Introduction: Dive deep into Greg’s unique heliskiing experience in Whistler, as Tim unfolds the escapade. If you’re searching for firsthand insights and an honest review of heliskiing in Whistler, this conversation is for you:
Tim:
I’m going to ask you about your heliskiing experience. So have you done much heliskiing before?
Greg:
I only went the one time, it was a pretty big deal. We kind of had to save up for it, but it was worth every penny, one of the best experiences in my life.
Whistler Heliskiing: The Premier Choice for Snow Enthusiasts Why did Greg choose Whistler for his heliskiing adventure?
Tim:
Why did you choose Whistler?
Greg:
Well, I was already going there for work, so I was skiing at Whistler for the week and myself and two friends decided to take one of the days to go heliskiing, because they had a big outfit there. We saw the opportunity.
Tim:
Cool. What did you love about it?
Greg:
Well, it’s pretty cool being on the top of pretty much any peak you want to, the powder is exceptional. Pretty awesome riding in a helicopter. Yeah, I think it was just like you sometimes get good powder days on piste, but I mean, every turn was a good powder day on a heliskiing trip. If that makes sense.
Expert Heliskiing Guides: Navigating Whistler’s Diverse Terrains A discussion on the importance of experienced guides who know every nook and cranny of Whistler’s terrains, ensuring safety and thrill in tandem.
Tim:
Is that because they just have access to so much terrain that they could always take you new spots or just the snow’s better?
Greg:
Yeah, exactly. So the guides kind of know where to go and so they kind of know what’s going to be holding the snow at any given time and they know what’s been skied down. We got lucky, we came a day after a big dump, so we were able to go almost anywhere. But they also are very judicious in that they know that they’re going to have new crews coming up and they don’t know where the next dump’s going to be. So they kind of ask you to stay, “Okay, here’s your lines, ski those for this run.” And that way they can preserve more of the slope so that the next people they bring up there can also have fresh lines. I think we did, they guaranteed seven flights and then at the end of the seven then it was kind of pay-as-you-go. I think in the end we ended up doing nine flights for the day and was, and each one was off a different peak in a valley. So it was a fresh line every time.
Tim:
You were just racing the sun? What determines the seven-plus? How could you guys get down?
Greg:
Yeah, it was basically just racing the sun. By the time you get to the helipad and do your safety briefs and stuff, I think our first run and then we fly up onto the mountain to test for the avalanche. So I think probably our first run realistically was 10:30 or 11:00, and that’s after [inaudible 00:02:50], probably 8:00 AM or 8:30 start. Then I would say every hour or every 45 minutes after that were doing a run and we stopped for lunch around one o’clock. Yeah, I think we probably were done about 5:00. And so we were skiing in March. So by 5:00, when we were leaving the helicopter pad at the end of the day to go back to the hotel, it was starting to get dark. So yeah, I think it was just based off the sun. Maybe in the spring they could do longer, but [inaudible 00:03:28] in the spring it’s probably not as stable, the snow conditions. So I’m not sure how long they actually run for in terms of time of year.
Skill Diversity in Heliskiing: Balancing Pros and Novices on the Slopes Greg dives into the challenges and solutions of skiing in mixed groups, ensuring that everyone from beginners to experts enjoys the ride.
Tim:
Was it all guys you knew or mostly strangers?
Greg:
No, so that was interesting. So I was with two friends and we were all very capable skiers, all of us with many years of experience and we were very welcomed to go and enjoy ourselves. But there was, I want to say it was probably 12 people in our group complete, I’m trying to think of how big that… It was a [inaudible 00:04:06] version of a Griffin helicopter. So there would’ve been two on each side, another five on the deck. One up front, yeah, 10, maybe it was 10. Some of those people were in way over their head. Maybe they had deep wallets and they thought it would be fun to go, heliskiing and they might’ve been able to hold her own on piste, down a nice groomed run. But there was one woman who went on one run and then she just stayed in the helicopter the whole time. And there was another couple ladies that they just really struggled, which was a bit unfortunate. We were a bit anxious at the beginning because we did the first three runs and these people are just doing yard sales.
Tim:
Yeah, that’s going to be my question. How do they manage the, call it a mismatch of skills? Because some guys are just bombing down and then some people are taking a while. How do the guides manage it?
Greg:
Yeah. They just muddled through and we all kind of help them and we do the line and then I would just sit there and go the mountains. Got these ladies through it. I think they kind of got used to it too. It’s pretty heavy powder so it doesn’t run fast. And in all the different runs we did, they had kind of a good steep option that we were enjoying. And then there was a little bit more gentle part of the run that these ladies would be on. So they kind of got their feet [inaudible 00:05:23].
But I think the one woman did just the one run and then she sat in the helicopter the rest of the time and then the other two ladies in her party, they did the morning and then at lunch they just stayed down. They were just felt like they were way over faced. They weren’t comfortable. I mean, I think if you’re not comfortable up on a mountain, it can be very intimidating. I would say more so than being on piste, because everything’s above the tree line. It’s big, it’s open, it’s not well-defined. Even if you’re above the tree line on a resort, you’re typically in a bowl or a gully. There’s a lot of out outcrops and stuff. This is just expanse and the light conditions are variable.
It was a bright sunny day, so it was a bit of white-out, just when you get that light glare. And even with your goggles, you have trouble differentiating. Not always, but some parts in my group was really comfortable with that. We just felt the run, felt the snow, we felt really comfortable with it. Plus the snow was running slow, because it was heavy, which made it really fun to ride, because it was popping. But yeah, it was like, I could see why people, if they’re not really, really comfortable on their skis, they could be a bit intimidated. But it was fine, because after lunch the sun was perfect. It was high in the sky, a lot of the lighting got much better. And it was some of the best runs in my life, because for whatever reason, the fall lines on the runs were clean, so you’re hitting them square and you could just pop turns medium, small radius turns, your skis are just riding really well.
Ever turns like that. There must have been, I mean at one point at the beginning of the guy dug down, because you want to check the avalanche risks or he is digging through the layers of snow to see how it was packed on the ridge. He dug down about four feet or five feet and he wasn’t getting anywhere near to the bottom. So you think there’s that much snow you’re going through, so you’re not feeling anything under your legs, you’re just floating. It’s almost like, I don’t know, almost being in water in a way, gives more resistance to the water, obviously. But yeah, you’re just floating. It was only a few circumstances can I think of that same feeling, having on piste and to be honest, maybe in a couple cat skiing things, but even once you’re into the trees, you don’t get the same kind of puffy and powdery-ness that you get in the [inaudible 00:08:05]. Yeah.
Tim:
The description just makes me want to go skiing right now and hop in a car and start driving.
Greg:
Yeah, maybe not. We’ll get that small condition.
Tim:
Probably not.
Greg:
I think that’s what you’re paying for. That’s the experience guaranteed that every turn is exceptional because it’s not cheap. It’s not something you do every day. But you guarantee [inaudible 00:08:33] and maybe if you do a day skiing, you’re like, “Oh, nine runs for that much money. What am I crazy?” But if every single turn, every foot of the vertical is exceptional, it kind of justifies it as a real bucket list opportunity.
Tim:
What would you have changed about it?
Greg:
There was a group, so when we got to the helipad, there was two groups. One was flying up in a smaller helicopter and they were going to go someplace a bit more aggressive. And then we went in the larger helicopter with the mainstream group. I can’t remember the reason why we picked that. I think one of the guys in my group was a bit intimidated. He didn’t want to go where they went. In the end we went, there was people that went with a more aggressive group, they didn’t find good terrain and they ended up coming over to where we were about midday. So we got lucky. But I think what I would do is rally up, if I could, enough folks that I knew their skiing capabilities, to have one group of people that I knew would be skiing at the same caliber.
Mastering the Skies: Helicopter Piloting Skills for Heliskiing in Whistler Experience the awe as Greg describes the impeccable skills of helicopter pilots, the unsung heroes of the heliskiing world.
Greg:
I mean, in the end it worked out. But I had some anxiety at the beginning when the one group of ladies were struggling on the hill. I’m like, “Well, I don’t want to leave these people behind. They’re going to get hurt. Obviously I’m not a jerk, but I was also, I really came here to ski. I don’t want to be acting as a ski patrol for these people.” You know what I mean? But the one thing that was pretty cool though, because I having a military background, I’ve ridden in a lot of helicopters and am pretty familiar with them. But the helicopter pilot, pilot singular, so in the forces, they fly a pilot and a co-pilot in the exact same helicopter. But these guys, they fly one helicopter pilot. So he’s piloting, he’s his own navigator. He’s his own radio man. And he is like, or she, but in this case it was a he, putting that helicopter in some crazy spots. It was very cool. Just nudging the feet onto the edge of the-mountian
Tim:
Not fully landing, just nudging up to the slope?
Greg:
Guys were jumping off. There’s a rare case where there was a cliff and then the other cliff wall. And the cliff only had a outcrop big enough to land on. He came with his helicopter and his blades were like, I swear, just feet away from the edge of the wall. And he just got in there and it’s windy. It’s not like he’s just sitting still. He’s got crosswinds affecting his helicopter and he’s just holding it perfectly. It was so impressive. And then he just lips off and drops away. And knowing how challenging that is and knowing how long our guys trained for that, it just goes to show just how capable these guys are and he just loves it.
Tim:
And do you think that’s a standard or this guy just happened to be more exceptional?
Greg:
I think it’s got to be the standard, because it’s the only way they can get in those spots. I think they get really good with their helicopters and they know exactly where they can dance and where they can’t. And he just knew it was an extension of his body. It was really impressive. It’s kind of like watching an artist paint. You still watching them master their machine. It was pretty cool.
Tim:
[inaudible 00:11:49] helicopter [inaudible 00:11:51], it’s pretty much, it is an art.
Greg:
It was an art. It was pretty cool. It was really, really cool. Yeah, and I think the best job in the world’s got to be one of those ski guides, because it was the people that… So was the helicopter pilot and then there was the guide who also is your ski patrol and he’s like the avalanche guy and all the rest. And that guy’s got also the best job in the world is he skis every day, every day, all winter-long.
Tim:
Those dudes have to be pretty capable.
Greg:
Yeah.
Whistler’s Heliskiing Guides: Best Job in the World. Greg describes his take on the guides.
Tim:
And there was just the one guide with your group of 10?
Greg:
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, he kind of knew that right from the beginning that our guys were pretty good. So he kind of enlisted our help to lead the party or trail and pick up the pieces. But he was definitely in control the whole time. I didn’t feel like there was any risk at all. And he knew exactly where he was the whole time. So it was pretty cool.
First-Time Heliskiing in Whistler? Gear Up and Get Ready! Greg’s essential tips and gear recommendations for those venturing into heliskiing for the first time, ensuring a smooth ride on Whistler’s slopes.
Tim:
What would you recommend or tell people trying it for the first time?
Greg:
Get yourself powder skis? I rented powder skis from them. I don’t remember. I think I might have rode the first run on my… I don’t wear fat skis. They were just parabolics and they were just all mountains. And then I think I put on powder skis on the second run that they brought up for me and it made a big difference. Yeah, I just needed a little more to float, because it’s so deep. I was fighting a little bit with the parabolics and then what else did we do? Oh, don’t forget your gloves. I forgot my gloves when I got to the helicopter and then I bought gloves from the heliski folks.
Tim:
Ow, “First time?”
Greg:
I don’t know. No, I think, because I’d been skiing the day before, so I left them on the heater and I was excited, so I left them at the hotel and on the heater. But I got to the helicopter, they had a little lodge there, so they had gloves there and I still have them today actually. They’re exceptional gloves that I bought them. But I also, it added more money that was comfortable paying for gloves to a trip that was already an expensive date. But I was like, “Well, I’m not going to miss this trip.”
Tim:
Sure, yeah. At that point you’re committed to whatever.
Greg:
I’m wearing my little dollar store inserts just to have something. So yeah, definitely bring your gear. Yeah. And then, the rest, I can’t think of anything else. They had lunch for us. We didn’t have to bring that.
Whistler Heliski Apres Ski and Accommodations – Greg provides his description:
Tim:
What was the lunch like or the rest of that Apres ski experience?
Greg:
Oh, it’s pretty basic. I think they brought hot dogs and a grill and stuff like that. They just set up a little grilling shop from the back of the helicopter. Yeah, it wasn’t anything elaborate, but it was like I didn’t have to bring it. So that’s good.
Tim:
And accommodations, you stayed right in the town and that was de-tethered from your heli trip?
Greg:
No, we were staying in, oh, I’m trying to remember the different… There’s different towns up there. We were staying in a town that was short of Whistler. We weren’t rain in Whistler, so we had to drive up to the helipad. About 40 minute drive I want to say.
Tim:
Okay.
Greg:
Squamish, we were staying in Squamish.
Tim:
How hard was it to get up to?
Greg:
Easy. It was right in the town, the helicopter site, the landing pad.
Tim:
Oh, okay.
Greg:
Yeah, it was actually, I think it was even, it’s sort of attached to the Blackcomb Resort, to be honest. I think it was just down the road from the main lodge at Whistler Blackcomb. Sorry, that was the lodge and then they put us in a van. They took us to their helicopter pad, which was further up the valley.
Tim:
Okay. Would you bring the family on another, if you did this again, and what would they do during the day?
Greg:
Now, I got kids, no.
Tim:
I assume you wouldn’t bring them heliskiing or maybe you would, but if you didn’t.
Greg:
Someday. This is the kind of thing where I would love to be able to do a family heliskiing trip, because like a graduation, high school graduation thing, if they’re up for it, because it is literally something of a lifetime. You know what I mean? But there’d be a lot of workup and trial and error. Probably do some cat skiing beforehand and make sure they’re comfortable with it. Maybe in some skinning or something like that to get to earn it, make them suffer. But yeah, I probably wouldn’t do it right now with the kiddos, my wife would kill me if she knew I was going to go up into paradise for a day while she’s in the trenches, mucking out our kids down at the hotel. It’s not really fair.
Tim:
Fair.
Greg:
That’s my circumstance right now.
Is Heliskiing Worth the Investment? Weighing the Costs and Rewards A reflection on the price tag attached to heliskiing versus the once-in-a-lifetime memories it promises, as seen through Greg’s eyes.
Tim:
So how’d you feel about the value there? Is it that every turn was worth it?
Greg:
Sorry. What?
Tim:
Just the value of the entire experience.
Greg:
Okay. So at the time I was single, I just got back from overseas and hadn’t spent the set in six months and saved it all on a bank account and I was burned a hole in my pocket. So yeah, every cent was worth it, just because I think it was 26 with a pile of money and nothing else to do with it, it was great. Today, as a 40-year old with mortgages and stuff like that, maybe it be more challenging. I guess it’s all relative, but hey, this is something I would like to do as a retiree, probably. I would love to set a goal for myself one day of heliskiing every year from 50 to 60 years old. That would be pretty cool.
Tim:
Okay, I’ll help you do that, Greg. I’m down for that goal. I’m down for that goal.
Greg:
Yeah. Maybe once a decade between now and then.
Tim:
For now.
Greg:
Or I’ll win the lottery and then I’ll just start a heliski [inaudible 00:17:48] and then I’ll become a guide.
Tim:
All right, well my closing question was would you do it again? But I think you just answered.
Greg:
Yes, I would do it again. Yeah. I think I need to get out just on piste more frequently before I rush off to the helicopter pad.
Tim:
A couple warmup runs on the green. You’ll be good to go.
Greg:
Well, hey, the snow does slow you down a little bit. I have more chance of hurting myself on piste, especially on a busy day, a busy holiday day with lots of ice and crazy people grinding all over the place than I do doing heliskiing. When I’m up there there’s nobody to run into. Well, nobody to run into me. And there’s very few obstacles, but think of the crazy stuff that we used to do trying to either avoid people. So we have in the trees doing stupid stuff where people aren’t supposed to be skiing just to stay away from people or on piste. Then there’s just crazy people that don’t know how to stop or stopping on weird spots, you can’t see them. That’s where you get hurt. So I think that you’re probably safer up on a helicopter slope to be honest.
Tim:
Fair. All right. Well, thanks for taking the time!
