About Us

JP McCarthy

Very little is known about JP’s first years but rumour has it he was born wearing ski boots. From the East coast of Canada, starting out as a ski instructor at 15 years old, he had his sights set on something big, he just didn’t know what it was yet. 4 years later, after certifying as a ski, snowboard and telemark instructor, he saw a poster with a helicopter and guests following a guide down a powdery slope surrounded by rugged peaks, the light bulb turned on, and he travelled west. By 2005 he was the assistant manager and tail guide at a cat skiing lodge in the Monashee mountains of British Columbia and his dream was coming together. Since then he has worked in every mountain range in western Canada and travelled to ski the mountains of Europe and South America.

JP is not new to Third Edge guests but his debut in Alaska was spring 2022, we’re proud to have him on our team as he adapts to the Alaskan frontier. He holds many certifications beyond Ski Guide with the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides, Non-Urban Medical Care and Advanced Protocols with Peak Emergency Care. All this with his 18 years in the mechanized guiding industry make for a quick transition to any snowpack or mountain range, anywhere in the world.

When JP isn’t skiing he is either biking, climbing or hair in the wind on his sailboat. He and his girlfriend started and operate a non profit dog rescue. His summer job entails running crews in high angle rope environments for remote mountain construction/infrastructure installation. He then caps off his year with an annual pilgrimage to Churchill, Manitoba where he drives massive trucks on the tundra to get within inches of polar bears for photographers and wildlife observers alike.

Bret Gilleland

Cherise Robinson

Tiff Simpson

Tiff acquired her deep love for the outdoors growing up in Northern California, hiking and camping with her family. While attending university in Idaho her interests began to turn toward more adrenaline-fueled activities, including mountain biking, whitewater kayaking, and backcountry snowboarding. After graduating with a BS in Biology and a minor in Outdoor Recreation Education she went on to spend over a decade as a whitewater kayaking guide/instructor, traveling between the states of CA, OR, WA, ID, WY and CO for work. Tiff is a WFR, ACA Whitewater Instructor, Swiftwater Rescue certified, and has completed her AIARE L2 avalanche training. 

Mike Welch

Mike Welch started his ski career working as a ski patroller at Hilltop Ski Area in Anchorage, Alaska (294 vertical feet).Working outside and on skis was too much of a draw and Mike took the slippery slide into a lifetime in the ski industry. Mike has patrolled at Arctic Valley Ski Area (1214’) and Alyeska Resort (2500’) in Alaska and Alta Ski Area in Utah (2538’). Bigger mountains called. Mike put in over a decade and a half at Chugach Powder Guides, moving from following guide to lead guide to snow safety director.

Mike now splits time between his own company, Sundog Ski Guides (as many vertical as you can hike) and Third Edge Heli (UNLIMITED vertical feet). Contrary to how it may seem, Mike is not about counting vert, but rather he likes really long runs and big mountains. His ski patrol roots bring a work ethic and grit that shows, Mike is not afraid to get dirty to make sure you have an amazing time out in the mountains.

Scott Newsome

Scott Newsome was raised in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta in world renowned Lake Louise and earned his stripes as a Whistler-based big mountain pro snowboarder in the ’90s, filming several movie segments throughout Alaska and Canada. In 1998 Scott migrated back to the stacked peaks, unlimited touring, and deep snowfalls of the Canadian interior, Monashee, and Selkirk mountains where he started his young guiding career at Cat Powder, a Revelstoke-based cat-skiing operation owned by his uncle. Newsome’s long rise through the ACMG Guide ranks began in the skin track mecca of Rogers Pass and culminated nearly a decade later when he became the first Canadian to earn ACMG guide certification in 2005.

His current day job is VP/owner and Lead Guide for Eagle Pass Heli, a heli-skiing op with 270,000 acres of prime stacked tenure in the heart of the Monashee Mountains. While Newsome spends 160 days a season deep in the Monashees, he also has heli guided over 10 years in Haines and Valdez, Alaska during the spring. He has contributed to several media trips including Jeremy Jones’ film Deeper, and Travis Rice’s Art of Flight. Scott also guides for Third Edge Heli in the Chilean Andes.

When not guiding, Newsome teaches avalanche safety courses, spends time touring with his two boys, works with chainsaws, loves fishing, and roots for the Edmonton Oilers hockey team.

Jesse Weeks

Prior to landing in the ski hills of Little Cottonwood Canyon in ’96-’97, Jesse could be found at the young age of 8 years old, in the iconic mountains of the Pacific Northwest, first in line at resorts like Bluewood, Brundage, and Willamette Pass.

Fast forward to today and Jesse will tell you not much has changed; he still has a passion for skiing, but he usually doesn’t need to wait in lift lines anymore! He is an amazing guide and finds ways to make the most intense situations carefree and just plain fun.

Jesse is a heli-ski guide, river guide, ski patroller, leisure professional, true fun hog, and NEW dad in 2021! Whether he’s on the slopes in Alta, on a patch of sand along the Colorado River, in a five-star hotel in Chile, or a bunk bed in Valdez, his dreams and experiences take a variety of shapes each year. His guests love to be along for the ride.

Jeff Hoke

Jeff has been a heli-ski guide since 2003. Always chasing adventure, Jeff grew up exploring Alaska, where he fell in love with the technical and demanding nature of the world-famous Chugach Mountains.

A pioneer in accessing remote and challenging coastal mountain zones, Jeff has been instrumental in developing new, multi-sport adventures involving skiing, surfing, kite surfing, mountain biking, pack rafting, and fishing. He is a proven leader in establishing mountain safety protocols and tactics.

Up until his retirement this year, Jeff was a Captain in the Anchorage Fire Dept. where he specialized in advanced technical rescue. With the right tools and knowledge, Jeff views Alaska as a giant playground. He has spent a lifetime in Alaska and is uniquely qualified and eager to share adventures with his clients, both in Alaska and the world at large.

Brad Cosgrove

Brad has spent a lifetime sharing experiences in the outdoors. He grew up playing outside in the Pacific Northwest and started working in the outfitting and guiding industry as a kid. This led to falling in love with riding in the backcountry, and ski guiding became full-time winter work, early on.

He came to AK over 20 years ago chasing a ski dream and has worked with Third Edge Heli since its inception in AK, Canada, and Chile.

He lives full-time in Hope, Alaska with his wife and their two boys.

Eric Layton

Eric Layton became the first accredited splitboard guide through the American Mountain Guides Association in 2015. Eric’s knowledge and expertise for backcountry splitboarding and alpine climbing have led him to work as a guide for operations throughout the world.

He started his guiding career in Valdez, Alaska over 15 years ago. His year-round experience in the mountains and great attention to safety are only enhanced by his pure passion and joy for slaying powder. Eric is a world-class guide at the top of his game.

Splitting his time between the Sierra, Revelstoke, Alaska, and South America, guests are in good hands with Eric on any Third Edge adventure. He is a professional member of the Canadian Avalanche Association and level 2 CAA certified, along with holding his US level 3 avalanche certification.

When he is not guiding, Eric spends time with his wife and two boys adventuring in the mountains and surfing as much as possible.

Lauren Georgelos

Lauren is a Heli-Ski US level III guide, with a decade of experience in Alaska. She has worked in the Chilkat Mountains of Haines, the Tordrillos, the Talkeetnas, and the Chugach Range of central Alaska. She calls Girdwood home.

With a background in big mountain sled skiing, Lauren’s entrance into mechanized ski guiding was natural. When not guiding, Lauren can be found operating her excavating company, speed flying off peaks, ripping mountain bikes downhill, or traveling the world in search of her next favorite kite surfing spot.

Steve Hall

Steve was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. He grew up at the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon and began skiing at the age of 5 in the Wasatch Mountains of Alta. He started working for Snowbird in 1989 on a work-release program as a senior in high school and moved up the canyon to Alta as a ski tech in 1991, while going to the University of Utah.

Steve started his avalanche/snow safety career in 1994 when he joined Alta Ski Patrol and holds a position there, to this day, on the early morning avalanche control team.

In 1999, Steve started his first mechanized ski guide job with a heli-ski company out of Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah, and in 2003 made his way to Valdez, Alaska, where he landed a guide position with Valdez Heli Camps. He gained valuable knowledge and experience with LCC and Valdez for over a decade, which led to his next transition.

In 2015, Steve found himself guiding out of the Ruby Mountains in Nevada throughout January and then heading back up to Alaska and guiding out of the Tordrillo Mountains through February, March and April. That’s when he met Greg Harms and started guiding with the Third Edge Heli crew. The rest is history!

Nowadays he starts his winter season at home in Utah, going next to Nevada, then finishing up in Alaska. He is a member of Heli Ski US and has a level I, II & III certification through the American Avalanche Institute (AAI). He is also certified with Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC) through the National Ski Patrol. He has CPR & AED certifications through Red Cross.

When asked what he does in the off-season, Steve’s reply is, “What off-season”? He lives life full-throttle and resides in Utah with his wife, Shauna and yellow lab, Tread.