Our Story

YuSquatch was born out of one person’s dream to live fully in the wild — and one unforgettable journey north.

Raph, an adventurer from Quebec, is the founder of YuSquatch and the spark behind everything we do. After serving in the military for six years, he traded structure for freedom, bought a van, and set off across Canada with a simple goal: to live outside, explore remote places, and reconnect with nature. The deeper he went into the backcountry, the clearer it became — this was the life he wanted. And when he reached the Yukon, it all clicked.

Endless spruce forests. Jagged peaks. Midnight sun. Wild rivers and tundra valleys. It was everything adventure should be — raw, remote, and real. Raph created YuSquatch to share that experience with others. Not just through guided hikes or gear lists, but through full immersion: traveling together in a converted bus, camping in the wild, cooking over fire, and waking up to nothing but mountains and silence.

A little later, Stephanie joined the story. Originally from the Netherlands, she’d always felt the pull of wild landscapes and an unconventional life. After leaving the corporate world behind, she met Raph while hiking in the Rockies. They connected instantly — drawn together by a shared love for freedom, mountains, and movement. She joined him in Canada and followed the road north, straight into the wild heart of the Yukon.

Today, they run YuSquatch together — not just as a guiding company, but as a way of life. Each trip is built to bring people off-grid and into nature: to hike where there are no trails, to sit around fires under northern skies, to live simply and fully. Through vanlife, wilderness travel, and a whole lot of heart, they help people experience the kind of freedom and adventure that changed their own lives.

Founder & Lead Guide (ACMG certified)

Raphael

Before becoming a guide, Raph’s life looked very different. Born on the East Coast of Quebec, he joined the military right after high school and served for six years. But everything changed when he first laid eyes on the mountains. The raw beauty, the challenge, and the sense of community pulled him in.

From that moment on, he set his sights on the outdoors — trading the military for a life of climbing, hiking, skiing, and guiding. He began training and taking courses to become a certified mountain guide, diving headfirst into a new way of life.

His travels have taken him through South and Central America, Northern Canada, and deep into the Alaskan wilderness, always chasing wild places and new challenges.

Now, through Yusquatch Mountain Adventures, Raph shares that passion with others — helping people experience real adventure in some of the most remote, awe-inspiring landscapes on the continent.

Co-guide & Adventure host

Stephanie

Originally from the Netherlands, Stephanie always felt out of place in the flat, paved world of city life. After years in the corporate grind in Amsterdam, she traded her desk for a backpack and started exploring the world — traveling solo through Asia, Central America, and Europe whenever she could break away.

The mountains gave her what city life never could: space to breathe, freedom to roam, and a deeper connection to the wild.

Eventually, she landed in the Canadian Rockies, where she met Raph on a trail — a fellow nomad with a passion for remote places. The connection was instant. Not long after, she joined him in vanlife and followed the road north to the Yukon.

Now she calls the Yukon home — a place that still feels remote and truly wild. At Yusquatch, Stephanie brings a deep love for backcountry travel, group connection, and creating that magical feeling of being far away from everything… and exactly where you’re meant to be.