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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. |
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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 |
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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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