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Owner Jay Knick's Heli tour of northern Canada Helicopter Skiing makes me feel like I am on top of the world.
So now let me get this straight, a free two day heli skiing trip to British Columbia? All I needed to do was get to Vancouver by Thursday to meet the bus to Vernon BC, but I had to decide now! Were they kidding me? Count me in. That's all it took and Thursday afternoon I was on a United flight to Vancouver with dreams of powder blowing through my mind. I was on a plane to some of the best heli skiing among the magnificent and heavily glaciated Chilcotin Mountains, thanks to Meno Vanwick owner of a Seattle outdoor hiking and trail shoe company called Montrail. There were several other dealers on this trip and I'm sure they were feeling the same way. The bus ride from Vancouver to Vernon took about seven hours with lunch at Whistler and another stop someplace in the middle of the lower BC coastal mountain range. It was dark by the time we arrived at the Tyax Mountain Lake Resort, but it wasn't long before the guides for THL had us all downstairs for the first of many briefings. The first one was for signing all the legal formalities, a lawyer in our group actually read all that stuff which was organized in a large legal size binder. Once that was taken care of we made our way to our rooms where I just kicked back and read all about what I was in for.	Life's good at the top


The ski area consisted of 300 runs in located on 830,000 acres. That's 1,300 square miles, or roughly 200 time the size of Vail, Colorado. The average annual snowfall at 5,900 feet is approximately 45 to 60 feet, which leaves them with an average base of 10 to 12 feet of snow on the ground. It's not unusual to find 16 feet or more of snow at higher elevations on the glaciers. Temperatures are generally well suited for skiing and range from 23F to 5F. At worst, there can be short spell of rain or periods when the temperature can drop to -40F. The average footage skied per week is approximately 130,000 vertical feet, but well over 200,000 vertical feet have been skied in a week. On some occasions only 70,000 vertical feet have been managed. The amount of skiing is determined by several factors: the skiing ability of the guests, the amount they desire to ski, the weather and snow conditions, and the available daylight hours. The Tyax Lodge is located along Tyaughton Lake. The lake was frozen over and covered with snow so it was impossible to tell it was even there. The next morning we were assigned into teams. I was on the A team with 11 other big guys, our own guide and our pilot. We had a 45 minute avalanche transceiver briefing and practice and then a helicopter safety briefing. By 9:00am we were flying high over the Chilcotin Mountains.	70,000 vertical
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The weather was a near minimums at the summit peaks but there was plenty of room below where it was more protected. The powder was about 10 inches to a foot, perfect for me since I hadn't skied in much in powder. The best way to describe it is like skiing on clouds instead of snow. It was amazing. We did manage 19,000 vertical feet despite a couple of problems with lost skis and a skier who cut open his forehead because of a nasty spill. That evening back at the lodge after a soak in the sauna and a nap, dinner was served. In the dinning room next to the massive stone fireplace, our menu consisted of baked salmon, chicken, five different salads, breads and deserts. It was delicious. Afterward a couple rounds of darts, some conversation with some of the guests, and I called it a night. Next morning we were up at seven. We had some breakfast and checked the distant peaks where it looked like the weather would clear. By eight, we were airborne and by 8:15 we broke out into the clear blue sky with dazzling mountain peaks in every direction. The first run of the day was out of this world. What a difference it makes when you can see where you are going! It just doesn't get any better. Before noon we met our two-day contract for 29,000 vertical feet and with A Team's unanimous decision, we opted for more vertical. If your legs gave out, the chopper made for some exciting trips down the mountain. As the day went on the verticals and the slope angles went up. By 4:00 PM we made our last decent and probably our best. It was a mixture of steep faces followed by a few rolling moraines and finally a gully filled with trees all the way down to our waiting lift home. I feel lucky for having such an opportunity and I just may have to make this a must do for future trips.	Jay Knick
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