Elemental Adventure was founded by James Morland in 1999 and is the product of a passion for skiing and adventure in beautiful, remote places, untouched by the modern world. James is involved in all aspects of the business from guiding on the slopes of Iceland and BC to answering your questions on the phone.
An Elemental Adventure is about experiencing the elements not from a distance as a tourist but by being part of them and their environment. From the bubbling volcanoes and molten lava flow of Kamchatka to the deep emerald waters of an Alaskan fiord we strive to offer you a genuine, ‘real’ experience that will remain with you forever.
We are passionately obsessed with skiing and have been involved in the industry for nearly two decades. We have either guided or skied at every destination on this website (and many more), we know the world of heli-skiing inside out and it is always a pleasure to share our knowledge and experience with you.
Over the years I have been fortunate enough to do many hundred ‘runs of a lifetime’ but what I enjoy more than anything is seeing the looks of sheer delight and intoxicated happiness on our guests’ faces - knowing that I have played a part in creating a special memory. I can never get bored of that and it is a big part of why I love what I do.
Before starting Elemental Adventure James worked as a professional ski patroller in Canada and New Zealand, managed remote fishing lodges in Arctic Russia and took guests sailing all round the world from Alaska to South East Asia. He has a degree in psychology, is certified by the Canadian Avalanche Association to level 2, is an RYA Yacht Master and is part way through becoming a guide with the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides. Today he is involved in all aspects of running the business right down to the grass roots of guiding.
Although I have a degree in Design, a passion for writing, experience working in the communications sector (including as freelance writer and web designer), skiing has been an integral part of my life for as long as I can remember. I started skiing at age 3, was a member of the Australian Alpine Ski Team as a teen. I have worked as a ski instructor and dabbled as a ski patroller, snow sports-writer and extreme skier (completing several first female ski descents in the Mont Blanc Massif).
After taming her passions, Lisa trained and then worked as a mountain guide (including as a heliski guide) for more than 10 years with adventures that took her to New Zealand, The Alps, Scandinavia, Russia and beyond . . . she then brought her in-depth skiing knowledge and communications expertise to Elemental Adventure in 2018.
Cross-country skiing, ski touring far from crowds or a ski picnic outing with her family are her ski related activities of choice these days. Oddly enough, her two daughters prefer figure skating to skiing.
Having worked in skiing for my whole career, you'd be forgiven for imagining that I'm a diehard skier myself but the truth is that I'm not that brave. For me it's all about the scenery and the moments shared with friends in the mountains, over a great lunch or laughing on a chairlift. The places we feature can be equally beautiful in summer and I'm excited to be developing some summer experiences to offer our guests soon.
Lisa began her career with a small specialist ski operator before joining Scott Dunn Travel where she managed sales operations, responsible for fulfilment of guests' holidays all over the world and identifying and resolving problems. She is a true travel expert with a wealth of experience in turning incredible dream trips into seamlessly delivered reality in almost every part of the world.
In 2001 I left a "proper job" in London to do a ski season. One season turned into many as that insatiable craving for more turns, whether skiing or surfing, kept me coming back for more and I never looked back, stumbling into a career in travel, now in its third decade and which has given me thousands of days on the snow or the water.
Before joining Elemental Adventure, Olly was with Scott Dunn Travel in multiple roles for almost 20 years, from running top-end serviced ski chalets to developing the tailormade product range. He worked in France for eight years, spending winters in Val d'Isere and Courchevel and summers near Hossegor. He is now based on the coast of Southern England and joined Elemental Adventure to help James grow and diversify the business.
Hailing from Scotland, I grew up skiing in relentless wind, on bulletproof ice, rock hopping and heather dodging - often all in one day. I'm now looking for something a little more tranquil. I found this tranquillity skiing in Northern BC at Last Frontier and Bella Coola in Spring of this year. It's safe to say there’s no going back now.
Kat has always strived to spend more time in the mountains than at ground level. Following a 3-year adventure hiatus - when she qualified as a Chartered Accountant and navigated the corporate world - she's returned to her Shangri-La in the Alps joining Elemental Adventure. Mountains are a priority in her life - if it's not skiing she's ultra-running, trekking or climbing in the Scottish Munros or more recently the peaks of Chamonix.
I was incredibly fortunate to grow up skiing and snowboarding from a young age, once I'd completed my degree in Environmental Science I decided to take a year out before thinking about trying to knuckle down and get a 'real job'. Five winter seasons later and what started out as a recreational hobby has developed into a full-time career, and there's no going back now. There aren't many other jobs which involve talking to guests about skiing the best powder around the world, whilst also getting to experience it for yourself.
Before joining Elemental Adventure Chris spent multiple winters working as a private chalet driver for several high-end luxury tour operators including Scott Dunn Travel, whilst managing private villas and kitesurfing in Mallorca during the summertime. During this period he developed a wealth of knowledge in delivering exceptional experiences for year-round guests, as well as a serious obsession with ski touring and endurance sports, competing in the Mallorca Ironman 70.3. Having just returned from an incredible Canadian road trip around Northern BC and Revelstoke, it's fair to say he's well and truly addicted to chasing the softest turns around the world, wherever that may be.
