Westcoast Adventure College

Samuel Yates Instructor

Sam was born in England, but grew up at the foot of the Bavarian Alps. He spent a large part of his youth hiking and sailing in summer and skiing and snowboarding in the winter, which kindled his lifelong passion for the great outdoors and his appreciation for the natural world.

At the age of 16, Sam became a snowboard instructor and following from this, after completing his undergraduate degree in Philosophy in Glasgow, Scotland, Sam decided to pursue his dreams and enrolled in a postgraduate degree in Outdoor Education from Edinburgh University. The course resulted in one of the most formative years of his life. Aside from learning a great deal of practical skills, such as climbing or canoeing in Scotland and ski-touring in Norway, Sam was also introduced to the concepts of experiential learning, personal and social development and environmental education, which have guided his teaching style since.

These skills proved incredibly useful whilst working as an Outdoor Education teacher at Macmillan Academy in England, which armed him with yet more theoretical and practical knowledge. Sam then moved to Canada to teach skiing and snowboarding for a winter and has been in Canada ever since. He has worked in a variety of positions in the tourism industry, including marina supervisor, a naturalist’s assistant, a summer camp counsellor and a high ropes technician.

Having broadened his experience further after studying at the West Coast Adventure College, Sam is excited to be able to use his skills from a range of different sources to help new students begin their career in adventure tourism.