Our Members

Nick Armitage
	Year you joined BSSAR: 2006 Year you moved to Big Sky: 2003 Why you joined BSSAR: 1. Helping people is good. 2. I feel at my best in bad situations. 3. Rescues and training are incredible adventures. What special talents you bring to the team: I'd like to think I bring a strong dedication to a positive team environment and a calm perspective to tough situations. What you do for work: I work as an avalanche forecaster for the Big Sky Ski Patrol. I have also been teaching karate for 17 years and have recently established a great group of students in Big Sky. Family and pets: Family: Lots, they live all over the world. Pets: Rocks, really big ones (I like to climb on them). Your certifications: EMT, Rigging for Rescue, AvPro (Professional Avalanche Workers School), Helicopter Crew Member (short hall and Long lIne), and a type 4 Incident Commander.
Dusty Ballantyne
	Year you joined BSSAR: 2006 Year you moved to Big Sky: 2002 Why you joined BSSAR: Add more voluteerism to my life and to put my training and experience to maximum use. What special talents you bring to the team: Extreme backcountry motorhead, not afraid to take on difficult challenges to achieve gratifying results. I am a avid snowmobiler and also love to take on missions where a 4-wheeler or motorcycle prevail to assist. I am a mechanic as well, so I can repair and maintain our equipment as needed. What you do for work: I work for the Big Sky Fire Department as a Mechanic/EMT/Firefighter. Family and pets: My wife Sharon, sons Levi and Cody. No pets currently as two boys are hard enough to keep out of trouble. Toys: 4 Snowmobiles, 2 motorcycles, 1 4-wheeler and plenty of gear. Your certifications: NREMT-B and MT EMT-B w/endorsements, Firefighter 1, and Backcountry Idoit Crew Leader (my buddies watch me hit all the trees first)
Pete Bolane
	Year you joined BSSAR: 2003 Year you moved to Big Sky: 2000 Why you joined BSSAR: I had several friends on BSSAR who all encouraged me to join. BSSAR is a very tangible and satisfying way for me to give back to the community. What special talents you bring to the team: Active: I can hike, climb, skin, ski and sometimes even snowmobile to a rescue. Geek: I can help with computer and technical problems. What you do for work: I started/own/run a local web design and computer troubleshooting business called Net Wave. Family and pets: Wife Josie, son Oliver and daughter Ruby. No pets, only plants. Your certifications: Wilderness First Responder.
Mark Bradford
	Year you joined BSSAR: 2006 Year you moved to Big Sky: 2002 Why you joined BSSAR: To help out the community and have fun in the backcountry What special talents you bring to the team: I bring strong motor skills to the team with years of snowmobiling, four wheeling, and dirt bike activities. What you do for work: Golf Course Superintendent and Road Maintenance for The Club at Spanish Peaks Family and pets: Wife Melissa and 1 year old daughter Hadley and no pets just my toys. Your certifications: Wilderness first responder
Kevin Budd
	Year you joined BSSAR: 2005 Year you moved to Big Sky: 1997 Why you joined BSSAR: I like knowing that someone is willing to come and find me or save my butt if an accident should occur in the backcountry. Sometimes your partner can only do so much. I think a good way to give a little to Big Sky is to be part of the team that gets to perform those skills. What special talents you bring to the team: EMT, beginning helicopter training. What you do for work: Carpenter Family and pets: My wife, Heather and our weird cat Murphy Your certifications: EMT
Phil Capy
	Year you joined BSSAR: 2001 Year you moved to Big Sky: 1995 Why you joined BSSAR: I was volunteering with Big Sky Fire and just decided to move across the hall to BSSAR. What special talents you bring to the team: Over the years, I have acquired quite a quiver of skills that all enhance my search and rescue abilities. Searching Skills -- I am a light aircraft pilot and was once an artillery spotter during the Korean War. If anyone is lost, my eagle-eye will spot them from afar. Rescue Skills -- During the Cold War, I worked on a Navy ice breaker in the Arctic and at times had to eat polar bear. There was nobody to rescue us up there, so we just had to learn how to rescue ourselves. Training Skills -- I am a certified EMT and CPR instructor, as well as a pro patroller and am always willing to share my knowledge with other BSSAR members. What you do for work: I am currently a pro patroller at Big Sky Resort in the winter and work in hotel maintenance in the summer. At one point in my life, I was a pilot script writer in New York City before moving to Los Angeles in '66 to work on the Gunsmoke set. Family and pets: We used to have a couple cats, but now it's just my wife, Linda, and I. Your certifications: EMT instructor, CPR instructor, W-EMT, Pro Patrol
Chaney Coleman
	Year you joined BSSAR: 2008 Year you moved to Big Sky: 2006 Why you joined BSSAR: I wanted to learn more about backcountry emergency medicine while volunteering in my community. What special talents you bring to the team: I bring eagerness & enthusiasm to learn and a calm, professional attitude during adverse situations. What you do for work: My husband and I just started our own local business, Headwaters Hot Tub Service and Repair. I am a horseback guide in the summer and help with snowmobiles in the winter at Canyon Adventures. I also wait tables and do sleigh ride dinners. Family and pets: Husband, Mac, cousins Katie & Tim, 3 spoiled cats, Watson, Xerox, & Tootie, and Ed’s horses Your certifications: Wilderness First Responder, Avalanche I Certification
Stephanie DeBiasio
	Year you joined BSSAR: 2007 Year you moved to Big Sky: 2005 Why you joined BSSAR: I joined BSSAR because I wanted to put my Wilderness First Responder to use, learn more about backcountry rescue and to personally feel more comfortable and confident in emergency situations.The training we receive is top-notch and we get to play with lots of fun rescue equipment! What special talents you bring to the team: Enthusiasm and willingness to learn. What you do for work: I am going to be a rookie Ski Patroller at Big Sky Resort and I also work part-time at the Hungry Moose. Family and pets: My parents live in Florida and my younger sister lives in Burlington, VT. No pets but I get to dog sit alot. Your certifications: Wilderness First Responder, Rigging for Rescue and Soon to be an EMT.
Ed Hake
	Year you joined BSSAR: 1992. Myself and 6 others formed BSSAR and got us a vote at the county level as part of the Gallatin County SAR. Year you moved to Big Sky: I was raised in the Gallatin Canyon. Big Sky wasn't here. Why you joined BSSAR: With the increase of backcountry use, it became apparent that we couldn't wait for the valley SAR to get here since paging was non-existent. We decided we needed quicker responses and better backcountry medical care for our patients. So, BSSAR was formed. What special talents you bring to the team: Knowledge of the area (outside of the ski resorts). Horseback experience, backcountry snowmobiling, ATV, whitewater kayaker. I feel I bring a sense of continuity to this organization. I have been on the board and a past president since 1992 and seen just how far this group has come over the years and hope to see how far we can go in the future. Plus, I have unbelievable skills as a negotiator with the sheriff….ha,ha,ha. What you do for work: I have owned and operated Canyon Adventures since 1990. I owned Covered Wagon Outfitters from 1981 to 2002. Family and pets: Wife Kathy, kids April and Eddie, grandkids Cameron and Dane. 1 cat and 3 dogs. Your certifications: Wilderness First Responder, Rescue 3 Whitewater, Avalanche I Certification
Steve Johnson
	Year you joined BSSAR: 2005 Year you moved to Big Sky: 2001 Why you joined BSSAR: I love the backcountry, and want to help others be safe as they enjoy it. What special talents you bring to the team: Have navigated trails all around the Big Sky area, and feel that I know the country reasonably well. Don't get lost, much. What you do for work: Retired Family and pets: Wife, Jeanne, four grown kids (Gwen, Tim, Pete, Chris), two of the world's finest grandkids (Kiley, Kody), yellow lab (Honey) and blue heeler/ranch mutt (Moon), cat (Katie) Your certifications: EMT-Basic, Wilderness EMT
Ryan Kulesza
	Year you joined BSSAR: 2005 Year you moved to Big Sky: 1998 Why you joined BSSAR: Being in Big Sky since 1998 I have come to love the area and spend more time in the Mountains than most dream about, I am very fortunate. As a result all the knowledge from medical training to crisis management that the Big Sky Search and Rescue program gives me is HUGE and I enjoy helping. What special talents you bring to the team: Knowledge of the area and experience ATVing, horseback riding, skiing, hiking, hunting, pack trips, camping and so on. What you do for work: Realtor for Prudential Big Sky Montana in Big Sky, Construction Management, Equipment Rental Family and pets: Unmarried, couple horses, dog , cat, couple plants, 4 wheeler Your certifications: Wilderness First Responder, Outdoor Emergency Care, and National Ski Patrol Endorsements
Allison Odato
	Year you joined BSSAR: 2005 Year you moved to Big Sky: 2004 Why you joined BSSAR: I joined to give back to the community and to further my own training. What special talents you bring to the team: I feel very comfortable in the backcountry and in stressful situations. I have a lot of experience with patient care. I can tie a double-sheet-bend if Thesing forgets how. What you do for work: I am a ski patroller at Moonlight Basin, an on-and-off waitress, and a nursing student. Family and pets: Family is scattered around, mostly on the East Coast, and no pets, just a boyfriend. Your certifications: EMT, EMT instructor, rigging for rescue, AAA Avy II
Tom Reeves
	Year you joined BSSAR: 2003 Year you moved to Big Sky: 2002 Why you joined BSSAR: I like to volunteer my time to the community helping people. I love the outdoors and I thought I could learn new skills. What special talents you bring to the team: I have a CPA and a MBA in Finance which helps with my treasurer duties. I'm very fit (for my age) and can navigate pretty good in the backcountry on foot, skis, ATV or snowmobile What you do for work: I'm a full time volunteer. Family and pets: I have a wife -Kay, a teen age daughter - Alice, and a Golden Retriever- Tess. Your certifications: EMT basic with medications, advanced airway, and monitoring endorsements. Canadian operations Avalanche I. Fire Fighter I. Helicopter Team member. Wilderness First Responder. Rigging for Rescue.
Melissa Richterich
	Year you joined BSSAR: 2008 Year you moved to Big Sky: 2003 Why you joined BSSAR: I love all the outdoor activities the canyon has to offer and I figured joining BSSAR would be a great way to improve my knowledge of the area while helping people in need at the same time. The medical and technical training we receive is also amazing. What special talents you bring to the team: I am a horseback guide by profession and spend my summers hiking and backpacking in the canyon. I also enjoy things involving technology and doing administrative work that no one else wants to do. What you do for work: I work for a local outdoor outfitting company called Canyon Adventures full-time in the summer and part-time in the winter. Family and pets: I live out here with my long-term boyfriend, Kevin Fosse, my best friend from college, Tom Frownfelder, and my neurotic cat, Toonces. Your certifications: Wilderness First Responder, Avalanche I Certification, Common Sense
Heather Squires
	Year you joined BSSAR: 2007 Year you moved to Big Sky: 2006 Why you joined BSSAR: Search and Rescue seemed like a great way to keep my WEMT certifications up to date as well as a way of becoming more involved in my community. What special talents you bring to the team: I am very active outdoors and enjoy new challenges. What you do for work: Nothing in particular, seasonal jobs. Family and pets: No family in Big Sky, it's just me and some frisky felines! Your certifications: WEMT-B, Avalanche 1, Whitewater Rescue Technician
Matt Squires
	Year you joined BSSAR: 2007 Year you moved to Big Sky: 2006 Why you joined BSSAR: To find climbing partners and contribute back to the community I call home. What special talents you bring to the team: I know my way around a GPS, so I bury a monthly geocache for other BSSAR members to find. What you do for work: You can find me at the Hungry Moose Market and Deli. I also volunteer as a fire fighter and a ski patroller. Family and pets: Though I have no family or pets of my own, my parents used to live in Big Sky and they (plus their dogs) visit me a couple times a year. Your certifications: Wilderness EMT, Avalanche One, Rigging for Rescue
Todd Thesing
	Year you joined BSSAR: maybe 2001? Not too sure; a while ago. Year you moved to Big Sky: Sept. 2000 Why you joined BSSAR: To get involved in community and learn more about rescue operations. What special talents you bring to the team: Active outdoor enthusiast, mostly kayaking, rock and ice climbing, ski mountaineering, mountain biking and nordic skiing. Always up for an adventure day or night. What you do for work: Own general contracting business called Highline Partners, specializing in unique green custom homes. Family and pets: Wife Rachel, Golden Retriever Roxy, mouse and bird hunting cat named Lewey. Your certifications: Wilderness EMT-B, High Angle Rescue Specialist-Rigging for Rescue/American Avalanche Association-Avalanche I-Red Mountain Pass/Swiftwater Rescue.
Jeff Trulen
	Year you joined BSSAR: 2006 Year you moved to Big Sky: 1998 Why you joined BSSAR: I like the outdoors and love to help people that are having a bad day What special talents you bring to the team: I bring a motor head mentality that allows me to get to hard to reach places fast. I also found out I have a knack for getting my snowmobile out of tough situations. I also dirtbike, mtn.bike, wake board, ski, snowboard, play softball, and collect designer handbags. What you do for work: I am currently a project manager for Big Sky Build. We build huge homes in the mountains! Family and pets: Married since '06 to Jessica Martin-Trulen. No pets, just my '08 polaris dragon RMK (modified of course) Your certifications: Wilderness 1st responder, ex volunteer fireman, school of hard knocks (aka bumps on head)