Tommy Gram-Ahlene

Managing Partner, Co-Owner
Lead Backcountry Ski & Spliboard Guide
AIARE Course Leader

Originally from Wisconsin, Tommy has called Chaffee County, Colorado home since 2011. He enjoys spending as much time outdoors as possible. In winter, he works as a ski guide and AIARE course leader with BVMA. In summer, he runs his other company, Whitewater Attainment, where he teaches whitewater kayaking, packrafting, and swiftwater rescue. He also teaches wilderness medical courses year-round.

Tommy is deeply passionate about a lifelong career in the outdoor industry. For more than two decades, he has taught recreational backcountry enthusiasts and professionals how to stay safe, lead confidently, and have fun in wilderness environments. He began as BVMA’s first employee and now serves as managing partner and co-owner.

Tommy holds A3 Pro 1 and Pro 2 certifications, NREMT, EMT and WEMT certifications, and is an AIARE Course Leader. Additionally, he is a SOLO Lead Wilderness Medical Instructor and an ACA Instructor Trainer Educator.

Learn more about Tommy in his interview with Adam Williams on We Are Chaffee.

Certifications:

• American Avalanche Association (A3) Pro 1 Certified 

• American Avalanche Association (A3) Pro 2 Certified 

• American Institute of Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) Course Leader

• National Registered Emergency Medical Technician (NREMT)

• Colorado State Licensed Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) 

• SOLO Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician (W-EMT)

• SOLO Wilderness Medical Course Leader

• American Red Cross (ARC) CPR & BLS Instructor

• American Canoe Association, (ACA) L4 Whitewater Kayak Instructor Trainer Educator (ITE)

• American Canoe Association (ACA) L4 Swiftwater Rescue Instructor Trainer Educator (ITE)

• American Canoe Association (ACA) L4 Packrafting Instructor Trainer Educator (ITE)

• American Canoe Association (ACA) L5 Advanced Whitewater Kayak Instructor Trainer (IT)

Spencer Herford

Spencer Herford

Backcountry Ski & Spliboard Guide
AIARE COURSE LEADEr

Spencer learned to slide on snow growing up in Dillon, CO, and moved to Salida in 2019 with his wife and dog to spend more time outside. Spencer is a graduate of the Avalanche Science Program at CMC Leadville, and currently holds a Pro Level 1 and 2 Avalanche Certification, is a Wilderness First Responder, and is an AIARE Course Leader. Spencer would prefer that winter lasts 12 months every year, and is happiest boarding down wide open powder fields. He also likes to explore the mountains by mountain bike when the snow goes away, and will occasionally paint his days on the snow in watercolor.

Certifications:

• American Avalanche Association (A3) Pro 1 Certified 

• American Avalanche Association (A3) Pro 2 Certified 

• American Institute of Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) Course Leader

• SOLO Wilderness First Responder (WFR)

• Avalanche Science Program Graduate Colorado Mountain College (CMC) Leadville

Roger Coit

Roger Coit

Backcountry Ski & Spliboard Guide
AIARE Course Leader

Roger Coit is an AIARE Pro and Rec Course Leader and a professional member of the American Avalanche Association with more than three decades of experience in avalanche safety, outdoor education, and emergency medical services. Based in Chaffee County, Colorado, Roger works full-time as a paramedic and serves as a professional ski patroller at Monarch Mountain, where he combines his expertise in snow safety, rescue, and medical response.

Roger was a developer and early director of the Colorado Mountain College Avalanche Science Program, one of the nation’s first college-level professional avalanche education programs accredited by the American Avalanche Association. He helped design and lead a comprehensive curriculum that blends field-based learning, forecasting, snow science, and professional practice during his tenure. As an avalanche educator and course leader, Roger teaches across both the professional and recreational training tracks for AIARE, mentoring students and instructors alike. His background as a paramedic and EMS agency leader gives him a unique perspective on avalanche incident response, field rescue, and risk management in remote mountain environments.

Throughout his career, Roger has presented at regional and national avalanche workshops, contributed to the professional education community, and supported local avalanche safety outreach efforts in the Upper Arkansas Valley. He remains passionate about advancing mountain safety education through mentorship, professional development, and community engagement.

Jared Berman

Jared Berman

Backcountry Ski & Spliboard Guide
AIARE Course Leader

Jared is a ski guide and avalanche educator who has been with Buena Vista Mountain Adventures since 2022. Growing up in the rural parts of New Jersey, he began snowboarding in the small Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. Jared moved to Colorado in the Fall of 2011 to pursue a career in outdoor education. While continuing to snowboard and learning to ski in the Colorado Rockies, he graduated from Colorado Mountain College with a degree in Avalanche Science. Jared currently holds both Pro 1 and Pro 2 avalanche certifications. He is also a trained Wilderness First Responder and an AIARE avalanche instructor. When not skiing or snowboarding, Jared enjoys spending as much time on the river as possible. In the summer months, he works as a river guide, instructing rafting, kayaking, and swiftwater rescue. Jared values his time in the mountains and finds meaning when he can share his passion for the outdoors with others. Jared continues to further his education in the outdoor industry and is always working towards advancing his career. When he's not working in the mountains, you can find him spending time with friends and family or at home whipping up a good meal.

Rhema Wiarda

Rhema Wiarda

BACKCOUNTRY Ski & Spliboard GUIDE
AIARE Course INSTRUCTOR

Rhema was born and raised in Ontario, Canada. However, after falling in love with snowboarding, she sought Colorado’s big mountains and has called them home since she graduated college in 2008. In 2017 she ventured beyond the lifts into the backcountry, and the sport quickly became her passion. She is an AIARE certified instructor, Wilderness First Responder, and is an active the Chaffee County Search and Rescue Norths training director the Chaffee County Search and Rescue Norths training director. She is beyond excited to continue learning and growing in the sport alongside BVMA! Passionate about sharing the sport and her love for the mountains with others, she founded Women Who Splitboard, a local Colorado meetup group that desires to uplift and empower other women in the sport. When she’s not playing outside, doing art, or spending time with friends and family, she practices as a dental hygienist right here in the Ark Valley.

Michael Abel

Michael Abel

BACKCOUNTRY Ski & Spliboard GUIDe
AIARE COurse Instructor

Michael grew up snowboarding in the Appalachian mountains of Virginia before moving to Boulder in 2011 to start school at the University of Colorado.  After a rigorous four years studying Environmental Science (cum laude) and  Evolutionary Biology, Michael decided to move away from lab work and focus on what truly made him happy: the outdoors. Since then, he has become an avid splitboarder, boater, and backpacker. His outdoor resume includes descents of many classic Colorado ski lines, a thru-hike of the Colorado Trail,  time spent on the Weminuche and Wind River high routes, and trips down  Lodore Canyon, Yampa Canyon, Desolation Canyon, Westwater Canyon,  Labyrinth Canyon, Stillwater Canyon, and Cataract Canyon. Michael holds American Avalanche Association Pro 1 and 2 certifications, a Snow, Weather, and Avalanche Technician certificate, an AIARE instructor certificate, a Wilderness First Responder certificate, a swift water rescue certificate, and is a graduate of the Colorado Mountain College Avalanche Science Program. When not outdoors, you can find Michael getting down to live music.

Certifications:

• American Avalanche Association (A3) Pro 1 Certified 

• American Avalanche Association (A3) Pro 2 Certified

• American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) Instructor

• Bachelor's degree: Environmental Science (cum laude) and  Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado

• Avalanche Science Program Graduate, Colorado Mountain College (CMC), Leadville

• Snow, Weather, and Avalanche Technician Certified

• Wilderness First Responder (WFR) Certified

• Swiftwater Rescue (SWR) Certified

Ryan Teter

Ryan Teter

Backcountry Ski & Spliboard Guide

AIARE Course Instructor

Ryan enjoys helping students advance their skills in climbing, avalanche awareness, and mountain travel with clarity, confidence, and grounded decision-making. His background in GIS work and military complements his mountain craft. He brings analytical rigor to route planning, snowpack assessment, and spatial storytelling in the field. Ryan was born and raised on the Colorado Front Range. He began climbing and mountaineering while studying outdoor education and psychology at Red Rocks Community College. Ryan later learned to ski and loves skiing in the resort with his daughter, taking backcountry laps, staying in huts, enjoying spring corn, pointing out things with his ski poles, and finishing dead last in Skimo races. Ryan still loves rock climbing, especially traditional climbing, although a lighter pack makes sport climbing tolerable. Ryan holds a bachelor’s degree in Land Use and Geographic Information Systems and has ten years of experience mapping water. He also served as First Sergeant in the Colorado Army National Guard, leading training programs, managing unit mountain programs, and mentoring soldiers across ranks. He also volunteered as an Emergency Medical Technician in Commerce City and Northglenn. Ryan lives with his wife, daughter, and dog in Conifer, CO. He also enjoys camping, fishing, running, movies, and reading.

Certifications:

• American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) Instructor

• AIARE Pro 1

• American Mountain Guide Association (AMGA) Single Pitch Instructor (SPI)

• AMGA Alpine Skills Course Graduate

• Wilderness First Responder (WFR)

• Leave No Trace Level 1 Instructor

• US Army Level II Advanced Military Mountaineer

Rich Rogers

Rich Rogers (r2)

Backcountry Ski & Spliboard Guide
AIARE Course Instructor

Rich learned to ski in the East and migrated to Colorado in 2007 to search for deeper, drier snow. His interest in snow, weather, and avalanches developed over a decade of ski patrolling, mechanized ski guiding, working with avalanche rescue dogs, and backcountry skiing. He graduated from the Avalanche Science Program at CMC Leadville, holds an A3 Pro Level 1 and 2 Avalanche Certification, is a Wilderness First Responder, and is an AIARE Course Instructor. Rich is captivated by micro processes that occur on large scales. When the snow melts, he doubles down on his passion for water—spending his off-season float fishing the Arkansas River with his pup, Terra.

Certifications:

• American Avalanche Association (A3) Pro 1 Certified 

• American Avalanche Association (A3) Pro 2 Certified 

• American Institute of Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) Avalanche Course Instructor

• Wilderness First Responder (WFR)

• Monarch Ski Patrol (10+ years)

• Avalanche Rescue Dog Handler

• Avalanche Science Program Graduate CMC Leadville

Nick Provost

Nick Provost

BACKCOUNTRY Ski & Spliboard GUIDE
CROSS COUNTRY SKIING & SNOWSHOE GUIDE

Nick grew up in the Appalachian Mountains of Western North Carolina, where he earned a bachelor's degree in Parks and Recreation Management from Western Carolina University. Nick moved to Colorado in 2018 to chase snow in the Rocky Mountains and begin learning to ski in the backcountry. This winter will be his sixth season skiing in the backcountry, and he is excited to continue learning and to share his passion with others. In the past, Nick has worked in other outdoor jobs, including ski/snowboard instructor, ski patroller, and raft guide. He is a certified Wilderness First Responder (WFR) and holds a Pro 1 Avalanche certification. This year, he will take the AIARE Instructor Trainer Course to become an accredited avalanche instructor. Other outdoor passions for Nick include mountain biking, kayaking, and trail running. When not playing outside, Nick enjoys reading fantasy novels, playing guitar, spinning fire, and playing chess.

Bri Golden Copeland

Bri Golden Copeland

Cross Country Skiing & Snowshoe Guide

Bri started skiing in Leadville, CO, while supporting and instructing youth and young adult backpacking and mountaineering courses throughout Colorado, Utah, and Alaska for the Colorado Outward Bound School. In her ten years as an outdoor educator, she has coached and directed after-school outdoor programs with Lake County Public Schools and provided ski instruction in Leadville. In addition to guiding cross country and snowshoe tours at BVMA, she leads the Youth Cross-Country Ski League in partnership with BVMA and BV Rec Department and is the Associate Program Director of Groups at the Colorado Outward Bound School. Certified as a WFR since 2014, Bri loves rambling through the mountains and the desert in all seasons, whether it involves running shoes, climbing gear, or ski boots.

Steven Gutierrez

Steven Gutierrez

Cross Country Skiing & Snowshoe Guide

Steven grew up in North Carolina, backpacking, skiing, and fishing in the Appalachian Mountains. He moved to Colorado three years ago to further pursue mountain exploration and training. Before working at BVMA, Steven was a mountain bike and hiking guide on the Front Range. Now, he guides snowshoe and cross country skiing at BVMA and is certified in Wilderness First Aid and CPR. Outside of work, Steven can be found above treeline or on a bike trail.

Ben Wygant

Ben Wygant 

Cross Country Skiing & Snowshoe Guide

Ben grew up in a small oil and manufacturing town north of Pittsburgh.  He learned to ski at 10 years old in the glorified corn fields of western New York, which ruined him forever having a real job. He has a bachelor’s degree in Adventure Programming, a master’s in Higher Education Administration, AIARE 1 & 2, LNT Master Educator certification, and Wilderness First Responder certification. He has worked for college outdoor programs, taught college courses, directed non-profits, tended bar, worked in commercial kitchens, written for newspapers and professional journals, and currently manages the Trailhead.  When he’s not skiing, mountain biking, backpacking, climbing, trail running, or fly fishing, he’s usually forcing his children to listen to punk music or reading a book about WWII.

Brett Forsberg

Brett Forsberg

Intern Ski & Splitboard Guide
Cross Country Skiing & Snowshoe Guide

Originally from Houston, Texas, Brett has called Colorado home since 2014. Initially on a path to becoming a fiction professor in the academic world, Brett turned his life on a dime after going on a ski trip to Keystone in 2013. There, he discovered that his passion for learning, teaching, and adventure came full circle when safely exploring the Colorado wilderness with others. Brett strives to become a backcountry educator, guide, and leader. He has spent the last decade diligently working toward that goal, including time in the backcountry in Colorado, Utah, Idaho, and Washington State.

Certifications:

• Professional Ski Instructors of America & American Association of Snowboard Instructors (PSIA) Level I

• American Institute of Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) Level I

• AIARE Level II

• AIARE Companion Rescue

• AIARE Pro I 

• AIARE ITC (January 2026)

• Wilderness First Responder Certified (WFR)

Nick Rushford

Nick Rushford

Backcountry Ski & Spliboard Guide
AIARE Instructor

Nick grew up skiing in the tight trees of Vermont before migrating west to Colorado and Utah's wide-open alpine. He splits his time between guiding, avalanche education, and working for the Colorado Outward Bound School as the Associate Program Director of Training. Nick is an AMGA Apprentice Ski, Rock, and Alpine Guide. He holds a PRO 2 Avalanche Certification and is an AIARE Course Instructor. Nick loves exploring the winter wonderland of the Sawatch Range but will occasionally escape to the desert to thaw out and climb some sandstone.

Devin Toll

Devin Toll

Backcountry Guide

Devin has been guiding for BVMA since 2015. He originally came to Buena Vista in 2009 to become a raft guide. Devin came for the Colorado summers but stuck around because of the Colorado winters. He started his guiding career with rafting, backpacking, and rock climbing trips in the Arkansas Valley. In the winter, he works full time as a ski patroller at Copper Mountain. When he isn't guiding in the winter, Devin is probably still skiing the mountains and exploring new terrain. He is twice as happy as the normal person when it snows because he loves to ski fresh powder and it makes him think about getting to kayak all that snowmelt come springtime. He still can't decide which CO season he loves most. Devin is a WEMT and is AIARE Level II Avalanche Certified.

John MacKinnon

John MacKinnon

Former Co-Owner, Technical Advisor Emeritus

John helped launch BVMA’s AIARE avalanche education program in 2016 and has been involved with the company as a guide, avalanche instructor, and co-owner since then. While no longer an owner, John stays connected to BVMA as a technical advisor and friend.

John is an AMGA-certified Rock Guide and Ski Guide, an AIARE Course Leader, and has served on the AIARE Education Committee and AIARE Technical Committee. He has led numerous AIARE Instructor Training courses and has instructed PRO 1 and PRO 2 avalanche courses. He has also taught for Colorado Mountain College’s Avalanche Science Program and guided climbing and skiing extensively throughout Colorado and the Oregon Cascades.

John recently relocated to northern Vermont, where he teaches outdoor and experiential education at a small liberal arts college. He lives there with his wife, Reed, and two amazing daughters, Eleanor and Josie.

Chris Nicewarner

Chris Nicewarner

Founder, Co-Owner

Chris is the founder and co-owner of BVMA. His love of the winter backcountry grew out of his time training with the U.S. Marine Corps and various NATO soldiers in the mountains of Norway and the Sierra Nevada Range in California. Chris and his wife, Tina have a love of hospitality and sharing the beauty of the mountains with other people from around the world. When Chris is not in the backcountry, he enjoys hanging out with friends and family and consulting for a leadership development consulting firm called Silverstone Leadership Ventures. Chris is a Wilderness First Responder, is AIARE L2 Avalanche Certified, and is a graduate of several U.S. Military and NATO mountain training programs.