Meet the Team!
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Lana & Henry Madsen
Directors The 'He' and 'La' of HeLa, Henry and Lana have owned and operated HeLa since 1987. Until 1997, they provided school programs from May to June and September to October, and spent their summers guiding for Nahanni River Adventures. Their winters involved more University, cross country skiing, and various contract positions with school boards and university. Following the birth of their first daughter, they figured it was time to upgrade their living situation, so they moved out of their blue van and purchased the present HeLa facility. Henry and Lana are heavily involved in the cross country ski community, and the winter finds them both on their skis as often as possible. Henry is also a Principal with Edmonton Public Schools while Lana works as a Programmer at the Strathcona Wilderness Centre. During their spare time, if they have any, they pursue their outdoor passions with their 2 daughters, Kiera and Rhea. |
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Brett Pawlyk
Program Manager | MAS Head Teacher Brett has been with HeLa since 2002. Brett's passion for paddling has taken him to rivers all over North America and the rest of the world. His favourite would have to be either the Churchill in northern Saskatchewan or the Colorado through the Grand Canyon. He is also an avid rock-climber, scrambler and backpacker and spends most of his winters exploring warmer countries. He recently published the guidebook David Thompson Country: A Scrambling Guide. Lana and Henry have been kind enough to allow HeLa to be the full-time home for his family. Certifications and training include: B.A Recreation & Tourism, B.Ed University of Alberta Alberta Certified Teacher (PPC) Wilderness First Responder (80hr) Swiftwater Rescue Technician Paddle Canada Moving Water Canoe Instructor Trainer Advanced Tandem and Solo Paddle Canada Camping Leadership Instructor Trainer Paddle Canada Lake Canoe Instructor Trainer Intermediate Tandem and Solo ACMG Top Rope Climbing Instructor Avalanche Safety Training 1 NCCP 1 Orienteering Coach |
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Annabelle Oung Administrative Manager This is the French accent you'll hear when you phone HeLa! Annabelle moved to Alberta from France in 2009 for what was supposed to be a 9 month stint. Fast forward 13 years and she is still here. She spent her first few years in Canada working at HeLa in the summers and teaching French in Edmonton in the winters before moving to HeLa full-time. She is also a freelance translator. Annabelle is an avid mountain explorer and this is where you will almost always find her on her time off. These days she packs a tiny human along on all of her adventures. Certifications and training include: B.A English & French as a Foreign Language, Post Grad Diploma FSL - Université de Rouen ATIA Certified Translator English-French Wilderness First Responder (80hr) Alberta Food Sanitation & Hygiene |
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Adam Biesinger
Facility Manager Adam worked at HeLa in its early days, in the late 90's and early 2000's, before leaving for many years to pursue other life goals. The HeLa vortex brought him back in 2016. Adam is a trail-runner, climber, biker, skier, free-diver and all around explorer. A jack of all trades, his latest projects involve building his own tiny home and row boat. You may even spot him on a biking or climbing program at HeLa. Certifications and training include: Lakeland College Adventure Tourism Degree Wilderness First Responder (80hr) Avalanche Safety Training 1 Certified Bicycle Mechanic AIDA 3 Advanced Freediver NCCP 1 Orienteering Coach Registered Massage Therapist |
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Kiera Madsen
Instructor Kiera just graduated from the U of A with a Bachelor in kinesiology, major in sport performance. This is her 5th season working as a guide at HeLa but prior to that, she spent most of her summers doing the MAS programs from 101-401. She is also a cheer coach in Edmonton. Fun facts: the first time she was in a canoe, she was 4 days old and she summited her first mountain at 3 weeks (through no physical effort of her own of course)! Certifications and training include: B. Kin., University of Alberta Wilderness First Responder (80hr) Swift Water Rescue Technician Paddle Canada Moving Water Canoe Instructor Intermediate Tandem Paddle Canada Lake Canoe Instructor Trainer Intro Tandem Paddle Canada Lake Canoe Instructor Intermediate Tandem Paddle Canada Lake Canoe Instructor Solo NCCP 1 Orienteering/XC/Gymnastics Coach CANSI 1 |
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Keo Ohler
Instructor Keo Ohler is in her fifth year of a concurrent degree in English and education at the University of Calgary. This is Keo’s fifth year working at HeLa Ventures after graduating from the Mountain Adventure School program. In her time off, Keo loves to be out on the river. She can be easily identified in the wild by her abundance of purple gear. Certifications and training include: Wilderness First Responder (80hr) Swift Water Rescue Technician Paddle Canada Moving Water Canoe Instructor Intermediate Tandem Paddle Canada Lake Canoe Instructor Trainer Intro Tandem Paddle Canada Lake Canoe Instructor Intermediate Tandem Paddle Canada Lake Canoe Instructor Solo NCCP 1 Orienteering Coach |
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Derek Warrior
Instructor This is Derek's fifth year as an instructor, and he also completed the 4 years of the MAS program. Derek is our designated and beloved bus driver, and you will get to hear a variety of 80's tunes on the long bus rides to and from camp. At camp you may spot him frying bacon in the kitchen while wearing a jean jacket and listening to Bon Jovi. Certifications and training include: Wilderness First Responder (80hr) Swift Water Rescue Technician Paddle Canada Moving Water Canoe Instructor Trainer Intro Tandem Paddle Canada Moving Water Canoe Instructor Intermediate Tandem Paddle Canada Lake Canoe Instructor Intermediate Tandem Paddle Canada Lake Canoe Instructor Solo NCCP 1 Orienteering Coach CANSI 1 |
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Kyra Hermann
Instructor/MAS Teacher Kyra (or K2) first came to HeLa in 2014 as a MAS 101 student. Flashforward 7 years and her whole life has been built around the relationships and love of adventure that was originally cultivated there. K2 is an avid mountain biker, backcountry skier, climber and paddler who loves to be in the mountains as much as possible. Kyra recently finished her Bachelor of Education from the University of Alberta and is elated to be part of the team that allowed her to find the adventure community she so dearly loves today. K2’s life goal is to make every human being fall in love with bikes and the adventures they can give us. Certifications and training include: B.Ed University of Alberta Wilderness First Responder (80hr) Swift Water Rescue Technician Paddle Canada Moving Water Canoe Instructor Intermediate Tandem Paddle Canada Lake Canoe Instructor Intermediate Tandem Paddle Canada Lake Canoe Instructor Solo Avalanche Safety Training (Level 1) Red Cross Lifeguard (and Lifeguard Instructor) Red Cross Water-Safety Instructor NCCP 1 Orienteering Coach |
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Kenny Lord
Instructor Kenny is currently in his 5th year of Earth and Atmospheric Science at the University of Alberta. This will be his third year working at HeLa Ventures. He grew up loving the outdoors and is a keen paddler, climber, skier, biker, hiker, slackliner and more. He can be easily identified by following the sound of whistling or by his flamboyantly coloured paddling jacket! Certifications and training include: Wilderness First Responder (80hr) Swift Water Rescue Technician Paddle Canada Moving Water Canoe Instructor Intermediate Tandem Paddle Canada Lake Canoe Instructor Intermediate Tandem Paddle Canada Lake Canoe Instructor Solo NCCP 1 Orienteering Coach |