“I was dancing and whooping at the end of the day,” Dawn Mueller, Mazama massage therapist, exclaimed regarding the first time she went heli-skiing. Still exhilarated, “I went out dancing that night!”
Backcountry skiers who are ferried to remote mountain areas by helicopter all seem to share the same enthusiasm for this unique ski activity.
Mazama may be the very end of the road once the North Cascades Scenic Highway closes for the winter, but not for North Cascade Heli’s powerful A-Star B3 copters. The Heli-Barn is located on Wilson Ranch adjacent to the Freestone Inn. With the American Alps in our backyard, heli-skiers and snowboarders have 300,000 acres of terrain and fresh, deep powder at their ski tips when flying with North Cascade Heli. The views of the magnificent peaks from the sky and from drop-off points at 7,000-8,000 feet are spectacular.
It is no wonder that the returning adventurers on the penultimate heli-skiing weekend (March 18-19) disembarked the aircraft with grins from ear-to-ear. Asked how it was, Dave Jones from Winthrop exhaled, “Fantastic!”
North Cascade Heli has guided skiers and snowboarders in the North Cascades since 1989. A small company of certified and well-trained guides and staff offer the best service and skills possible to small groups of four guests and one guide per copter. The resumes of the owners and guides elicit strong confidence in their ability to make a ski adventure in the backcountry an adventure of a lifetime. Most have trained and guided all over the world. All have extensive experience in guiding and safety training.
Avalanche safety gear is mandatory for all the heli-skiing programs. Each guest is provided a BCA transceiver, shovel and probe. Float 22 Avalanche Airbags are required, and guests are instructed on the proper use of them before flying.
Nestled deep in the mountains just north of Hart’s Pass is Barron Yurt, operated by North Cascade Heli. Barron was a short-lived gold rush mining town in 1894. Hundreds of miners traveled to the remote location to get rich. Most ended up working for a daily wage of $2.50, meals, and a bed made of tree branches. Two years later, the town was abandoned.
Now the Barron Yurt sits in this remote location, accessible by the helicopters. The yurt accommodates eight skiers and two guides for three- or four-night fully catered stays. Ski touring starts out the front door, as the location is blessed with abundant annual snowfall.
Watching the website video of skiers schussing down the steep terrain leaving a rooster tail in their wake is nothing less than impressive. My ski trails usually had names like “Success,” “Milk Run,” and then finally graduated to “College.” The bowls, glades, trees, powder fields and chutes available to heli-riders with names like “Spire Gully” are clearly way above my pay grade!
For a curious peek at what North Cascade Heli offers to its customers, check out the website heli-ski.com. The mountain views are breathtaking and the skiing unbelievable.
