The drv board is made of present VIPS/volunteers who have worked in and around Denali National Park as medical professionals and rescue personnel.
2011 Founders & recipients of the Denali Pro Award: Heide Provencher// Jen Hunt-Latham// Cortney Kitchen
Steve Mock
President and Board Member, 2018
Field Volunteer: 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2021.
Background/Work: Professor of Chemistry and Climbing Instructor at The University of Montana Western, in Dillon, MT. Director and Instructor at the Khumbu Climbing Center, in Phortse, Nepal, a project of the Alex Lowe Charitable Foundation.
Mountain Experience: Raised in the flatlands of northern Indiana, Steve and his wife, Jan, moved to Montana in 1978 and he began climbing in 1981 in the Tetons and has been an active rock, ice, alpine, big wall, and expedition climber ever since, having climbed in North and South America, Europe, and Asia. He summited Denali on his first trip in 1990 and has returned to the Alaska and St. Elias Ranges of Alaska and Canada multiple times since then. In June 2018 on a 14k patrol, the team reached the summit of Denali, 28 years after his earlier ascent.
Heide Provencher
Founding Board Member, 2011
Board Member since: The beginning
Volunteer: 2011- current
Background/Work: Lives in Anchorage, AK with her partner Danna Drummond and two spunky dogs. She is a nurse and owns an awesome big white van she plans to convert to a live-in space. Heide has a mutlitude of talents, including being DRV’s valued treasurer. Enjoys time in the mountains with friends skiing, climbing, running, and rambling around.
Joyce Jenkins
Board Member, 2019
Field Volunteer: 2019
Background/Work: Avy 1, remote work as an architect in Alaska, nordic ski racer
Mountain Experience: Born and raised in Anchorage, Joyce currently lives in Talkeetna, Alaska with her partner Will Boardman and daughter June. Joyce is an architect/designer by trade and current full time mom. She enjoys backcountry and nordic skiing, mountain biking, running, and exploring the Alaska Range with her family and friends, via airplane, foot, and ski. Her volunteer experience was a unique, all women Base camp patrol full of crevasse rescue training, reading avalanche terrain, and ski exploring nearby peak Control Tower.
Benjamin Weaver
Board Member, 2018
Field Volunteer: 2015, 2016, 2018, 2021
Background/Work: Professional Ski Patroller, AIARE Instructor, Nurse Anesthetist
Mountain Experience: Ben has been a member of the Mt. Hood Meadows Professional Ski Patrol for 5 seasons. The quality training and experience that he gained while ski patrolling, along with Avalanche coursework prepared him well for being a VIP on Denali.
Jenna Malone
Board Member, 2018
Field Volunteer: 2014, 2015, 2018
Background/Work: Neurosurgery and trauma Physician Assistant at Intermountain Medical Center, a guide at Powderbird Helicopter Skiing and a patroller at Alta Ski Area.
Mountain Experience: Jenna has been an invaluable member of three National Park Service patrols on the West Buttress as a Denali Rescue Volunteer. Her diverse background has allowed her to fill multiple critical roles during each of her stints as a volunteer. Jenna’s unique skill set is a testament to her dedication to professionalism in a variety of disciplines.
Amanda Erickson
Board Member, 2018
Field Volunteer: 2010, 2017
Background/Work: Outdoor Education, Admissions for Alaska Mountaineering School, WFR, AVY 1,
Mountain Experience: Amanda grew up in the lowcountry of South Carolina and began rock climbing in the South. Moved west for college and began skiing/climbing classic Pacific Northwest mountains such as Hood, Adams, Whitney and others. Resident of Talkeetna and an Alaska Range explorer including glacier to tundra to river trips from the Ruth, Little Switzerland, Tokosha Mountains and others. Up for any challenge, though the ocean is her true happy place.
Taylor Bracher
Board Member, 2020-present
Field Volunteer: 2018
Background/Work: Instructor for Alaska Avalanche School and Alaska Mountaineering School, seasonal Park Ranger on the northside of Denali National Park, Emergency Medical Technician
Mountain Experience: Since moving to Alaska over a decade ago, Taylor has worked as a professional ski patroller, park ranger, mountain guide, and avalanche and mountaineering instructor. When she's not helping others safely explore the mountains, she enjoys putting in the skin track right out her front door in Cantwell, Alaska. She has traversed thousands of miles (and counting...) of wilderness by foot, ski, and packraft, fostering her passion for human-powered adventure in grand landscapes like the Alaska Range.
Denali National Park South District Staff: Each Denali VIP works closely with this crew of professionals during their volunteer time. Each of the 10 mountaineering rangers lead a single Denali patrol lasting 30 days and utilizing 3-4 volunteers. Some VIPs serve on shorter patrols to Denali’s Kahiltna basecamp or other climbing areas in the Alaska Range located within Denali National Park.
Click below to read about a few recent VIPs/volunteers who have returned for multiple Denali patrols to utilize their skills and expertise.
