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.
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.

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 13 of the world's 8000m peaks. He also guides for a heliski company in Italy.

Erhard Lorétan


Erhard is a Swiss guide from Charmey and is well known in the climbing world. He was also the third person in the world to climb all 14 of the world's 8000m peaks!

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.

Trevor Sreat


Trev is a mountain guide on Mt. Cook in New Zealand where he also takes people heliskiing during the southern hemisphere winter. With more than 30 seasons of heliskiing behind him, he is certainly one of the most experienced guides in this field. He was chief guide for many years with Himachal Heliskiing in India before joining our team.

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.

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.

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 Follini


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 Ballet


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

Alex Chabot


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.

Jacques Richon


Jaques Richon swaps his time between being mountain guide, search and rescue guide and surgeon in the province of Valais.Jacques Richon is a mountain guide, search and rescue doctor and surgeon in the Swiss canton of Valais. He uses his vast specialist knowledge as a mountain rescue professional.

Thomas Hallen


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

Marc Bolzer


Bazu is a Ski & Snowboard guide from Val d'Isere , he has been working with Turkey Heliski for many years

Pascal Fournier


Pascal Fournier is a qualified mountain guide and helicopter pilot, and works for Air Glacier in the Swiss canton of Valais

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

Robert Andenmatten


Roby is a pilot with Air Zermatt and also a qualified mountain guide.

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.

Serge Muller


Serge was born in 1954 in Neuchâtel (CH) and live now in Ollon (CH). He is flying for about 30 years. He was pilot for different heliskiing compagnies in India and Switzerland.

Lotti Hasler


Lotti lives and works in Gampel. He flies for Air Glacier in the upper Valais area.

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

Arne Schulz


Arne works for Helitech in Kassel, Germany.

Emanuel Novak


Emanuel works as an engineer in Germany and is also a helicopter pilot.

Physiotherapists, masseuses and secretaries

Francesca Orfane


Francesca is originally from the Val d'Aoste and is a qualified physiotherapist. She has worked with private clients as well as in hospitals in the Val d'Aoste. She has been working on the administrative side of Turkey Heliski since 2008, working for the massage service in Ayder during the winter.

Camille Chavaillaz


Camille is from Switzerland and is a qualified naturopath. She works in the Turkey Heliski office year-round and works in the massage service in Ayder during the winter

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.

Sandrine

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@turkeyheliski.com