Whistler Blackcomb ’s CEO goes beyond the ropes with Ski Canada. by Tobias C. Van Veen Dave Brownlie is not your average CEO. As I chased him down The Bite on Blackcomb, a steep line through trees and drops into Jersey Bowl, I realized that he was letting me know something through the old skier ’s adage:… More »
by George Koch in Western View from Winter 2012 issue As an international ski writer who spends virtually all winter on the slopes (it’s charming how many people I meet think that’s not a lie), I’m frequently asked whether I prefer heli-skiing or snowcat skiing. Canadian, European and American skiers are equally curious, although coming at it from different angles. Europeans, for… More »
If Whistler Blackcomb’s trail map isn’t big enough for you, there’s plenty more playground accessible by heli, cat and your own two feet. by tobias c. van Veen from 40th Anniversary issue We see it all the time here in Whistler—a hesitant but slack-jawed tourist gaping at the virgin snow in the great beyond, leaning hard against… More »
from Fall 2011 issue The other day I was out on the balcony of Mike’s $99-million chalet just blowing smoke with my buds. From the 4,314m summit of Grand Combin on the Italian border, across to our own local petit Combin (3,670m) and over to the Mont Blanc massif in France, the mountains were painted… More »
The Cat, the Guide and the School Bus A return to Mustang Powder brings a Narnia like alternative reality of endless steep runs and breathtaking vistas. by George Koch photos: Jimmy Petterson Skiing a run called “Gnarnia” I finally realized what was going on. All day our laconic and rakishly smirking guide,… More »
by George Koch from Winter 2011 issue For hardcore skiers, this B.C. town offers a tasty triple scoop of cat, heli and resort skiing My best skiing memories are of storms. Maybe it’s because virtually nobody’s out and about, maybe it’s that added frisson of existing on the edge of something or other, perhaps it’s the aura of mystery… More »
I read somewhere long ago that everyone should go to Greece at least once in his or her lifetime. I think that same goal should apply to a Mike Wiegele Helicopter Skiing pilgrimage. In fact, I think it’s necessary. Yes, I know it’s big, big coin for most skiers. But so is university tuition, root… More »
Helicopters stood in silence, flags fluttered and people milled about on the broad plateau beneath Saddle Mountain, chatting or munching smoked salmon and other treats from a vast buffet spread on improvised tables carved from the compact spring snow. Mike Wiegele stood in the stiff April breeze and officially announced that Saddle Mountain Resort had… More »
It was a magical January day with Mica Heli Guides high in the Rocky Mountains northeast of Revelstoke. We were pausing between huge pitches to gaze at the mountains ringing us. Someone pointed out a hanging glacier clinging to an enormous mountainside, its toe cleaved into translucent blue seracs that periodically crack and tumble down… More »
I’d been itching to ski something really steep, and while a massive snowfall is usually the time to dial things back in the backcountry, our guide at Mystical Snowcat Paradise (MSP) was governed by the same impulse. We started out fairly steep, fairly treed and with snow fairly deep. For the rest of the day… More »
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