a fully certified IFMGA/American Mountain Guide through the AMGA, is a professional member of the American Avalanche Association, and is an AIARE Course Leader.

La Grande, Oregon is home for Victor and his wife Kelly, along with their two Golden Retrievers, Luna and Neve.

  • Certifications

    AMGA Mountain Guide
    Level 3 Avalanche
    Wilderness First Responder
    CPR
    AIARE Course Leader

Kelly McNeil

Owner-Guide

Kelly grew up in Eastern Wyoming where she started exploring the mountains at an early age. After receiving her PhD from Oregon State University in 2009 she began a career as a professor at Eastern Oregon University, where much of her work focuses on public health and research in outdoor physical activities including the study of behavior in outdoor environments. She has traveled around the world skiing, climbing, hiking and exploring, including to Peru, Mexico and Bhutan.

Since 2017 Kelly has helped organize and run operations at the Wallowa Avalanche Center, including teaching avalanche courses for both motorized and non-motorized users and serves as a Pro Avalanche Observer and Avalanche Forecaster.

  • Certifications

    AMGA Ski Guide Course
    AIARE Pro 2
    AIARE Course Leader
    Wilderness First Responder
    CPR

Thomas Whipple

Guide

After an all-you-can-eat backcountry skiing mentality during college, often skiing in the Wallowas, Tom then spent a season interning at Silverton Mountain in Colorado and another guiding in the Purcells of interior BC. He later ski patrolled at Steven‘s Pass and was a catski guide nearby for three years. Next Tom moved on to teach AIARE courses in Northwest Montana as well as teaching and guiding in the Tetons. He now calls Northeastern Oregon home and loves exploring its many drainages by ski and by snowmachine. He has still never skied in his home state of Rhode Island (highest point at 812’ above sea level).

Tom maintains a WFR, along with completing the AIARE Course Leader, Pro II, and AMGA Advanced Ski Guide courses. Sliding on snow in beautiful places is something he is passionate about and that he loves to share with ECMG guests.

  • Certifications

    AMGA Advanced Ski Guide Course/Aspirant Exam
    AIARE Course Leader
    Wilderness First Responder/CPR
    Pro 2

Taylor Sweitzer

Ski Guide

Taylor grew up in the midwest but has been exploring the Wallowa Mountains on skis for the last seven years. Raised in a guiding family, he draws on extensive polar expedition guiding experience to inform his approach to efficient travel and sound decision making. He has guided ski trips to both the North and South poles and many cold places in between, along with climbing the Seven Summits. When he’s not on skis, he’s likely on the river. Taylor is currently working toward his AMGA Ski Guide certification.

  • Certifications

    AMGA Ski Guide Course
    Pro 1
    Wilderness First Responder/CPR
    International Polar Guides Association

Sarah Jakober

Guide

Sarah grew up Darby, MT and earned a degree in Civil Engineering from Boise State University and a M.S. in Atmospheric Science from the University of Nevada, Reno. She has worked for the US Forest Service for the past decade as a wildland firefighter and has hopes of becoming a certified ski guide. She now calls La Grande OR a full time home and looks forward to exploring the range and spending time in the community.

  • Certifications

    AMGA Ski Guide Course
    CAA Avalanche Operations Level 1
    Wilderness First Responder/CPR

Chris "Sunshine" Edwards

Guide

Sunshine has been working as a ski guide in the Wallowas since 2008. He currently spends most of his year living and working in Colorado, as a ski and river guide. Sunshine is a Certified Ski Guide through the AMGA and holds a Level 3 Certificate through the American Avalanche Institute. As a lifelong skier, Sunshine has been on ski expeditions around the globe, including locations such as France, Japan, and Alaska.

  • Certifications
    AMGA Ski Guide
    Level 3 Avalanche
    WFR/CPR
    AIARE Course Leader

Matt Healy

Guide

Matt grew up in New Hampshire and was first introduced to climbing and skiing in the White Mountains. While getting a degree in Hydrology he got his first taste of guiding, helping teach climbing and high angle rescue at the University of New Hampshire, and knew it was what he wanted to pursue. He moved out west in search of bigger terrain, and now splits his time between New Hampshire, Oregon, and Washington. He fell in love with the Wallowa’s after his first visit to the range and is excited to keep exploring the area.

  • Certifications

    AMGA Ski Guide Course
    AMGA Alpine Skills Course
    Avalanche Pro 1
    Wilderness First Responder/CPR

Nik Mirhashemi

Guide

Hailing from southwest Colorado, Nik grew up between the rugged San Juan Mountains and the sandstone canyon country of the Colorado Plateau. He started guiding in the pacific northwest in 2014 on Mt. Rainier and the North Cascades and eventually expanded to working in the Alaska Range, the Tetons and back to his roots in the San Juans and Southeast Utah. Nik has a strong passion for alpine climbing and backcountry skiing, which has taken him to places like the Peruvian Andes, Canadian Rockies and the Himalaya to pioneer new routes.

  • Certifications

    IFMGA/AMGA Certified Mountain Guide
    Pro 2
    Wilderness First Responder/CPR

Karen Morse

Guide

Karen grew up snowboarding in the Oregon Cascades and began working in the snow industry in 2013 in Tahoe, CA. For half of the year, she worked as an outdoor educator, leading multi-week rafting, backpacking, and mountaineering courses around Oregon and California, and in the winter she would migrate to the snowy Sierras. After three years of instructing and five years patrolling, she shifted her winter career out of bounds and in 2022 she began working as an assistant instructor with Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center. Karen has since moved to Baker City, OR and spends the snowy months teaching AIARE courses and providing snowpack observations for the Wallowa Avalanche Center and guiding with ECMG.

When she isn’t sliding around on snow, she teaches swiftwater rescue and wilderness first responder courses and works as an EMT and rescue technician on wildland fires.

  • Certifications

    Avalanche Pro I
    AIARE Instructor
    AMGA Alpine Skills Course
    Wilderness EMT

Luna

Guide

Luna has been successfully leading groups to amazing stashes of powder in the Wallowas for years. She has been adventuring in the Wallowas for the past 11 years, and looks forward to belly rubs in the yurt. Many of our guests have witnessed Luna in her prime, charging big lines. As a senior dog you may still be lucky enough to catch her in her element!

Neve

Guide

Neve is just beginning her journey as an up-and-coming powder hound in the Wallowas. With endless energy and a nose for adventure, she’s already showing promise as the next great leader of the pack. Neve loves bounding through fresh snow, chasing shadows, and making new friends at the yurt. While she’s still learning the ropes from her elders, she’s quickly proving that she’s got the spirit and stoke to carry on the tradition!

Nick Burks "In Memory Of"

Guide

Nick began skiing before he can remember. He started working on the Mt. Hood Meadows Pro Patrol in 2005 and became the Snow Safety Supervisor there in 2014. Nick spent the summers of 2016 and 2017 working as a ski area avalanche forecaster in the Cragieburn mountains of New Zealand. He has traveled to ski in Chile, Argentina and Japan.

Nick passed away on March 6, 2024, while free skiing in the Elkhorn Mountains of NE OR. He was off-duty skiing when he was caught in an avalanche. Nick will be missed as an upstanding member of our community, a passionate instructor, and an avalanche professional.

  • Certifications

    Wilderness First Responder
    Outdoor Emergency Care technician
    AIARE Course Leader
    A3 Professional Avalanche Worker School

Yurt available: Jan 12-15, 19-22, 26-31, Feb 1-4, Feb 26-March 1, March 8-11, March 23-31.  Please email us to see what's available. info@eaglecapmountainguides.com

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