Representing in Western Canada Premium Footwear
and Gear Brands for Active Outdoor Lifestyles
About Us
In business since 1988, no Sales Agency in western Canada serving the Outdoor Specialty trade has greater breadth and depth of experience than Mystery Mountain Sales. And no Sales Agency brings more authenticity and passion for mountain sports, with all of Mystery Mountain’s team enjoying past and/or current careers as professional Mountain Guides and Ski Patrollers. We bring this same professionalism and enthusiasm to representing our brands, all of whom we carefully align with core shared values of respect for the natural environment and a deep reverence for the regenerative and healing power of spending quality time in nature. We believe in the “fellowship of the rope. Dependability, persistence, measured risk-taking, and goodwill faith and trust in our vendors and retail partners are our cornerstones for developing mutually beneficial business outcomes with an unrelenting focus on developing sustainable growth. We are Mystery Mountain.
The Team
Michael Down
As the youngest fully certified ACMG guide in the history of the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides, Michael also sports a celebrated record as one of the most accomplished alpine climbers in Canadian mountaineering history, with first ascents of hard technical new routes on many of Canada’s greatest peaks including Mt Logan, Mt. McArthur, Mt. St. Elias (almost), Mt. Fairweather, Devil’s Thumb, Lotus Flower Tower, and dozens of the main summits in the Coast and Waddington Ranges. Further afield, Michael was one of the earliest Canadians to complete the “Seven Summits”. Michael also takes this drive to achieve big goals to Mystery Mountain. His passion for the great outdoors is as strong as ever, as is his desire to continuously build a thriving Sales Agency blending old-school grassroots ethics with an innovative spirit striving to incorporate current best business practices.
Jean Gamilovskij
As testimony to his sense of purpose and resolve, Jean left the former Soviet Union as a teenager with barely a ruble in his pocket, and sailed to Newfoundland where he disembarked to begin both his Canadian climbing career and earning a living with guiding and working the floor in Outdoor Specialty Retail. Working his way west with stints as a Product Team Leader in MEC’s A stores, Jean is an unparalleled purveyor of product knowledge for virtually all categories of technical outdoor. He’s also a very high-powered technical rock and ice climber, with numerous ascents of Canadian Rockies waterfall ice test-pieces, as well as new routes in the Waddington Range. Jean continues to apply his high level climbing and mountaineering skills to ACMG certification as he works towards full UIAGM certification from home base in Canmore AB.
James Retty
James has done it all. With a start in the outdoor trade as a Paddling Guide on the Ottawa River during his University days and Ski Instructor in the Swiss Alps, James worked his way west to the Whistler Pro Patrol. And from there it was into the Outdoor Sporting Goods trade, first as an independent Sales Representative, where his sharp business acumen led to tours of duty as Sales Director for illustrious brands such as Arctery’x and Deuter before a burgeoning family required him to stay closer to home. Anchored in Sea-To-Sky country, James then stepped into full ownership of the Escape Route, building up Whistler’s pre-eminent Outdoor Specialty shop into a 3 store chain imbued with passion for backcountry culture and excellent service rooted in outstanding product and industry knowledge. After selling his stores James has now come full circle back to the Sales Agency role, bringing with him a 360 degree view of the Outdoor trade and peerless experience in all 3 key positions as Vendor, Retailer, and Sales Representative. Nobody in western Canada has wider experience in the Outdoor Specialty trade than James.
Jaime Gutierrez
Jaime came to Mystery Mountain via SCARPA North America’s SAMI (SCARPA Athlete Mentorship Initiative) program, with its mission to support accomplished athletes from historically marginalized communities in aspiring to build an outdoor community of greater inclusion. As a graduate of the first SAMI cohort, Jaime leads Mystery Mountain’s youth movement as a new school rock and ice climber pushing the sport at its highest levels, while dedicating his craft to ultimate IFMGA Mountain Guide certification through the Mountain Guide association of his native Spain. Jaime is a determined climbing crag rat, which is his favoured venue for expressing a geeky love of outdoor gear as he’ll always bring along at least 4 pairs of shoes just to test them out. He makes his basecamp in Canmore AB, but during road season he’s equally at home parking his van beneath the Squamish Chief in an ongoing personal battle for preference between granite and limestone.