Our Team
Meet the Great Northern crew
Passionate skiers, experienced guides, and the team that makes your adventure unforgettable.
At Great Northern Powder Guides, we’re a small, family-run operation—no big corporate money here, just real people who love skiing as much as our guests. From seasoned guides who know every line of our Rocky Mountain tenure to the crew keeping our snowcats and lodges running smoothly, every member of our team shares one mission: to give you the best powder skiing experience in Montana.
The GNPG Family / The people behind the powder
Bill & Barbara Wetzel
Owners
Great Northern Powder Guides is now proudly owned and operated by Bill and Barbara Wetzel, year-round Whitefish residents who recently took over the operation. As owners of The Bar W Ranch and Whitefish Outfitters, Bill and Barb plan to bring new tour offerings to GNPG. Longtime entrepreneurs with a love for Montana’s wilderness and community, they are excited to carry GNPG forward while keeping its welcoming, family-centered spirit at the heart of everything they do.
Jay Sandelin
Founder
Founder of Great Northern Powder Guides, as well as operator, guide, cook, and janitor. Started skiing at the age of 3 in Steamboat Springs Colorado. Ski raced, ski jumped, and Speed Skied in the U.S. and in Europe.
Kylanne Sandelin
Co- Founder/Guest Services
Jay’s wife, Tarn and Dayne’s mama…Ky handles bookings and guest services.
Tarn Sandelin
Head Operator / Mechanic
Pisten Bully operator extraordinaire as well as mechanic, and fabricator. Tarn brings years of running and maintaining heavy equipment to our team as well as snow road building. He is safe, brave, and competent in the backcountry. Tarn has grown up skiing and snowmobiling in the very terrain we can now share with the public .
Brandtyn Sandelin
HR Intern / Guide Trainee
Brandtyn, Tarn and Kasey’s youngest child – Jay and Ky’s Grandson, is the youngest member of the GNPG team! He is interning / training for not only HR duties, but also has a passion and goals to be a guide. You will see his big smile most days in the co-pilot seat of one of the cats, or helping out around the office. Feel free to give this little man a big high five, fist bump, or wave when you’re headed out to the hill!
Ken Manuel
Guide
Ken started skiing in Lake Tahoe at the age of four and spent his early years ski bumming there as a lift-op at Squaw Valley. Ken started Ski Patrolling and continued his way in the ski industry in Tahoe. Ken guided for Pacific Crest Snowcats for ten years, he also worked Heli-guiding in Valdez at Alaska Backcountry Adventures.
Calvin Meyer
Guide
Calvin grew up in the mountainous state of Ohio. He was lucky enough to call Switzerland home for a few years when he was younger, and that’s where he learned how to ski and appreciate/respect the mountains. Calvin has been in Montana for a few years now and has enjoyed getting to ski the local ranges as well as the Canadian Rockies. In the last five summers he has traveled around the country guiding Whitewater trips.
Cole Maxwell
Guide
Cole is among the few that were born and raised in Whitefish, MT. He grew up competing in local Slopestyle and Boardercross contests that later sprouted into traveling to USASA competitions all over the Northwest. On top of that, Cole has 15 years of backcountry snowboarding experience, and countless powder stashes on GNPG terrain in his repertoire. This will be his 4th season at GNPG. During the summer, Cole spends his time working as a professional rock climbing guide just outside of Whitefish.
Grant Hughes
Guide
Returning for his fourth season, Grant is a certified American Avalanche Association Professional, self proclaimed mapping and weather enthusiast, nationally ranked rally car driver, and works as a professional Biostatistician. Grant effortlessly merges safety, snowpack, weather, and an intimate knowledge of terrain with his infectious addiction to having fun and adrenaline in his efforts to deliver one of the greatest day of riding ever to our guests.
Kenny Eilers
Guide
Kenny has his Avalanche Pro-1 & W-EMT, ski patrolled and guided for over half a decade, and is working his way through AMGA Ski Guide path. His favorite part of guiding is sharing the beauty and joy that the mountains have to offer with others!
Bill Dial
Operator
Bill Dial is a 41 + year law enforcement officer. He retired in 2021. He is an avid outdoorsman, hunter, and skier. He holds numerous certificates in first aid, CPR and is a former EMT. He and his wife Jo Ann have lived in Whitefish since 2001.
Hailey Allen
Guide
Hailey grew up in Somers, Montana, and has proudly stayed in the flathead for the majority of her life. She grew up in the mountains in and around this valley, and her love for them only grows the more intimately as she knows them. Hailey has been snowboarding for 16 years, and is pursuing the path to make it part of her profession as she steps into backcountry guiding. When snow isn’t falling, Hailey owns and operates her Landscaping and Gardening business. She is a certified Master Gardener, passionately learning about and facilitating the growth of flora in the Flathead.
Curtis Barletta
Guide
Curtis is from Brattleboro, VT and he’s been working in the ski industry since he was 17. He spent the last five winters as a professional ski patroller across Vermont and Colorado and have guided groups through zipline canopy tours in Massachusetts the last three summers. Curtis’s favorite part of guiding is making adventure accessible. It’s his dream to become a certified mountain guide. But most importantly he has a Mustache, loves maple syrup, and skiing!
Matt Hunsinger
Operator
Matt grew up chasing whitewater, powder, and critters. Raised on the farm lands of Indiana, some of those things were easier to find than others. A life time spent skiing and working with his hands, landed him where he should be, with Great Northern Powder Guides. When not working, he can be found anywhere with a beautiful view, or chasing his bird dog.
Denise Bellwoar
Yurt Host
Transplanted here from Pennsylvania in 2019, Denise is a retired nurse whose adventures in life led her to Montana for retirement. She enjoys skiing both downhill and cross country and spends time volunteering for the local food bank and the domestic violence program, and the the Abbie Shelter.
In Memoriam – Sway the Bobcat
Official mascot
With heavy hearts we remember Sway, who faithfully served Great Northern Powder Guides for 14 dedicated years. From 2010 to 2024, Sway worked tirelessly in the mountains making countless adventures possible and even starring in a few film cameos along the way. Sway was part of our story, reliable, steady, and always ready for the climb and welcoming our guests
Rest in peace, 2010 to 2024.
Our guides are certified in avalanche safety, wilderness first aid, and backcountry rescue. With daily terrain assessments and years of experience, your safety is always our top priority.
More than guides – we’re powder people
“The staff [at GNPG] are fantastic; they have hired great people, and it’s honestly one of the reasons why we keep going back. And there’s the mountain, the terrain, and there’s snow for everybody. The guides were fantastic. They have good people working for them. And I love the family operation aspect of it. So I hope that that vibe continues with the new ownership group.”
—Jeff Harder
Come ride with us
