Meet The Team

Central Colorado’s Backcountry Education Experts

Our team is built on a shared passion for the mountains, backcountry exploration, and avalanche safety. With diverse backgrounds in guiding, emergency response, and snow science, each instructor brings a unique set of skills and experience to the table. Whether leading courses, chasing deep snow, or pushing the boundaries of hybrid access riding, our crew is dedicated to sharing knowledge, fostering safety, and creating unforgettable backcountry experiences. Get to know the experts who make it all happen.

Powder Pro Lab founder and lead instructor Keith Hadyk poses next to a SkiDoo snowmobile at a motorized avalanche education trailhead day with Friends of CAIC in Colorado

Keith “Fish” Hadyk

Founder, Lead Instructor

Keith Hadyk is a highly respected snow industry professional with extensive experience in teaching, medical services, ski patrolling, mountaineering, guiding, international competitions, and global expeditions. For the past 15 years, he has been based in the central mountains of Colorado, dedicating his career to professional athletics and snow safety. Keith holds a variety of certifications, including AIARE Motorized Instructor, A3 Pro 2, Pro AvSAR, and Wilderness First Responder (WFR), in addition to OSHA and extensive FEMA training. He is an Ortovox Motorized Ambassador/Athlete and serves as an AIARE IT/Pro Trainer. Keith also holds an A.S. in Avalanche Science from Colorado Mountain College, further solidifying his expertise in the field.

Jennifer Phillips

Founder

Jennifer Phillips is a Colorado native, lifelong mountain explorer, and dedicated splitboarder. As the Library Director at UCAR/NCAR and a Yale Ph.D. graduate, she brings intellect, leadership, and passion to the team. With a deep love for the alpine, she has spent countless hours exploring Colorado’s 13ers in all seasons. Hybrid access riding has become her newest pursuit, allowing her to reach deeper, untouched terrain and endless powder runs beyond the crowds.

Mike Thurston

Snowmobile Guide

Mike Thurston is a certified snowmobile guide with AIARE 2 Motorized, AIARE Rescue, and WFR certifications. Now in his first year of professional guiding, he has spent nine years in Colorado, with the last three based in Leadville. He chases deep snow across northern, central, and southern Colorado, riding a 2025 Summit Expert Turbo. While primarily a snowmobiler, he also enjoys snowboarding a few days each season.

Sam Chipkin

Avalanche Safety Instructor

Sam Chipkin, also known as Sammy, is a certified avalanche safety professional with AIARE 1, 2, Rescue, Pro 1, ITC, and WFR certifications. A member of A3, he has lived in Colorado for 12 years and is based in Minturn, where he can ride Meadow Mountain from his front door. While the Vail area is home base, he loves exploring new terrain. He rides a 2018 Skidoo Summit 850 and is an avid skier and snowboarder. In the off-season, he enjoys moto, mountain biking, and backcountry backpacking. Originally from New York City, his journey into avalanche science is as unexpected as it is exciting.

Jared Berman

Lead Splitboard Guide & Avalanche Instructor

Jared “Berm Town” Berman is an AIARE Instructor, A3 Pro 2, and certified AIARE Rescue specialist with a background as a guide and SWAT technician. Originally from the East Coast, he now calls Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley home. As the team’s lead splitboard guide, he combines technical expertise with a passion for teaching in the backcountry.

Ryan “Bunk” Bunker

Avalanche Safety Instructor

Ryan “Bunk” Bunker is an experienced guide, instructor, and emergency responder with A3 Pro 1, WFR-EMT certifications, and an active RN license. Originally from Albuquerque, NM, his passion for the mountains grew alongside his careers in guiding and emergency medicine. His experience spans global adventures, including time in Argentina, as well as guiding in Alaska. A dedicated search and rescue volunteer, he brings a strong background in emergency resource management to his work in avalanche safety.

Tyler DeWitt

Instructor

A Colorado native and Summit County local, Tyler “Time Lord” DeWitt is a seasoned snowboarder and backcountry rider. With AIARE 2, AIARE Rescue, and WFA certifications, he brings a wealth of hands-on experience to avalanche education. Whether on his sled or splitboard, he’s always chasing deep snow and good lines with a lifetime of mountain knowledge behind him.