Our People | Rob Turner
There was a time when Rob, who grew up in Edmonton, thought he would get into education. But then, after his grade twelve physics teacher taught him to rock climb, he took a three-month mountaineering program with legendary Yamnuska Mountain Adventures and got so hooked on mountains that he became a ski guide instead (a trajectory for which we’re eternally grateful). He still finds ways to pull education into his life though—like coaching gymnastics and running a youth drop-in center out of Canmore for a while. Or there’s his work taking the British and Canadian military through rock climbing adventure training with Yamnuska, and the team building he’s led on ropes courses and orienteering through the Banff Center for corporations from all over the world.
And that’s what we mean by Rob having a hand in creating our unique Mica culture: he knows his stuff when it comes to trust and risk and leading through adversity (hello, a viral pandemic rampaging through any sense of normalcy in lodge life), and he leads us in team building every year.
“I’d say we approach things from a very caring standpoint. And right behind that, we want people to have an amazing vacation, or amazing work experience. It’s truly a family, and I think that’s one of the things I’m most proud of”, Rob says.
If we’re a family, then Rob is like our big brother. He’s even watched many of us grow up, like lead guide Sam Rousselle, who worked his way up from maintenance; or Eric Ostopkevich, who Rob taught to rock climb twenty years ago and is now our Assistant Guiding Manager. “Big brother or Papa Rob, or whatever you want to call it,” Rob laughs. Or the newest nickname he was coined last season, The Notorious L.O.G. or simply "Log" (lodge old guy).
But aside from his extra-curricular contributions, Rob’s also a fantastic guide, which stems from his deep-seated passion for adventure. “I love going around blind corners and seeing what’s on the other side. I love watching the terrain change, and the light hit it differently. I love the surprises that nature has for us.”
Our team is truly a family. And I think that's
one of the things I'm most proud of.
— Rob Turner
