Alfredo “Chino” Martinez is not your ordinary ski guide. On a given winter’s day, he might be leading a client down a steep slope in the Italian Dolomites, heli-skiing in the Rocky Mountains with a billionaire and his buddies, or spending a couple of weeks with a CEO’s family deep in the powder of Niseko in Japan. In the North American summer, he can usually be found in the Andes, skiing in Portillo, Chile or Catedral in Bariloche, Argentina, or jumping out on steep runs of perfect snow on remote Andean peaks.
These are all typical days for Martinez and a wealthy client or two, seeking the deepest powder and the steepest terrain in the world.
Welcome to the jet-set lifestyle of the private ski guide, who brings his well-heeled clientele all over the world in search of the perfect snow and the perfect turns. There are a handful of expert skiers who have the talent, the smarts, and the connections to live this lifestyle. People like two-time US Freestyle champion, John Clendenin, two-time World Extreme Skiing Champion Kim Reichelm and heli-ski pioneer Greg Harms, as well as Martinez.
