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Heli-skiing takes the country by copter

By Helyn Trickey
Special to CNN


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SAN FRANCISCO, California (CNN) -- The harsh chop of the helicopter blades cuts through the silence as the craft lifts away from a mountaintop in British Columbia, Canada.

Deposited on the peak and surrounded by hundreds of miles of pristine snow are a small band of heli-skiers. From afar, they look like brightly colored dots in a whitewashed landscape.

"The first time I got out of the helicopter I fell into waist-deep snow," said John Baker, 56, an entrepreneur from Atlanta, Georgia. "I had never been on anything but groomed slopes in my life."

Like many skiers who routinely conquer the carefully maintained ski runs at resorts around Lake Tahoe or Vail, Colorado, the thrill of tackling a mountain with fresh, untouched powder can be overpowering. Heli-skiing gives the proficient skier a chance to escape long lift lines and trampled snow runs.

Helicopters transport skiers to the tops of otherwise inaccessible mountains, many of them in northern Canada and Europe. Once at the top, the small group (usually under a dozen) skis down through untouched snow.

"Your first experience ... is a bit overwhelming because you think what have I got myself into? It's all kinds of conditions, and there are always challenges," says Baker. "That is the nature of open-mountain skiing. You develop a wide variety of skills."

Avalanche danger

Cascading down pristine mountainsides is not without risk, however. Avalanches can roar down with little or no warning, crushing and burying skiers and snowboarders in their wake. In January 2003, for instance, snowboarding champion Craig Kelly was among seven people killed in a massive avalanche near Revelstoke, British Columbia, an area where heli-skiers frequent.

The death of such a competent athlete shook many snow sport enthusiasts to the core.

"I always try to be respectful, but the truth is that the mountains are dangerous and all bets are off," says Sean Bourke, 36, who tried heli-skiing for the first time in winter 2002.

"It's probably like doing heroin. At the time that you have the stuff in your veins you know there's a danger but you are so overwhelmed that you don't care," said Bourke. "If you follow the guides you have a good chance of getting out alive."

At Canadian Mountain Holidays, or CMH, the outdoor adventure company based in Banff, Alberta, Canada, that Bourke used for his trip, all guides are certified by either the International Federation of Mountain Guide Associations or the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides, according to the company's Web site.

In addition, information about mountain conditions is constantly circulating between guides and any one of them can pull the plug on a ski run if he or she feels the conditions are not safe, says Marty von Neudegg, 46, CMH's director of corporate services.

Canadian Mountain Holidays offers heli-skiing, heli-mountaineering and heli-hiking.
Canadian Mountain Holidays offers heli-skiing, heli-mountaineering and heli-hiking.

"Guides are husbands and wives too, and they want to go home as much as anyone else," he said.

Von Neudegg said CMH briefs its guests on all the safety precautions the company takes so the skiers can relax and focus on the untouched beauty of the mountains.

But, even with these measures, the company's safety record is not perfect. In more than 39 years, 33 people have died while on CMH trips, including 24 skiers in 9 avalanches, according to the company's Web site.

The dangers notwithstanding, von Neudegg said heli-skiing is a unique adventure for those who love skiing and the outdoors.

"The whole experience is really sensory," he said. "The vast terrain, silence of the mountains, the sensation of being in deep snow, it's like skiing in a cloud."

After a hard day navigating the mountains, guests of CMH unwind in cozy lodges tucked into the mountains. Each lodge typically houses fewer than 50 guests at a time and comes complete with award-winning chefs, pastry chefs, massage therapists and Jacuzzis.

High cost of powder

But the adventurous experience does not come without an equally adventurous price tag.

The cost per skier for a full week in the mountains at a CMH lodge can range between $3,350 to more than $6,500 depending on the season, said von Neudegg.

Bourke enjoyed his trip to the Cariboos Mountain Range so much that he bought extra helicopter trips, spending nearly $7,000 for his week-long snowy vacation.

"I am a frugal person, but I consider it the best money I've ever spent," he said. "I tear up every time I see the [heli-skiing] video."

"For me," said Baker, "it is 50 percent about the skiing and 50 percent about being in the mountains. You have to be very aware of where you are ... there is a sense of adventure about it that is extraordinary. The trip is sort of like an annual gift to myself."


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