Curt Pollock, Ph.D., L.C.S.W.
Blue Goat Expeditions was co-founded by Dr. Curt Pollock, who spent the better part of his career preparing for this work. Specifically, it was in response to his life-changing trips into wild places, his deep dive into the corpus of research related to the psychological benefits of the wilderness experience, lessons learned during his doctoral research and years spent in the helping professions, and his continued interest in helping people grow and develop, that Blue Goat Expeditions was born.
Curt is a retired United Methodist Clergyman, a licensed clinical social worker, is certified to administer, analyze, and score the SOI, and is a certified ITC coach through Minds at Work. He earned his PhD from the University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada in human and social development. He has climbed and skied in Alaska, Utah, Wyoming, British Columbia, and Alberta, and lives with his wife Jie in Anchorage, Alaska.
Zach Jin
Blue Goat Expeditions was co-founded by Zach Jin. Zach and Curt share a deep passion for helping people to live their best lives. Having planned adventures and expeditions for friends and family for many years, it was a natural progression for Zach to begin planning programs, scouting new sites, and running operations at Blue Goat.
For the past decade Zach has worked for non-profits in international development. This work has allowed him to live, experience, and go on adventures around the world. He lives in Anchorage, Alaska where he enjoys skiing, climbing, mountain running and doing all of the fun things Alaska has to offer. Zach is also an active member of the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group.
Nevin Harper, Ph.D., R.C.C.
Dr. Nevin Harper is a professor in the school of Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education, at the University of Victoria, BC, Canada. He is a leading thinker and author in the field of adventure education, outdoor therapies, and leadership and has authored two books and dozens of peer-reviewed articles. Nevin is a registered clinical counsellor and instructor trainer in outdoor leadership in Canada. Nevin will begin the ITC coach certification program next year and, once complete, will begin coaching for Blue Goat Expeditions. Nevin lives with his family on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada.
Brian Jones, ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide
Brian is the owner of and lead guide for Canada West Mountain School and he oversees the guiding for Blue Goat Expeditions. He has spent the past two decades leading expeditions to the "seven summits" including a successful guided ascent of Everest in 2008. He also has extensive experience in the mountain ranges of Alaska, Canada’s Yukon Territory, California’s Sierras, the European Alps, South America’s Andes, Russia’s Caucus Mountains, and Antarctica. Brian lives with his family in Squamish, BC, Canada.
PHOTO CREDIT: The landscape and action photos on this website were taken in the area we operate our expeditions. They were used with permission from Darren Foltinek of Front Range Imaging, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. You can reach him via email at darren@frontrange.ca. His website is https://frontrange.ca/
LOGO CREDIT: Scott Spencer-Wolff provided the technical and creative expertise to help craft the Blue Goat Expeditions logo.