Zuc̓min Guiding

Zuc̓min Guiding An Indigenous owned and operated Hiking Guide company based in Calgary, Alberta Canada. Hiking, backpacking trips throughout British Columbia and Alberta. 🇨🇦

04/23/2026

Where the Athabasca Glacier once was is now Fireweed growing in it's place. 🌸

These bright pink flowers, Fireweed, are one of the first place to return after disturbance to help heal the land, anchor soil and welcome new life to take root. They remind us that renewal always follows change.

🏔️ Mountains are homes, teachers, and sources of identity.In 2024, Canada completed its first Canadian Mountain Assessme...
01/12/2026

🏔️ Mountains are homes, teachers, and sources of identity.

In 2024, Canada completed its first Canadian Mountain Assessment, a landmark project bringing together over 60 academics and Indigenous Knowledge Holders to better understand the state of mountain environments.

I was proud to contribute to three of the four sections of this assessment, and participated in the Indigenous roundtable, helping ensure Indigenous perspectives were meaningfully included, not just as consultation, but as collaboration built on consent, respect, and shared knowledge.

Through Zuc'min Guiding, we continue to advance this vision by connecting people to the land through guided experiences and educational programs that foster awareness, respect, and stewardship.

📚 Learn more about the assessment, and find ways to participate in your own mountain community.

🏔️ In the Canadian Rockies, glaciers and seasonal snowpack help regulate our rivers, support ecosystems, and shape the l...
12/30/2025

🏔️ In the Canadian Rockies, glaciers and seasonal snowpack help regulate our rivers, support ecosystems, and shape the landscapes we travel through. Together, they form part of the cryosphere, the frozen parts of our planet that sustain life and balance.

This year, the UN designated the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation to help us understand how these frozen landscapes sustain ecosystems, communities and culture. 🧊 We invite you to join us in learning how the mountains are changing, what that means, and how our cultural perspectives help us interpret these landscapes with care.

12/29/2025

What you don’t always see are the quiet moments of preparation and care. 🥾

Each guide is equipped with advanced wilderness first aid, years of field experience, a foundation in Indigenous Knowledge, and certified to the standards of the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides and the Interpretive Guides Association. They're always thinking ahead, watching the weather, checking gear, and making sure every guest feels safe and supported.

🧊 Glaciers aren’t just frozen water — they are water towers, climate records, and living cultural landscapes that connec...
12/22/2025

🧊 Glaciers aren’t just frozen water — they are water towers, climate records, and living cultural landscapes that connect us all.

In 2025, the United Nations declared the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation to highlight how the cryosphere (snow, ice, and glaciers) sustains life across our planet.

This year, I've been honoured to share Indigenous Knowledge within this global effort, supporting awareness and preservation through our partnership with IceWalks. 🥾 Together, we continue to share a message of respect, protection, and appreciation for the glaciers that shape our world.

12/21/2025

The Winter Solstice marks the return of light – a time of stillness, reflection, and preparation for what’s ahead.☀️ ❄️

For nearly 40 years, IceWalks has guided guests safely onto the Athabasca Glacier— helping people understand how glacier...
12/19/2025

For nearly 40 years, IceWalks has guided guests safely onto the Athabasca Glacier— helping people understand how glaciers shape the land, the water, and the stories that connect us all. 🥾

Through our collaboration, Zuc'min Guiding shares about the deeper relationships that exist within these frozen landscapes — the histories, teachings and responsibilities carried forward through generations. Each walk becomes a space for shared learning: where science and story meet.

Together, we share a commitment to learning from the land and raising awareness through the UN International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation. 🧊

12/19/2025

Meet Tim Patterson, founder and lead guide of Zuc’min Guiding. 🌲

Tim is a member of the Lower Nicola Indian Band part of the Scw̓éxmx, “People of the Creeks”, a branch of the Nlaka’pamux Nation.

🏔️ Growing up in Revelstoke, Tim’s connection to the mountains shaped his path as a guide, educator, and advocate for Indigenous Knowledge. He founded Zuc’min Guiding to share that knowledge through safe, meaningful experiences that honour the land and its stories.

On November 5 in Banff, Tim, along with others, was recognized by the for his ongoing work supporting glacier preservat...
12/05/2025

On November 5 in Banff, Tim, along with others, was recognized by the for his ongoing work supporting glacier preservation and bringing Indigenous perspectives to the UN International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation.

As the Indigenous Ambassador and representative for this global initiative, Tim has helped strengthen the connection between science and traditional knowledge — including welcoming members of Cumbres Blancas Colombia to Canmore and the Athabasca Glacier, where together they developed Glacier Nation Canada, an international collaboration focused on climate awareness and glacier protection.

For Zuc’min Guiding, this work reflects what guiding truly means: walking with respect, sharing knowledge, and learning from the land, water, and ice that sustain us all. 🧊

11/10/2025

Glaciers shape more than just the land, they shape who we are. 🏔️

In partnership with Cumbres Blancas, the Colombian initiative raising awareness around tropical glacier loss and Andean páramo restoration, Zuc'min Guiding has helped bring an Indigenous-led voice to the global effort of glacier preservation.

I worked alongside elders, Indigenous guides and international allies to frame ice, snow and mountain waters not only as physical resources, but as living parts of culture and community.

This is our invitation: to see the cryosphere through Indigenous eyes, recognize its role in our shared future, and act with respect and purpose.

.tourism.alberta

11/03/2025

Red ochre tells a story of protection, respect, and connection to the land. In the Nłeʔkepmxcín language, Zuc'min is the word for Ochre. People would paint there faces with ochre to protect themself before entering the mountains. As a guide one of our responsiblities is to ensure our guest were safe. 🥾

We are an Indigenous-owned adventure tourism company offering professional guiding, educational experiences, and Indigenous Art Walks across Western Canada. Our certified guides bring deep cultural knowledge, environmental care, and the highest standards of safety to every journey.

Through our work, we honour the land, share Indigenous narratives, and support others in building their own connection to place. 🏔️

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Calgary, AB
T2P1H2

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