powder snow

Dawn Patrol at Squaw Valley

Dawn Patrol at Squaw Valley

The term ‘Dawn Patrol’ originally referred to surfer’s getting up extremely early - sometimes before sunrise (i.e, "dawn") to go surfing, a time when the waves are their purest, unaffected by wind, and when according to surfers, it feels most spiritual to surf. Surfing and skiing of course share many parallels (and enthusiasts). But for me, it was the the application of the concept to an early morning in the mountains that made for an extra special experience one February morning last winter. Reminiscent of a heli ski day, as close as I’m ever likely to experience in a resort.

Squaw Valley, in Northern Californian hosted the 1968 Olympics and is also famously known for being home to some of the best pro skiers on the planet- (Shane McKonkey, Kent Kreitler and other ‘soul’ skiers’ but more on that in another post).

Squaw followed suit of some other famous North American resorts and launched a Dawn Patrol programme. A select small group of skiers and boarders can ride the lifts 1 or 2 hours early, allowing them to ski the mountain in it’s most pristine state- either freshly groomed groomers, or powder laden off piste slopes first.

Journey to Mysterious Mt Baker

Journey to Mysterious Mt Baker

It didn’t need to be a full-on powder day for me to recognise Mt Baker as a hidden gem in a world of powder options. I arrived on one of the busiest days of the season, with foggy, overcast skies, and several days since fresh powder had fallen. However, these conditions didn’t detract from the fact that Mt Baker had (and often has) the deepest snow base in the world.It didn’t need to be a full-on powder day for me to recognise Mt Baker as a hidden gem in a world of powder options. I arrived on one of the busiest days of the season, with foggy, overcast skies, and several days since fresh powder had fallen. However, these conditions didn’t detract from the fact that Mt Baker had (and often has) the deepest snow base in the world.

Our Northern Heliski Escape

Our Northern Heliski Escape

The Central British Columbia region is well known for a plethora of heliski operations, after all this is where heli skiing was born.

But there is an area in mid-northern BC where moose and the ethereal white Kermode bear begin to replace the population. It’s also no coincidence that it is home to some of the best heli skiing the world has to offer.

Die Hard Heli-Skier - Guest Blog

Die Hard Heli-Skier - Guest Blog

I enjoyed my visit to the Total Heliski London Show 2011 even more than I was expecting. Why? Because I came away having won a 3 day heliski holiday with Snowwater in Canada!

Even though I’d heliskied before I was very apprehensive as I’d heard that Total Heliski was for “hard core” skiers whose aim was to cover the maximum number of vertical meters during their stay. Being fifty-seven (and three quarters), a little older than the average Total Heliski customer, I realised I had to get into serious training. I took my 22 year old daughter Katie – at least that brought our average age down a bit!

Knee Braces

Knee Braces

Getting fit for the Northern Hemisphere ski season?if you’re a serious snowsports enthusiast, then the answer must be yes. But spare a thought for what it would be like if you had to get ski fit after a serious injury last season? I for one, have had to do this, after a tough few months of rehab from a pretty big knee injury and two knee surgeries. So, getting back to ski fitness is not just a good thing to do, for me, it’s been essential to ensuring an injury-free future.

Heli Skiing "Tipping Point"

Heli Skiing "Tipping Point"

I am fascinated by the concept of ‘tipping point’ as it relates to the commitment to go heli skiing (for first timers), not in the collective sense of the market, but in the individual sense. In business speak, the tipping point normally refers to the moment when a product or service achieves mass adoption. For Facebook it was several years ago, for Groupon it’s more recent.  As an expert on heli skiing, I wish I was better at determining the individual tipping points of my clients sooner. It might allow me to better manage my time and disappointment. Here’s what I mean.

Bella Coola - Part 2

Bella Coola - Part 2

Is it about the journey or the destination?

The destination: For all the talk in my last blog about the journey. Let’s face it- when it comes to heli skiing or heli boarding, it’s totally about the destination.
So, in the last post, I shared the founding of Bella Coola Helisports. Now- let me paint the picture of your destination and the experience that is ‘Bella Coola’. Here’s a little photo essay. After all, they say a picture tell a thousand words, and to be quite honest, experiencing the real thing pretty much left me speechless…

Bella Coola

Bella Coola

Is it about the journey or the destination? Part 1

Given that this year alone, in my quest to test the goods for Total Heliski, I have circumnavigated the world several times, spending over 100 hours inside a metal tube, or in obscure airports doing transfer layovers, I started pondering about the age old question, whether in heli skiing (as in life), Is it the journey or the destination that matters more? So, I start Part 1 of this piece, with the argument for the journey.

From Russia with Love….

From Russia with Love….

I set off for Sochi one January Friday afternoon after my business duties in Moscow with two aims in mind. One to check out Krasnaya Polyana, the Russian ski resort hosting the 2014 Winter Olympics. The other, to go heli skiing Russia- style with the French- owned Russia heliski operator I represent with Total Heliski. I achieved one of the two- you can guess which one.

Sochi is actually a seaside resort on the black sea, on the border of Georgia, a 2hr flight south of Moscow. I disembarked from the dubious sounding airline called ‘S7’ to a temperature about 15 degrees warmer than Moscow. S7 is actually Siberian airlines rebranded, and was surprisingly a very good airline experience going by the crew, interior and food. I was to meet my French guide and another 6 French clients for the weekend.

Slack Country Powder Skiing

Slack Country Powder Skiing

Out the back of Kicking Horse Ski Resort with Great Canadian Heliski Mountain Guide- Dave Rutherford.

Ever wondered why a guy who gets paid to heliski would want to strap on a pair of skins and walk up hills for fun? Well, meet Dave Rutherford. A Canadian BC powder country local who started his career as a Banff liftie, and progressed to become a Level 4 Canadian Mountain Guide, and ‘2IC’ at Great Canadian Heli skiing. Ask him this question, and he might tell you that he appreciates the fortitude from ‘earning your turns’. That’s easy for him to say……

Chatter Splatter

Chatter Splatter

Epic and consistent. Sitting on a train en-route to Austria for the British Telemark Ski Championships, reflecting. At last weeks London Total Heliski Info Show event, the crowd were blown away with the pictures I shared of epic and consistent skiing at Chatter Creek Cat over New Years. Here are a few shots that sum it up. Mmmm. Where to start?

From the moment we took off from Chatter Creek’s helicopter transfer base, near Golden BC, we were flying over some of Canada’s best back country. With each passing minute, I sensed increasing remoteness and anticipation building for skiing pure untouched powder snow.

The best ski season ever?

The best ski season ever?

Wow, Christmas rapidly came. As an Australian living in the Northern Hemisphere, firstly, its still a novelty to have the wintery Christmas lead up, with the Christmas lights experienced in the dark as they should be. However, you always have to make some decisions at least 6mths before about whether it will be a ‘return home, see family’ Christmas or a ‘go on holiday Christmas’. In my case this year, because I did the Christmas thing in Australia in November, I was able to do the latter, and you will see how thankful I am.