It’s important that potential heli-skiers are aware that this is not about jumping out of a helicopter. I’m constantly surprised by this very common misconception. Heli-skiing is actually a civilized activity. At CMH, you stay in deluxe mountain lodges with comfortable rooms and gourmet food- everything is done first-class. In the morning, after stretch class and a delicious breakfast, you put on your ski clothes, grab your skis or board, and walk out the door to the pickup. Everyone puts his or her skis in a neat stack next to your guide. The pilot lands the helicopter between the guests and the guide, the guests pile in on one side, the guide loads the skis into the basket on the other, and then gets in too. At a location deep in the mountains, the helicopter lands, the process repeats itself in reverse and the helicopter takes off to pick up the next group. Everyone gets on their skis, the guide tells you where to go and not to go, you ski the best run of your life (!) and this whole process repeats itself about 8-15 times during the day, depending on conditions.

Fitness is more important than ability when it comes to heli-skiing. A lot of people are skeptical when I tell them this, but it is true. That’s not to say that heli-skiing is for beginners; it very definitely is not. But you do not need to be an extreme, cliff-hucking expert skier. Skiing or boarding 5 to 7 days (depending on the trip) in a row is a lot no matter whether you’re skiing your local mountain or 50cm of new at CMH Bugaboos in British Columbia. After 18 years of doing this, I’ve seen a few very good skiers brought to their knees after just a few runs simply because they were out of shape. I’ve also seen skiers of modest ability get stronger and better as the week went on because they showed up in good condition. Now, I’m not saying you need the same fitness as Lindsey Vonn; it’s just best to be in good condition for you. Who wants to spend a lot of money to suffer? (Here is a good training program to get you ready for heli-skiing.)

So how good do you have to be? That’s a somewhat difficult, subjective question and as I mentioned, you can get away with a lot by just being in shape. You should be an advanced intermediate, able to ski blue runs at any ski area and black runs without hesitation. Now you may not look pretty getting down, but you can do it without cartwheeling to the bottom, you look forward to the challenge and you enjoy it. You should also probably ski at least 15-20 days per season.

A lot of potential heli-skiers (and potentially very good heli-skiers) don’t think they are good enough because they say they don’t know how to ski powder. This is largely because they’ve not had the opportunity to actually ski powder. Truth be known, it’s hard to learn how to ski powder at a ski area because powder days are rare and the powder gets tracked out so quickly. Even if you are first on the chair, you’ll get one run of untracked snow, maybe two, but then it’s mostly tracked up and chopped up and can actually turn into bumps. That said, you don’t need backcountry experience to come heli-skiing for your first time. And actually, skiing powder is very similar to skiing groomed snow, the main differences being powder’s softer surface, more equal weighting of the skis and the turns happen a little slower.

Instead of trying to teach you how to ski powder in a blog, I’ll let you know about CMH’s Powder 101 program. This isn’t any beginner lessons- this is the real deal. You’ll be skiing untracked powder in big remote mountains using a helicopter as your lift. You’ll have two guides who will also be your coaches and they will help you perfect your powder skiing technique. The best way to learn how to ski powder after all is to ski powder! My wife, Dorothy, did this program on her first trip and it was fantastic. All the skiers in her group were in the same boat, and she didn’t have to deal with feeling like she had to keep up with me or that I was going to instruct her on how to ski powder. Teaching a spouse to do anything can be tricky at best, but mostly it’s a lost cause. BTW, Dorothy has now been heli-skiing fifteen weeks and is approaching two million vertical feet.

So in review, if you are an advanced intermediate or better, in decent shape with a good attitude and a keen sense of adventure, you are definitely a good candidate for a CMH heli-skiing trip. It really is the best, most exciting skiing in the world. For skiers and boarders, this is a good one to knock off your bucket list. And who knows? You might just get hooked!

Tracks on Morningstar, CMH Gothics

My buddy Jim, long time resident of Vail and avid skier, churned all the historical and meteorological data he could find and came to the very scientific conclusion that, “The skiing just sucked this year!”

Enough said on that subject. I’m very fortunate to work for CMH Heli-Skiing, so I was able to save my winter with some unbelievable skiing for a few days at our Kootenay area in eastern BC. It was the first time I’d been there, the terrain was fantastic and it didn’t stop snowing the whole time I was there- I have now idea what the place even looks like! Maybe next time some views will be had. Clearly BC was not suffering the same problems as the lower 48.

One of the biggest lessons of this season is that there is nothing you can do about the weather. It is what it is and there’s no sense getting worked up about it. Usually a poor winter snow-wise is followed by a much better one. We’ll see. In the mean time, the weather is getting warmer and soon there will be great riding and hiking to be done in those same mountains. See you on the trail!

There was plenty of snow in BC this winter!

But before you get to this, you have to take a ride in a helicopter. And an operating helicopter is not exactly quiet. It’s like sitting directly underneath a jet engine, which is exactly what you’re doing. In the case of most of CMH’s machines, you’re actually sitting underneath twin jet engines, which provide an extra measure of safety. It can be a bit loud in the warm interior of a Bell 212, the workhorse of helicopter skiing, but the unmatched mobility is way more than worth it.

The simple solution, of course, is to have hearing protection- usually ear plugs or headphone-type ear protectors. This makes the ride much more pleasant so you can comfortably enjoy the views, have a drink of water and get yourself ready for that next fantastic run.

There are always those that choose not to use ear protection and they seem be perfectly happy. Perhaps my ears are more sensitive than others. Either way, just flying around in the helicopter is spectacular. But it’s what happens after you land that is the true magic- there aren’t words to describe how much fun that is!

Enjoy this video.

Halfway up the lift, I’m wondering what I’m doing there. Hardly any terrain open and too many people!

But man, what a beautiful day! Like I’ve been here before or living a recent dream. This is a day I’ve seen before. What is going on? Hardly ever ski in October- who wants to ski on the white ribbons of death? Maybe it’s the cold; it feels like winter. No, it’s more than that. What is it?

The angle of the sun! That’s it. Let’s see, the winter solstice is on December 21st, so we are two months and five days away. That same amount of time on the other side of the solstice and the sun would be at the same angle as today. And that day would be February 26th, my birthday and favorite day to ski!

No wonder…

Like everyone, there have been many ups and downs in life, but overall, I feel very fortunate. The highlight of my life so far has been skiing with my wife, and particularly chasing each other down untracked slopes while heli-skiing in the Columbia Mountains of British Columbia. For me, that’s about as good as it gets; I don’t really think there’s much room for improvement.

Or is there?

The one constant in life is change. Priorities change, values change, outlooks change. If I’m lucky, maybe one day when my wife and I are old and gray, we’ll be sitting on the porch in our rocking chairs holding hands, still in love with each other, looking back on a life full of memories. Then maybe I’ll say, “I don’t think I can improve on this!”

Brad and Dorothy at CMH Adamants

This is a very common misconception!
Here is what actually happens: The helicopter lands, the guests get in on one side, the guide loads the skis/boards in a basket on the other. The guide gets in and the machine takes off and flies to the top of the run where it lands, usually in a tried and true landing spot. The guests get out, the guide unloads the skis and boards, and the helicopter takes off. Then everyone rides to the bottom. Repeat.

2)    You have to be an expert skier to heli-ski.

CMH can accommodate a wide range of abilities from an advanced intermediate to a cliff-hucking, extreme pro. We have Powder 101 groups that improve technique in deep snow, Powder 505 groups for those looking for a challenge on seriously steep terrain and about everything in between. Being in good physical condition will really help no matter your ability.

3)    Heli-skiing is too expensive.

CMH offers trips from between 4-10 days, depending on your time and budget. Trips on the shoulder seasons are less expensive than mid-season. Also, some of the areas are less expensive because operating costs are less. Compare the cost of a week of heli-skiing to a week of area skiing at a top-end resort, including first class ski-in/ski-out hotel, gourmet meals, ski rentals, lift tickets, etc., and you might be surprised! Also, heli-skiing and area skiing really can’t be compared because of the almost unimaginable difference in terrain and conditions.

4)    Heli-skiing is dangerous.

A big danger skiing at a ski area is the sheer number of riders who could potentially run into you. This is not the case heli-skiing. CMH’s number one priority, by far, is safety. Their guides are highly trained and experienced experts. They follow the snowpack starting at the ground before the beginning of the season and are constantly monitoring the conditions using state-of-the-art technology and years of experience. They share information with all the surrounding operations and if just one guide thinks a run is dangerous, for any reason, the run will not be skied. Each guest is given an avalanche transceiver and receives two plus hours of training. Nothing can completely eliminate dangers, but CMH does their level best to minimize them.

5)    All heli-skiing operations are the same.

Certainly there are a number of high-quality heli-skiing companies out there. CMH is the oldest and largest operation in the world. Heli-skiing was invented by CMH and the first trips were run out of the Bugaboos in 1965. We now have eleven different areas throughout eastern British Columbia. What does this mean for their guests? Well, since we’re the oldest operator, we had the first pick of the best areas to ski, and after 46 years in business we’ve got the whole heli-skiing experience pretty much wired. We still haven’t figured out how to control the weather or conditions, but we’re working on it!

6)    Heli-skiing is the domain of men.

Uh-huh. Okay, why don’t we tell this to Ann Dodge or Dawn Hazelett, two of CMH’s pioneering heli-skiers? Or Diny Harrison, CMH’s first female guide. Or Carolyn Damon who, along with her husband Ned, collectively skied over 35 million feet! Or the 600-odd female million footers. This misconception really doesn’t hold water!

The CMH Gothics lodge had been an old mining camp on the Goldstream River in the Northern Selkirk Mountains. The original lodge itself had been pieced together with trailer homes that had been used to house the miners. Lodge aesthetics were not that important to me as long as I was warm, dry, had a decent bed and shower, and good food. I was there for the skiing, and that’s still the case today. (By the way, the Gothics lodge has now been completely updated and is state-of-the-art.)

The avalanche safety training over, we suited up to go skiing. Ours was Group 1 that first day, which I assumed was due to Jerry’s pull, as he was a long-time guest. Our guide for the day was Ian Campbell, the lodge manager, the guy who actually built the lodge, and a veteran CMH employee. I asked Ian how many vertical feet he’d skied in his life. He scratched his head, looked at the sky and casually said, “Mmmm, about 26 million, plus or minus a couple million.” Let’s see, I had zero and if I could go once per year and get 150,000 feet a trip, it would take me, let’s see, about 175 years to equal that! It was looking thin…

Our group all piled into the Bell 212 and immediately we flew straight across the Columbia River and into the Monashee Mountains. I’d never even been in a helicopter, so I was having a great time just flying around. The machine landed on a run called Cougar’s Milk, we all got out and Ian unloaded the skis from the basket on the other side. Then the helicopter took off and we were left alone, in the peace and quiet. I was freaking out inside because here I was on top of this great, huge mountain in the middle of nowhere about to take my first run. The snowy peaks seemed to go on forever and it was a perfect sunny day. I’m glad I had my goggles on because I was practically in tears, overcome with gratitude at the experience.

I clicked into my Atomic Powder Plus “Fat Boy” skis. They looked like ironing boards on the bottom of my boots, a bit different than the pencils I was used to skiing. Ian pointed his pole down the hill and said, “We’re going to ski down there!” and he took off. Everyone hesitated before starting, playing the polite game. “Well heck, I’ll go!” Off I went, racing after Ian.

Two turns and I was in Nirvana! Totally untracked snow, not deep powder, but very, very nice. I was linking smooth turns together keeping my tracks unnecessarily close to Ian’s. The terrain was wide open and not too steep. There were a few little Christmas trees here and there, but we were not in the forest. It was lovely.

About 800 vertical feet later, Ian stopped and the group assembled around him. He pulled out his radio and said into it, “Cougar’s Milk is crap! It’s all wind-hammered, let’s go somewhere else.”

Wind hammered? Go somewhere else? That had been without question the best run of my life! I looked questioningly at Jerry. He grinned. Then he said, “Just you wait my young friend…”

My wife and I roll right out of bed and head to the workout room. Looking out the window the mountains were socked in, but we kept our fingers crossed it would clear. We’ve decided not to attend the daily group stretching class today, and instead will do our own routine. The weight room is empty at this early hour and we get on stationary bikes to start our warm-up. Our pre-ski workout consists of warming up to sweating, followed by light stretching and maybe even some even lighter weight training. We’ll do our more serious stretching after we return from skiing.

We are tempted by the fantastic breakfast buffet, but we try to go for a not too heavy, well-balanced meal. Calories are what I’m really concerned about and I like a decent load of carbs, with some protein to slow down the digestion. I also enjoy a single big cup of coffee. After seventeen years coming to CMH as a guest, I have my routine pretty well down.

Halfway through breakfast, Paul, the lodge manager, tries to get everyone’s attention for the morning briefing. “Group 2 yesterday will be group 1 today, group 1 yesterday will be group 4 today, etc. It’s -14 degrees C at the lodge and -4 up in the mountains. No new snow and it looks like we have a layer of valley fog. Group 1 be ready to go at 9:00, anyone who isn’t skiing, please let one of the guides know. Have a great day!” I’m in group 3 today, so no hurry; I contemplate some more eggs and maybe another half piece of toast. Glancing out the window, it’s still a bit dark because of the gloomy, gray sky.

Wait. Did he say valley fog? I ask my wife, “Did Paul just say valley fog?” She answers in the affirmative. Suddenly I perk up, my senses heightened.

This is gonna be great!!!

Valley fog is a low layer of clouds formed by a temperature inversion with heavier colder air settling in the valleys with warmer air above. It can last several days in calm conditions. What it means to heli-skiers is clear, blue bird conditions above the clouds. It’s a unique experience skiing from the tops of the peaks while looking down on a blanket of fog. I can’t remember a bad day of skiing when there has been valley fog. The helicopter pops through the clouds and into a perfectly sunny world. Today is going to be really good…