The Heart and Soul of Purcell Mountain Lodge

Whether hikers, skiers or nature lovers, all of us at Purcell Mountain Lodge have a deep connection to the mountains. We feel lucky to be living and working in such a beautiful landscape and are excited to share its secrets with you.

Our talented chefs will keep you well-fed and happy, while our qualified guides will lead you to distant summits or across rolling meadows, teach you about the natural history of the area, and keep you smiling and safe. They each hold certifications from a number of organizations, including the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides, the Canadian Avalanche Association and Advanced Wilderness First Aid programs.

Lori Coon.  Lori is the President and and a major shareholder of Purcell Mountain Lodge. She is an engineer by trade and was one of the founders of Kivalliq Marine Transportation, which operates in the eastern Arctic. Her passion for Canadas' wilderness, renewable energy, sustainable business and teamwork make her a good fit for the Lodge. Lori is pictured here with one of the founders of the Lodge, Paul Leeson.

Francois-Xavier (FX) Gagnon. FX hails from Quebec, where he learned to play the spoons and sing French-Canadian folk songs before he could even walk. He works as a winter guide at the Lodge, and in the summer he has his own hiking guiding business that runs tours throughout Western Canada.  

Stephane Levesque. Stephane brought his cooking and musical talents to the Lodge winter 2007. A addition to our Quebec team of the staff, Stephane has been a "remote" chef for eight years now. His love for nature, people and creating new culinary dishes has brought rave reviews from the guests who have the pleasure of spending time with him at the Lodge.

Darrin Derosa. Darrin has been in Squamish for a number of years now, mastering his carpentry skills building a house. He has returned to Golden taking up the new position of Marketing and Sales for Purcell Mountain Lodge. For those of you who have had the pleasure of spending time with Darrin at the Lodge over the years, you will be pleased to know he will be back guiding as well.

 Emily Grady. Emily joined us in the Summer 07 as a new guide and she now is our Lodge Manager.  She lives in Salmo, BC with her also adventuresome husband, Scott.  Most of her winter is spent on skis, instructing telemark, backcountry ski touring, and teaching women’s freeski and catski camps. 

Brian Kelsch. Brian is both a summer and winter guide with PML.  He and his best friend and wife, Amy, and their two sons call Nelson their home.  Brian likes to learn and loves to teach, so don’t be surprised if pick up some amazing new knowledge and skills when you are out there on the hills with him.

 Nancy Geismar. Nancy has been a summer guide at the Lodge for a number of years. Guests marvel at how much they learn from Nancy on a stroll through the meadows, she is an encyclopedia when it comes to information on the flora around the Lodge. When she isn't guiding she has a pottery business at her home in Revelstoke.

Michel Beauchemin. Summer 2008 will be Michels' second season at the Lodge. His passion for the backcountry keeps him in the backcountry as a ski touring guide throughout the winter. During his time off you will find him skiing or hiking throughout the year!