TR: old rich gaper heli-skiing ...

**The Suit** · 02-12-2011, 02:14 PM

What do you do when you can afford to go heli-skiing, but you're not cool enough to go to Alaska? You go to BC and ski with Canadian Mountain Holidays, that's what you do. At least that's what I do.

Believe it or not - it's pretty damn fun. Fun enough that my wife & I did it twice this year.

Note: Some of the photos below are also in a thread in the photo forum. I'm an attention whore.

In December my wife and two teenage daughters and I went to CMH Bugaboo Lodge for Christmas. CMH has "family weeks" over the holidays, so there were other kids there, an activities coordinator to keep the kids entertained, Christmas trees, etc.

The view from the lodge is OK:

Groups of 11 guests & a guide get ferried around in a Bell 212:

Skis are stacked and guests huddle for a pickup:

My babes:

As I understand it, the Bugaboo lodge is best known for its alpine (above treeline) terrain. Tree spacing in their area tends to be tight, so much of their tree skiing is either on runs they've been able to glade, or in burns. Cut blocks, which are spots that have been logged, offer open skiing and lots of features (downed trees, rocks, snow-covered stumps, etc.) It was early season, so coverage got thin as we got down towards the pickup elevations.

It was windy most of the time we were there, which severely limited where we could go. We didn't get into the alpine very much. In my experience, they mostly ski low-angled terrain in the alpine because of snow stability concerns. Treed runs can be quite steep (45+ degrees).

Youngest daughter in a cut block:

Older daughter:

Mrs. The Suit:

Guides rip:

As do some guests:

I really couldn't have asked for a better Christmas. The kids started out apprehensive about the whole scene - worried about the helicopter, worried about getting lost, worried about falling in a treewell, worried about getting slid. By the end of the trip they were ripping down everything right behind the guide, whooping & hollering the whole time. Needless to say they want to do it again, but they also came back much more fired up about skiing here in Jackson.

Trip #2 was my wife and me, a friend from Jackson, and a friend from Colorado. We went in late January for six days at CMH's Gothics lodge, and another three days at CMH Kootenay. At the Gothics lodge we did a program they call Nomads, where you fly in a Bell 407 with four guests & two guides, and get to sample terrain in several different CMH tenures. In Kootenay we did what CMH calls "Small Group Heliskiing," which is up to three groups of five guests sharing a 407.

For the Nomad program we had tough weather with fog everywhere, which made it hard to find runs with both a usable landing and a usable pickup. Guides and pilots worked hard, and we did a ton of flying. We got in three days in the Gothics tenure and two in the Monashee lodge's terrain. On the sixth day we skied our way south through their Revelstoke terrain until about 2:30, then flew the rest of the way down to the town of Nakusp, where CMH Kootenay is based.

Nomads at lunch:

Looking the other way:

A run in the Monashees. Columbia river in background:

Another ripping guide:

Deepness in the Gothics. The lodge manager told us he spent a week glading this area with a crew of 5 loggers. Tree spacing was perfect:

Making our way south through CMH Revelstoke's tenure:

In Kootenay we met up with another Jackson friend and another Colorado friend. We've skied Kootenay a bunch and know the guides and staff pretty well. It was nice to see a bunch of friends again. While we were skiing our way south that day, Kootenay was shut down by fog. We could tell that the lead guide, Patrick, was champing at the bit, and figured he'd go big the next day. He didn't disappoint, and I didn't have time to snag any worthy photos.

CMH Kootenay has miles & miles of spectacular, naturally gladed tree skiing. If the stability's there, you can spend all day lapping 500-700 meter pitches that are tilted at 45 degrees from top to bottom. Minimal time wasted getting into position, no traverses in the middle, and no icky runout at the bottom. I love the place.

I didn't even carry a camera on day two in Kootenay, but day three was bluebird and we spent the morning in a couple of huge cirques with great snow and good stability.

In addition to the small group program, Kootenay also flies groups of 11 in a Bell 212. The 212 broke down that afternoon and since temps were well below zero F, they needed "our" 407 to shuttle everyone back in, ending our last day early. We had to wait an hour or so for our turn, but fortunately we had a sunny pickup, watched over by the Hamburglar:

The end.

**BigDaddy** · 02-12-2011, 02:34 PM

Thanks for posting... looks cool enough to me!

I have high hopes for a similar adventure. Great family trip/experience, I'm sure.

**Ski to Be** · 02-12-2011, 02:58 PM

Looks like fun. Thanks for posting

**LeeLau** · 02-12-2011, 03:02 PM

when i grow up i want to be rich old gaper.

Everyone got vhf radios? That's a nice safety touch.

**bushman** · 02-12-2011, 03:07 PM

I'm waiting for my ship to come in, but instead the news I get is "the ships gunna hit the sand"

**darkstar1974** · 02-12-2011, 03:45 PM

really nice TR. looks like you guys had a blast!

**skiballs** · 02-12-2011, 06:02 PM

Will you please adopt me.

**powski3** · 02-12-2011, 07:01 PM

Lotta rich gapers up there but the skiing is awesome and the guides are top notch.

**advres** · 02-12-2011, 07:58 PM

Awesome TR F! Setup looks sweet especially for the varied abilities of the clan. Man the girls are growing up fast. But it has been a few years and they look like rippers (not that they weren't when I knew them).

PS... since you're so loaded you want to finance a couple business ideas (films) I've got on the burner, you know... for old time sake.

jgb@etree · 02-12-2011, 08:32 PM

Originally Posted by gameface

Awesome TR F! Setup looks sweet especially for the varied abilities of the clan. Man the girls are growing up fast. But it has been a few years and they look like rippers (not that they weren't when I knew them).

PS... since you're so loaded you want to finance a couple business ideas (films) I've got on the burner, you know... for old time sake.

Likely the type of scenerio that reminds investors that it is sometimes better to get your money returned, than return on your money.

**advres** · 02-12-2011, 08:58 PM

Originally Posted by jgb@etree

Likely the type of scenerio that reminds investors that it is sometimes better to get your money returned, than return on your money.

Oh, you so witty. You seriously mean to tell me that after looking at this awesome TR of a good guy with his family heli-skiing and then reading the replies, the best post you could come up with is that dumb remark towards me? I'm sure The Suit appreciates your bump and then my rebuttal bump though. No press is bad press.

PS... I worked FOR the suit a long time ago. I mean he didn't literally sign my paychecks, but he kinda did. I think he knows my stupid humor better than you and knows I was joking.

**The Suit** · 02-12-2011, 11:09 PM

Originally Posted by gameface

Awesome TR F! Setup looks sweet especially for the varied abilities of the clan. Man the girls are growing up fast. But it has been a few years and they look like rippers (not that they weren't when I knew them).

PS... since you're so loaded you want to finance a couple business ideas (films) I've got on the burner, you know... for old time sake.

It's crazy how big & growed up they are. Mrs. The Suit is now the slow member of our clan.

I have to admit that my appetite for media investments is, well ... small. Something to do with my track record in that area.

**advres** · 02-12-2011, 11:13 PM

Originally Posted by The Suit

It's crazy how big & growed up they are. Mrs. The Suit is now the slow member of our clan.

I have to admit that my appetite for media investments is, well ... small. Something to do with my track record in that area.

I remember them humping cases of posters up and down those icey stairs for the premiere party out front. Soldiers!

As far as the investment... I get it.

**adam** · 02-13-2011, 12:03 AM

This shot is quality. I feel bad that people have to pay thousands of dollars to ski that snow and terrain, because it can easily be had for absolutely free.

**freshie247** · 02-13-2011, 12:32 AM

^^^^^^ Huh?

**LeeLau** · 02-13-2011, 12:35 AM

Originally Posted by adam

This shot is quality. I feel bad that people have to pay thousands of dollars to ski that snow and terrain, because it can easily be had for absolutely free.

You have extensive experience with the terrain in the Bugaboos?

**adam** · 02-13-2011, 12:41 AM

Didn't really mean to hate on an entire zone, but does that terrain really warrant the use of heli? Seems pretty typical backcountry tree skiing from the photos, not that I don't love that.

**The Suit** · 02-13-2011, 12:58 AM

Originally Posted by adam

Didn't really mean to hate on an entire zone, but does that terrain really warrant the use of heli? Seems pretty typical backcountry tree skiing from the photos, not that I don't love that.

Sure touring and heli-skiing can both get you to similar places in terms of terrain & snow quality, but they're very different experiences. I happen to like both, for different reasons. I like riding chairlifts & gondolas & trams, too.

**DasBlunt** · 02-13-2011, 01:21 AM

Sick!

How many feet descent did you guys get each day on average? ( sort of a question in response to Adam's poke).

**Tips^Up** · 02-13-2011, 01:28 AM

I can't believe your an old rich gaper heli-skiing suit. I'm such a better young dirtbag backcountry skinning suit.

**adam** · 02-13-2011, 01:41 AM

Well played. It is all about the turn after all, and it looks like they weren't too shabby.

**Tye 1on** · 02-13-2011, 01:47 AM

kickass, thanks for the quality stoke. Was it one of your kids that shunned poles for years? A trip like that is strong medicine in family fun...

**neck beard** · 02-13-2011, 05:15 AM

Nice quality photos and family stoke there.

And thanks for leaving out the seemingly obligatory photo of all that rich man's food in the heli-ski lodge.