The Guiding Team at AKG
Anna Keeling - Company Owner, Mountain and Ski Guide
Anna Keeling loves mountains. She is an IFMGA-certified mountain and ski guide who grew up skiing in the Craigieburn Range. After years of climbing, skiing, guiding and adventure racing around New Zealand and the world, she and her family returned home in 2009. Based at Castle Hill Village in winter and in Salt Lake City, Utah (also in winter), the ‘Simper-Keelings’ (family of 3) make the most of their winters and brief spring/summers.
With ski descents and climbing ascents from Northern India’s Kedarnath done to Denali’s West rib as well as wins in International Adventure races and New Zealand’s Coast to Coast, Anna has spent her life zipping around outdoors. In addition to her business in New Zealand, Anna works as a Mountain Guide trainer and examiner for both the New Zealand Mountain Guide Association (NZMGA) and the American Mountain Guide Association (AMGA) and often contract guides for Alpine Recreation Canterbury.
As an avalanche educator, she’s taught courses and advised the New Zealand Mountain Safety council, NZAlpine Club, Utah Avalanche Centre, and Utah Mountain Adventures. Anna was the Ski Columnist for the Christchurch Press from 2011-2014. Her writing can be found in various outdoor publications and she was the key collaborator for the NZMGA’s mountain guide manual.
Roger Hodson - NZMGA Ski Guide
Originally from Dunedin, Roger is passionate about the outdoors as a recreational playground for kayaking, hunting, sailing, climbing, spear fishing, and, of course, SKIING. His split working life sees him working as a fresh water scientist in the rivers and streams of Southern New Zealand for much of the year, or at least when the water is falling in liquid form.
Roger began skiing as a toddler in central Otago, and hasn’t stopped spending seasons in the USA, Canada, and Japan. Including working as a glaciologist in the coast mountains of British Columbia, ski patrol, and avalanche instruction. In 2008 he graduated from Otago University after completing an honors degree in glaciology, and in 2017 became a full NZMGA ski guide. In his spare time Roger can often be found in the kitchen testing new recipes on friends, brewing full grain beer, making things with wood or out with his dogs and two daughters.
Anna Loomes NZMGA Ski Guide, NZMGA Trekking Guide
NZMGA Ski and Trekking guide Anna Loomes has been living in the mountains since her early twenties. She has recently returned to work and guide at the club fields, where the mountain bug first really took hold while volunteering at Temple Basin in 2011. Since then, both summers and winters have been full of exploring, learning and sharing the alpine environment with guests, students and friends. Anna is especially interested in avalanche forecasting, ski touring, and avalanche education.
Anna’s experience includes ski patrolling on Mt Ruapehu and at The Remarkables, guiding ski touring on the glaciers and other alpine regions of NZ, Canada and Japan. Heliskiing in Aoraki Mt Cook and Methven, and avalanche forecasting for the NZ Mountain Safety Council. Summers have been filled with travel, glacier guiding, alpine trekking guiding and working behind the scenes in the guiding industry. Some personal highlights so far have been ski touring in Alaska and Kashmir, climbing the Sheila face of Aoraki, Godzone Wakatipu and a month-long traverse of the central Southern Alps/ Ka Tiritiri o Te Moana.
Al Moore - NZMGA Ski Guide
NZMGA ski guide Al Moore lives in Methven and has an impressive history as a ski and river guide and avalanche educator. Al also holds several NZOIA instructor awards and is a qualified builder.
Al is passionate about being in the outdoors and enjoy many forms of outdoor activities including tramping, mountain biking, rock climbing, windsurfing, river rafting, kayaking, and skiing. He has spent decades as a tertiary level outdoor educator, ski patroller, heliski guide and river guide.
Married with two daughters, he now considers himself an empty-nester. Any spare time is often spent at the family bach at Lake Clearwater, indulging in some of the aforementioned outdoor activities.
Anna Scheirlinck - NZMGA Assistant Ski Guide
Anna Scheirlinck is a NZMGA Assistant ski guide with advanced avalanche qualifications, numerous NZOIA qualifications and a long history as a LANDSAR leader and project manager. She has worked as a ski guide in Canada.
Jane Morris - IFMGA Mountain/Ski Guide
IFMGA Jane Morris began shuffling around the NZ mountains when her parents thought tramping was a great idea for a family holiday. During her time at Otago University, mountain huts provided a good substitute for lecture theatres as she began exploring the Southern Alps in search of an alternative education. After spending 5 years as a nomad travelling and working in various mountainous corners of the globe she returned to NZ and worked in various outdoor related industries before transitioning to full time mountain and ski guiding in 2010.
Jane enjoys the simplicity that comes from being in the mountains and the reflection that comes from engaging with Mother Nature – the natural world is a brilliant teacher. Jane is a former president of the New Zealand Mountain Guide Association and brings a wealth of experience and poetic expression to any operation she works for. We are lucky to have her.
Scott Walker - NZMGA Ski Guide, Regional Avalanche Forecaster
Scott started his outdoor industry experience with Nelson Polytech back in 1994, moving swiftly onto the ski industry where he’s found his niche for the last 25+ years: 6 seasons on patrol, 20+ years seasons as a heli-ski guide, and as a full NZMGA Ski Guide since 2014. The last several as the NZMSC Avalanche Forecaster for the Craigieburn range.
Scott lives locally, just over the hill, in Springfield and spends his time recreating, both Summer and Winter, in the Craigieburn ranges, often seen with his young family in tow, learning the ropes of what the area has to offer. Scott guides locally, nationally and internationally and is passionate about his mountain office
