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Surfing USA

One thing there was no shortage of on my Haines heli trip was helmet cams. Every one seemed to be sporting one in every shape, size and manufacturer. Because of safety issues, there was no setting up for shots so unless you had a super long telephoto or optical zoom a helmet cam was your best bet. The problem with helmet cams of course, is that without anyone else in the picture they quickly get boring no matter how good the skiing was. So I have a good 30 minutes of endless face shots and untracked terrain which will mean very little to anyone except me in my old age. I did pull still frames out of any good footage I had of others or scenics from my still camera which can be found here. As for the rest of my footage I’ve decided to just post this one little excerpt from a run called T-Top. It wasn’t the steepest or the deepest and it went on for a good 5 minutes longer than this clip, but it’ll give you a good idea of what the riding was like including my favorite new snow terminology -- “sluff management”.

The view from our cabin - the massive face of "Hangover Helper" (first run day 2) Haines Alaska

For years I’ve been hearing epic tales of  heliskiing in Alaska and seen numerous film segments of mind boggling terrain. I always assumed that terrain would be off limits to me as while I’ve spent a lot of time on a snowboard I’m certainly no alpha dog. But thanks to the prodding of an old heliskiing associate, I decided to give it a shot and boy am I glad I did.

First taste of some Alaskan fresh

The Alaskan heli scene is quite different from your typical heli operation. Out go the luxury lodges, 5 course meals and highly structured schedules. Here everything is about the skiing and everyone is on board with that. We’re staying in what is known as the “plywood palace” where the big challenge is trying to get hot water in the shower. However, the views are spectacular, the company good and as they say in real estate it’s “location, location, location”.

Typical run at Haines - notice guide circled in red

And it’s not just the accommodations in Alaska that are different – what really stands out is the terrain. This is true big mountain, technical skiing the likes of which I’ve never experienced anywhere else. Had they shown me pictures first of where we were going to ski I probably would have passed but once they dropped us off I discovered that not only was it rideable, it was a tremendous amount of fun. If you look closely at the picture above, you will notice a skier circled in red – our guide who is posted up in a place where he can keep an eye on us while we’re doing the run. The guides here are just like the clients in that they are huge powder hounds albeit with a lot more experience and thus would take us to places they wanted to ski – in other words to what is more commonly known as “the goods”.

Scouting from the heli

Where's Waldo - can you spot the two skiers in this photo?

The two pictures above best demonstrates how we worked with our guide. First he would point out potential routes from the helicopter on the way up. Then he would scout the slope, set up in a spot where he could keep an eye on us, and then send us down one at a time giving us instructions via radio when we needed them.  I had never skied terrain like this but was very pleased to discover I could.

Ripping it up on Old Faifthful

Mike avoiding the slough and enjoying some turns

The gods really blessed our group on this trip as we managed to hit the best conditions of the year so far with deep light snow, great stability, and most importantly good visibility.  The forecast before we came called for rain/snow every day and the week before they were down almost all week but fortunately for us the forecasts were wrong and we’ve flown all week till today. But when they are down it usual means it’s dumping up top and that was the bounty we found when we got out there. When our guide warned us to watch out for our “face shots” on a particularly steep run we knew we were in for a good time.

Yes, we really did ski the mountain I'm looking at

And here's what it looked like from above

The two shots above are of a run called “Indy 5000″ – the 5000 being a reference to the 5000 vertical feet that the run covers. It is the kind of run you can only find in Alaska and one I never imagined myself riding. But with a couple of feet of fresh snow it was a blast and a learning experience at the same time. I’ve had to totally reorient my skiing up here – back in Colorado you look for the gullys where all the good snow is – in Alaska you have to stay up on the spines and out of the gullys where all the slough runs into. It’s a whole different way of approaching a mountain but is tons of fun once you get on the program.

Dave airing it out on Old Faithful

There were mellower runs too but what they all had in common was a thick layer of fresh light snow. This provided plenty of opportunities for enjoying the natural features of the terrain as Dave demonstrates above. By day 4 we are all fine with the weather turning funky as our legs were all ready for some rest.

The scenery isn't bad either

What is also hard to imagine even with the help of cameras is how spectacularly beautiful and impressive the Chilkat Range is. Ragged peaks, huge spires and glaciers everywhere you looked. It would have been worth the trip just to see these mountains no less to get to ski down them.

Guide shack at Alaska Heliskiing - note the pirate flag

Of course none of this would be possible without the tremendous folks at Alaska Heliskiing. From the office folk to the guides to Jack who gives us rides everywhere – everyone is super nice and more importantly on top of their game. I had anticipated maybe some attitude since this is one the premier heli spots in the world but no attitude here just a bunch of folks chasing the best skiing in the world.

My partners in crime

Also have to give a big shout out to David Cole (the guy on the right) who convinced me to come up here and his buddy Mike who is more than happy to share any and all beta on a run (and cooks a mean piece of salmon). One of the really fun things about these trips are the people you meet and this one is no exception. I’ve made a bunch of new friends up here in Haines and any time someone leaves the closing line always seems to be “see you up here next year…”

Love thy neighbor

We had one final day after our love fest in the Valhalla mountains but sadly the snow and fog returned so while there was deep powder everywhere, we could only access the runs close to the lodge that we had been doing for days. Now don’t get me wrong, these were still great runs – steep shots with lots of fresh snow – but after getting a taste of what the surrounding mountains had to offer we were all hoping to experience a little more of the nearby terrain.

Ah, the memories

All in all it was a great trip. I always love to check out new terrain and what better way to do it than with a helicopter at your service. In the end we only really got to go exploring on 3 of the 7 days, but even the close in stuff  provided tons of excellent riding.

My kind of run

This trip also reminded me once again how lucky and spoiled rotten I am about powder skiing. There were a couple of first timers on the trip who were raving about what was at best a marginal heli day, which is still of course much better than almost any day on a ski hill. But once you’ve tasted the kind, all you want is a little more. Fortunately, the day we spent in the Valhallas was pretty much worth the whole trip by itself as I will not be forgetting those runs and that scenery till my brain cells totally deteriorate.

What's not to smile about?

I would also be totally remiss if I did not thank everyone at Snowwater for doing everything possible to make our trip a great time. The guides and pilots went above and beyond the call of duty trying to get us out in very difficult conditions and the staff treated us like kings at every turn. Patric and Mariah were tremendous hosts – it felt like one week long party with good friends that just happened to be at a heli resort.  I will definitely be returning some day to check out the rest of their terrain and give Patric another chance to level me with an infraction (it’s a long story). Till then, I’ll be checking the weather and dreaming about O Canada…

Finally above the fog

We finally won the weather battle yesterday. No fog, snow or wind – instead we got blue skies and cold temps – just what the doctor ordered. This meant we could go exploring – and like the Norse gods of old we headed to Valhalla.

First stop on the Valhalla tour

Patric Maloney, the owner of Snowwater has a saying – A day in Valhalla, a customer for life. Today we got to find out if this claim was true. The Vahalla range is one of three in Snowwater’s tenure and a little bit of a haul to get to but it very quickly became apparent that it was well worth the effort. The scenery alone was quite spectacular – massive granite peaks towering over beautiful valleys filled with old growth trees. But we weren’t really there to sightsee, we were itching for some big mountain skiing after days of fighting the weather around the lodge and Valhalla definitely delivered.

Keith airing it out

When people think of heliskiing they often see a picture of perfectly spaced parallel tracks down wide open glaciers. While that has its’ allure it’s not why we go to British Columbia. We go for the natural terrain park that nature provides us. Big rocks and cliffs, pillows and mushroom caps, nicely spaced old growth trees – you name it, they’ve got it.

Love those old growth trees

It was one of those days that makes all the time I spend chasing powder worthwhile. Run after run of steep varied terrain with unlimited opportunities for airtime. The guides call them “gigglers” because as you reach the bottom of the run you’re as giddy as a kid at your own birthday party. For one day at least we were all in heli heaven.

still chasing the dream

The weather has been a big factor on this trip. Every day we seem to highlight a different meteorological feature and today’s winner was the wind. We started the day by going back to Tropicana where we had great fun two days ago. When we got out of the helicopter we were greeted by winds gusting to at least 60 MPH. This makes for both tricky skiing and of course difficult flying. Our pilot today was Ben and there’s a saying around the lodge that goes “Ben would do it”. He certainly did a masterful job today because shortly after the flying started snow and fog joined the wind for the perfect bad flying weather trifecta. Despite that we managed to get 5 runs in before heading back to the lodge for lunch.  After our food break we headed out for a few more before the weather gods shut down the heli for the day.

the cat pack waiting for a ride

As I’ve mentioned before Snowwater has cat backup for just this kind of weather. So midafternoon we all piled in and headed back up the hill. While we all would rather have been flying in the bird, the cat does have its’ advantages. It’s a much more social place with tunes and plenty of good conversation. It’s also a great place to take a nap if the urge hits. And at Snowwater while the cat terrain is short, it’s also steep and lots of fun. Adding to the excitement is the mad rush that occurs when 13 powder junkies all see a steep untracked powder laden slope below them. The guides do their best to spread us out but patience seems to decrease in direct proportion to how much new snow is on the ground. Fortunately there’s plenty of lines for everyone and there’s an extra rush of adrenaline when people go flying by you as you make your way down the hill.

Tara and friends lining up for the next Chinese Downhill

All in all it was another fun day out on the hill. Where the wind hasn’t compressed the snow, it’s still quite soft and deep. And for tomorrow there’s rumors of another weather feature we have yet to see – the sun. Bring it on!

Out in the great wide open

Day 3 of our Snowwater adventure. Finally got away from the lodge and started to explore the Bonningtons, one of the three mountain ranges Snowwater’s tenure covers.  Didn’t take us long to discover that while there was good snow up high, we needed to avoid going too low if we wanted to have our legs last all day. After some good but thigh burning runs we landed in an area called Tropicana. Now I’ve been drinking Tropicana since I was a wee lad, but it never tasted better than it did today. A 2500 foot consistently pitched slope with widely spaced trees allowed for high speed rippers that would warm the cockles of any snowrider. The persistent fog that has been haunting us for days chased us away for awhile but dissipated in the afternoon so we returned to greedily chug the Trop till our belly’s were full. There were nothing but smiles in the heli at days end.

Kevin making the most of it

Last night as we went to bed confidence was high. The stars were out, a cool wind was blowing and even though the snow near our lodge could best be described as creme brulee (a thin crust with soft stuff beneath it) we felt tomorrow held great promise. Unfortunately, like the best laid plans of mice and men, it clouded up in the middle of the night and at four in the morning  started to rain. By eight it had turned to snow but with temperatures hovering around freezing, the helicopter was a no go for the day. The rain that did fall also significantly raised the avalanche danger which in turn severely reduced the terrain available by cat. The staff here rose to the occasion by holding an impromptu avalanche training course and then managed to find some terrain that was safe to ski. There was even some deep powder to be had for short shots and the heavy snow made for a good workout. All in all they did the best they could to salvage the day and we’re all grateful for that. The bigger concern is that it’s still misting/snowing and unclear as to whether tomorrow will be any different. So we’ve all promised to be good and never do again whatever has caused this to happen but only time will tell if our prayers will be answered…

My temporary home sweet home

Now I love Hawaii as much as the next guy. I’ve had many a fine vacation in that tropical paradise. But when I’m visiting British Columbia I don’t want anything associated with the Hawaiin Islands particularly something known as the “Pineapple Express”. This term refers to a weather pattern where warm moist tropical gets funneled directly from Hawaii to British Columbia. While moisture is generally a good thing, the warm air that comes with it is not and can lead to rain throughout the BC mountains in the middle of January. I have experienced this phenomena before and it’s not a pretty thing. Unfortunately the area I’m visiting right now is in the middle of this pattern and while we’re fortunate it’s not warm enough to rain, it has made the snow very heavy and more importantly has caused a lot of fog which makes flying a helicopter quite problematic.

nice accomodations

This year our group chose a new venue for our annual helitrip - Snowwater. Like all the heli and cat places I’ve visited in BC, it is very nice, with comfy rustic lodges, great food and wonderful staff who cater to your every wish. What they can’t do however, is change the weather. They do have the benefit of having a snowcat that they use when they can’t fly but they can only ski the local terrain for so long before it starts getting skiied out which is not a term I want to be using on a helitrip.

Looking for freshies

For most of the day we played hunt and peck with the helicopter and the fog. It would look like it was clearing, so we’d get in the heli but by the time we got to the top of the hill the fog would close in again preventing us from getting any distance from the lodge. We did get some good shots at the top of the runs but eventually everything would funnel back towards the lodge where the terrain would start to look more like your local ski hill than your typical heli paradise. Eventually we switched to the cat for our last run which was actually one of the better runs of the day as we accessed some terrain that had not yet been skied this year.

the happy camper in the cat

For those of you that know me, it will come as no surprise that I was less than thrilled with the conditions. Fortunately, I was able to remember that I was incredibly blessed do be doing a trip like this in the first place and it is still a lot of fun to ski with a bunch of folks as dedicated to chasing powder as I am. On every trip like this I meet really nice people whom I exchange snow stories and info with usually in the hot tub or over a delicious meal so I got that going for me. But if you know any weather prayers, please say one for me as I will only be here for four days and sure would like to see what these incredible mountains have to offer.