
Nick Drieschman
– Extreme Tornado Tours Owner
Nick began his interest in storms at an early age traveling the high plains and prairies in Canada for summer trips with his parents. He founded his passion for severe weather watching twin waterspouts with his Grandfather at the age of nine. Nick decided to pursue storm chasing as a full-time passion in 2012 in the southwest deserts of the U.S.. He soon began putting all of his efforts into being able to chase storms in both the high prairies and plains, from Canada to Texas. Nick has completed numerous weather-related training programs and classes and was a past storm chase partner of DR. Reed Timmer. He is Red Cross certified across the board for first aid. Still photography is his priority when chasing while aiding in the warning process when possible. Currently, Nick has created a buzz about his photographic work and is now based in Norman Oklahoma as a six-year veteran guide and owner of Extreme Tornado Tours with over 150 tornado sightings under his belt. Nick is proud to be a part of the worlds most exciting storm chasing tour company.

Kevin Rolfs
– Team Meteorologist / Tour Guide
Kevin is a degreed meteorologist and an Oklahoma native. Being a native “Okie” he has an extensive history of riding out spring severe weather. In fact, one of his earliest memories is the sounding off of tornado sirens while casually sitting in his house as the storm rolls by. He’s been infatuated by weather since an early age, and began storm chasing at the age of 13 with his dad, he was hooked on it instantly! While attending the University of Oklahoma, he became friends with several people (including past ETT tour guide Scott Peake) and they formed the storm chasing team Basehunters. Still active, the Basehunters have captured extensive amounts of tornado/storm footage, several of which have been aired on TV networks and shows worldwide. Also during his time at OU, he placed first in a 20 week forecasting competition against professors, graduate students, and undergrads from all across the U.S.. Kevin is excited to be a part of the worlds most exciting chase tour companies!

Alec Scholten
– Tour Guide / Tour Driver
Alec Scholten was born and raised in a small town along the Illinois/Wisconsin border. While the weather wasn’t quite as turbulent as Oklahoma, Alec was struck with an obsession for severe weather and tornadoes starting at the age of 3. Whether it was drawing endless tornado pictures in grade school, or watching dozens of movies and documentaries, the composition and science behind tornadoes utterly fascinated him. At age 12, Alec went on his first true storm chase with a tour company and became hooked. Over the last 15 years, Alec has driven hundreds of thousands of miles in pursuit of his passion, documenting nearly 200 tornadoes and 2 hurricanes across dozens of states. He is no stranger to guiding tours either, having worked as a tornado tour guide since 2014, including multiple years with ETT. Alec is thrilled and grateful to be returning to the Extreme Tornado Tours Team in Spring 2020 and can’t wait to share his stories and experience with all of the incredible guests!

Ashleigh Lecoupe
– Tour Guide
Ashleigh Lecoupe is a lifelong storm enthusiast who holds a certificate in Severe Weather Forecasting from Penn State University. Growing up in Calgary, Alberta in Canada, Ashleigh was able to experience a great deal of changing weather including snow, blizzards, chinooks, and of course, severe weather. Naturally this bipolar environment sparked an early interest in weather. But it wasn’t until she saw the movie “Twister” at age 7, that her obsession with tornadoes began. In pursuit of “chasing” her weather endeavors, Ashleigh joined Extreme Tornado Tours as a guest in April of 2015, and fulfilled her dream of seeing a tornado near Pampa, Texas. This intense week in Tornado Alley inspired her to study and learn weather forecasting. Addicted to the rush, she returned as an ETT guest in 2016 with more knowledge and ambition, but she got more than just tornadoes, she also gained lifelong chase partner… Over the years Ashleigh has gained an incredible amount of experience and has seen numerous tornadoes alongside her husband/ETT owner in the 5 years she has been on the tours. Together this “real life Joe and Bill” team has chased from the vast Canadian Prairies, down through the southern Plains, and into the jungles of Dixie Alley. Ashleigh is very excited to be a part of the team here at ETT in the coming year!

David Hegner
– Tour Guide / Tour Driver
David Hegner grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, an area in the plains with some fairly historic tornado outbreaks. At an early age he experienced his first tornado when an F1 hit his home. There was only minor damage, but it developed a foundation for a respect and fascination for severe weather. David went on to take spotter training at the age of 16 and began storm chasing at that time. He pursued a university education in Canada majoring in Geography with a specialization in GIS and Climatology. Once he returned to the US his passion for storm chasing really began, driving countless hours across the entire country to witness and document severe weather. But it was the Rochelle, IL EF4 where he knew he was chasing for the rest of his life. On his 6th year of chasing he has seen over 100 tornadoes and likes to focus on time lapse photography. In fact, some of his time lapse footage is showcased in our intro video. David is excited to be a guide for your adventure this year, and loves to talk shop. If you have any questions about photography or weather in general, don’t hesitate to ask!