I headed out to the Canadian Rockies again for my annual Heli-ski Trip with family and friends.  The Bugaboo Lodge was where Heli-skiing really all got started back in 1965 by an Austrian mountain and ski guide named Hans Gmoser and his company Canadian Mountain Holidays.

One of the Bugaboo Spires on the first run of a very cold morning!

They originally began flying with Bell 47 helicopters (MASH-type) but now fly twin-engine turbine powered Bell’s.  The scenery is breathtaking and the famous Bugaboo Spires can be seen above the lodge at the head of the glacier at the end of the valley.

One of the great things about the Canadian Rockies is the altitude we ski at is lower than in the States.  The lodges are around 2500′ and the tops of the highest runs are around 8000′.  As a comparison, the bottom of the mountain I ski at in Utah begins at 8000′.  This translates into more oxygen for the Heli-skiers and thicker air for the helicopters to operate more efficiently.

Our chariot arrives to take us closer to heaven and more fresh powder!

There are a number of lodges to choose from and several offer Heli-hiking in the summer, which I want to check out one day.

Everyone goes through safety training upon arrival and goes over the details of  the avalanche beeper training, which we all wear.  Everyone now carries a backpack with a radio, a snow probe, and a snow shovel in case of an accident.   Once this is done, it’s off to the slopes for fun in the powder!

What it's all about!

We eat lunch out on the mountain, which is delivered by a second smaller helicopter. Guides also use this helicopter for checking snow conditions and occasionally blasting to set off avalanches under controlled conditions.

Lunch on the mountain!

Most lodges have four groups of 11 skiers and a guide per helicopter but a few have three groups.  There maybe a few times where you wait for a lift while the helicopter refuels but you then get the opportunity to take a rest and enjoy the scenery.  As long as the weather conditions are good, I’ve always gotten more than my share of great skiing.

Bored waiting for the helicopter? I made a face in a Snow Cookie!

Heli-skiing is not without it’s hazards.  One of the really fun aspects is tree-skiing.  To me, it’s the ultimate video game because every run is different and you never know what’s coming up next.  You follow the technique race car drivers use in a car crash.  Don’t look at the wall (or the trees) . . . look for the open spots!  Sometimes they’re a bit narrower than you’d like and you end up catching a thorny branch or two.

A hazard of skiing in tight trees . . . thorny branches!

There’s a basic rule they tell us that I’m pretty good at following, “If you can’t see over it . . . don’t ski over it!”  

Of course, everyone thinks about avalanches.  The weather and snow conditions can change quickly over the week but the guides are well-trained and alert to the current conditions.  They’ve learned much over the years and their knowledge has increased safety.

Several years before I began heli-skiing, some of my family came to the Bugaboos for their first ever trip in 1994 and witnessed the worst accident in CMH history.  They had just finished a run called Bay Street as Group One and, while waiting at the bottom, watched Group Two begin to come down from the top.  Several of the skiers, with limited English, went a bit beyond where they were told to ski and the whole mountain slid from the top.  Fortunately, the slide stopped just short of Group One at the bottom but, unfortunately, nine skiers in Group Two lost their lives.  Out of respect, they’ve never skied the run again.

Bay Street!

While there are still dangers, the risks have been minimized over the years and thousands of skiers still flock from all around the world every year to enjoy the great sensation of skiing lots of untracked powder.

Last run of the week with the Bugaboo Lodge (and the Bar) waiting at the bottom!

At some point I may have to give it up but, at 58, I still feel I’ve got a few great years left in me!

Kermit

 

The year I hooked up with family and friends again and headed up to the Canadian Rockies west of Calgary to go Heli-skiing.  The lodges are out in the middle of nowhere and you can’t get there in the winter except by helicopter.

Waiting for the helicopter in front of the Bobbie Burns Lodge!

There, you find yourself in the middle of about 25 square miles of skiing just for you and about 40+ guests.  It was a great trip with a lot of great exercise and some breathtaking scenery.

Another day . . . another mountain . . . another run!

I really look forward to this trip every year and have been doing it now for over twenty years.

Kermit

Just thought I’d show a few shots of some impressive Heli-ski landing spots from my recent trip to the Cariboos in the Canadian Rockies.  The Helicopter is basically your chair lift and you ski with a guide that is familiar with the territory, which usually encompasses about 25 square miles of terrain.  We had a good week and left just in time as the snow conditions began to get a bit dicey.

Kermit

blog-shot-heli-ski-11I just got back from my annual Heli-ski trip in Canada.  I’ve been doing this for almost twenty years now and we just had a great week skiing at the Canadian Mountain Holidays (CMH) Galena lodge.

For some reason when you say Heli-skiing, people somehow think you jump out of a Helicopter and ski down the mountain.  In actuality we just land on top of a peak somewhere with a Guide that knows the mountain using the Helicopter as our ski lift.

CMH has a number of lodges in the Canadian Rockies west of Calgary that cater to our addiction and it’s nothing short of heaven when the snow is great.  With about 25 square miles of ski terrain per lodge, we start with a 5-7 hour bus ride out of Calgary and are then flown in to the lodge by helicopter out in the middle of the Canadian Wilderness.  Once there, we retrain in the use of avalanche beepers, which every one wears, and helicopter safety.  With between 3-4 groups of 11 skiers per lodge, we get to meet, ski, and party with a lot of interesting people from all around the world.

blog-heli-shot-2-downsizedI got my good friend, Sean Tucker, hooked on this many years ago and he has been my ski partner for almost ten years.  Sean is arguably the top male sole airshow performer on the circuit and is currently sponsored by Oracle.

CMH keeps track of how many vertical feet you ski and once you attain “one million vertical feet of skiing” they give you a “free” ski suit!  Of course, I don’t even what to think about what that “free suit” cost me!  I am currently working on my “three million foot suit” and Sean is working on his “two million foot suit.”

Skiing the terrain is nothing short of unbelievable and consists of High Alpine skiing, which is above the tree-line, and tree skiing, which is through the trees on the lower parts of the mountains.  The scenery while Alpine skiing is breath-taking and I believe tree skiing is “the ultimate video game,” as you never know what’s coming around the corner.  Every run is basically fresh powder, every run is different, and it can be demanding at times.

blog-ski-shot-kermit-sean-3I’ve included a couple of shots to give you the feel of this fascinating sport, including a couple with Sean and I sitting on top of the world about ready to become “one with the mountain!”

Kermit