About Summit Mountain Guides

Summit Mountain Guides is located in beautiful Nelson British Columbia. We offer year-round mountain skills courses & guided adventures in Western Canada and the world! Our daily-guided programs and multi-day backcountry adventures are for all skill levels in mountaineering, backcountry ski touring, ice climbing, rock climbing, backpacking and hiking. We specialize in small groups, custom trips & courses tailored to fit the skills, experience and goal of participants.

David Lussier is head guide and principal owner of Summit Mountain Guides, he is a certified mountain guide (IFMGA / ACMG) from Canada. He has been guiding and playing in the mountains of Western Canada since 1992. He, along with former owner Miranda Terlingen, started the business in 2007. The SMG team has grown and evolved over the years, it is composed of high quality individuals and skilled guides located in various parts of the Kootenays, Western Canada and beyond. David and the SMG team offer a wide range of skills and experience from trip logistics, guiding, instruction to mountain safety, all contributing to making SMG the ultimate outdoor adventure provider.

Summit Mountain Guides would like to acknowledge that we live, love, and work on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of Sinixt, Syilx, and Ktunaxa Peoples. We make this acknowledgment to show our respect for the təmxʷulaʔxʷ (homeland). We feel privileged and grateful to be here, and invite those reading this to explore their own relationship to place.

Join one of our programs and leave the safety logistics, best route choices and contingency plans to the experts and maximize your backcountry experience.

Thank-you! We look forward to guiding your mountain adventure…

David & the Summit team