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Staff

Base Managers

Nicolas Clerc
After 15 years in the travel and tourism industry, including time as the manager of a tour operator offering skiing holidays in the Alps, Nicolas worked for several years in a Swiss finance company. He now works full time for Turkey Heliski.
Thierry Gasser
A mountain guide from Verbier, Switzerland , Thierry has visited and explored most of the world's heliskiing destinations during a guiding career lasting over 20 years. He is also regularly called upon to work as safety consultant on numerous skiing and snowboarding films.
Francesca Orfane
Francesca is originally from Aosta Valley and is a qualified physioterapist. he has worked with private clients as well as in hospitals. She has been working on the administrative side of Turkey Heliski since 2008. During the winter she helps also for the physioterapy service.
 
 

Lead guides

Alain Payot


A guide from Chamonix, France, Alain has been heliskiing for a number of years. He has guided clients in numerous destinations across the world and admits to having a bit of a soft spot for South America and Kamchatka! With Turkey Heliski, Alain is both base manager and head guide.

Alessandro Mezzavilla


Alessandro is a guide from Valsavaranche (Italy) and his passions in life are ski-alpinism and mountain rescue. He also works for a heliski company near his home in Italy.

Danilo Garin


A mountain guide in Val d'Aoste, he owns and operates his own heliski company in Italy. He also has experience working for a large heliski operation in Canada.

Abele Blanc


Mountain guide, Val d'Aoste. Abele has climbed all 14 of the world's 8000m peaks. He also guides for a heliski company in Italy.

Trevor Streat


Trevor comes from Canterbury, New Zealand. He has been working for heliski operation all around the world (USA, Greenland, India, Turkey, NZ)

Marcel Frank


Marcel is a mountain guide based in central Switzerland. He has been heliskiing with private clients in a range of different places for a number of years now. He is also a qualified helicopter mechanic.

Niki Stornig


Niki is a mountain guide based in Völkermarkt (Austria). He has guided heliskiers all over the world and was head guide for many years with Himachal Heliskiing in India before joining our team. He also regularly takes his clients heliskiing in Greenland.

Thierry Gasser


A mountain guide from Verbier, Switzerland, Thierry has visited and explored most of the world's heliskiing destinations during a guiding career lasting over 20 years. He is also regularly called upon to work as safety consultant on numerous skiing and snowboarding films.

 

Hervé Thivičrge


A mountain guide from Chamonix (France), Hervé has worked for many years as a heliski guide with a large operation in Canada.

Raphy Richard


Mountain guide from Salvan (Switzerland). He divides his time between professional guiding and the mountain rescue team in Sion

René Buémi


Mountain guide from Orsičres (Switzerland). Over the years René has guided clients in numerous heliskiing, ski touring and off-piste destinations around the world.

Our guides

Gérald Maret


Mountain guide from Lourtier (Switzerland). He divides his time between working as a guide and the professional rescue team in Sion. He is also a professional helicopter pilot. Gerald was responsible for putting in place Turkey Heliski's safety and rescue plan.

Jean Troillet


Jean is a mountain guide and well known Himalayan climber. As well as his expeditions and adventures around the world, he has worked with Canada's CMH for 15 years. He lives in Foully (Switzerland).

Maurizio Folini


Maurizio is a mountain guide and helicopter pilot from St. Moritz. He has taken clients heliskiing with various operations in Canada and Uzbekistan and now manages a helicopter operation near Bormio, Italy

Bertrand Roche "Zébulon"


Zeb is a mountain guide from France's Maurienne valley. He climbed Everest at the age of 16 (his 1st world record), and later returned with his wife to fly off it in a tandem paraglider (2nd world record). Zeb is also a very experienced heliskiing guide.

Christophe Berclaz


A mountain guide in Verbier, he divides his time between guiding and working in the professional rescue team in Sion.

George Robbi


George has a passion for heliskiiing and the study of snow, and lived for a long time in Queenstown (NZ), where he ran his own heliskiing base. He also worked as an 'avalanche technician' for New Zealand's Milford Road Avalanche Program.

Gabriel Besson


Mountain guide from Verbier (Switzerland). Gaby used to work as a guide and professional rescuer in Sion, and is now a full-time helicopter pilot. He works with Turkey Heliski as a guide and pilot.

Urs Lerjen


A mountain guide from Zermatt (Switzerland), Urs has worked for many years heliskiing with his private clients.

Lionel Philippe


Lionel is a mountain guide from the French Pyrenees where he lives. He runs our heliskiing base in the Pyrenees that is located in the Val d'Aran, Spain.

Eric Balet


Eric lives and works as a guide in the Swiss canton of Valais

Alex Chabod


Alex is a mountain guide from the Val d'Aoste. During the winter he works with Valgrisenche Heliski. He also is a geologist and compiles snow profiles for the Aosta region during the winter.

Stéphane Hottinger


Guide since the age of 23, Stéphane is dedicated 100% to his passion, the mountain, winter and summer. He lives in La Rosiere, Valais.

Thomas Hallen


Thomas Hallen is a Swede by origin and currently works as a mountain guide in the Swiss canton of Valais

Gilles Sierro


Known as Gilles The Skier, he lives in Hérémence in the central Valais. Gilles is an extreme skier, ski instructor and mountain guide.

Snow Safety & Photos

George Robbi


George has a passion for heliskiiing and the study of snow, and lived for a long time in Queenstown (NZ), where he ran his own heliskiing base. He also worked as an 'avalanche technician' for New Zealand's Milford Road Avalanche Program.

Pilots

Markus Koch


Markus was part of the 'exploratory' team that launched our great adventure in Turkey. He is a mountain guide and is now a full-time pilot, and chief pilot for Air Zermatt and Turkey Heliski.

Gerold Binner


Gerold lives and works in Zermatt. He was one of the first pilots to fly in India for Himachal Heliskiing

Daniel Lerjen


Daniel is a helicopter pilot. He also works as a pilot in Canada

Daniel Aufdenblatten


Daniel currently works for Air Zermatt and started his flying career as an airline pilot

Daniel Neugel


Daniel has been flying helicopters for more than 20 years. He works for Air Zermatt and is based in Raron.

Roland Brunner


Roland is a pilot and operations manager for Eagle Helicopters in Sion. He has more than 25 years of aviation experience flying in the Swiss Alps, Pakistan, Africa and North America.

Gabriel Besson


Mountain guide from Verbier (Switzerland). Gaby used to work as a guide and professional rescuer in Sion, and is now a full-time helicopter pilot. He works with Turkey Heliski as a guide and pilot.

Beno Pollinger


Beno is a full-time pilot with Air Zermatt

Rolf Thomann


Rolf is a pilot with Heliswissinternational and with BOHAG in Switzerland. Rolf has been working with Turkey Heliski for the last 3 seasons.

Mechanics

Christophe Kalbermatter


Christophe has worked as an engineer for Air Zermatt in Raron for many years.

André Lochmatter


André works as an engineer for Air Zermatt and also works in Canada a few months of the year

Ernest Lauber


Ernest is an engineer with Air Zermatt

Hans-Peter Wyer


Hans-Peter is an engineer with Air Zermatt

Physiotherapists, masseuses and secretaries

Camille Chavaillaz


Camille is from Switzerland and is a qualified naturopath. She worked in the Turkey Heliski office and in the massage service in Ayder for 2 years. Now she still helps us from Switzerland during the winter season.

Martina Frank


Martina is a Swiss physiotherapist and masseuse, and works in the Ayder base. When not working with Turkey Heliski, Martina works in a hospital in the Swiss canton of Nidwald.

Interpreters and ski technicians

Görkem Okur


Görkem is from Manisa, western Turkey. He is studying Land Surveying in Trabzon. In summer, Görkem works as a guide in the Kaçkar mountains, while in winter he is a ski technician for Turkey Heliski. He has taken rescue courses in Switzerland and worked as a flight assistant for Air Zermatt.

Erkan Bektas


Erkan is from Antalya. He is studying Civil Engineering and Computing at the University of Trabzon. His passion for the mountains has brought him to work for Turkey Heliski as a ski technician and interpreter at our Ikizdere base

Turkey Heliski
1936 Verbier
Tel +41 27 771 72 50
Fax +41 27 771 72 55
info@heliski.pro