March 15, 2007
Wasatch Powder Guides Heli Skiing - Just another Board Meeting at work...
Joe, Jason, Zaq, Lew, Steve
The Mountains and the Machine. At the WPG launching pad - Snowbird, Utah
We have the best boss in the world for sending us on this trip with co workers and friends! It was a quick 2 day trip from Tahoe to Salt Lake City, Utah. After a night of good dinner and drink, we made the infamous drive up Little Cottonwood Canyon to the Wasatch Powder Guides base at Snowbird. Although our hopes of deep Utah powder would remain unfulfilled, we found that California corn snow can grow in Utah just the same. The conditions were absolutely perfect corn conditions allowing us to ski steeper and higher lines than the powder hounds are able to venture onto in the dead of winter. The guides are great, the operation is first class and the end of the day lunch is quite satisfactory. To quote Warren Miller, "So make a reservation to go heli-skiing this year, cause if you don't, you'll be one year older when you do." Here's their web site for anyone interested: Wasatch Powderbird Guides - Helicopter Skiing .
Here's the pictures by me (with some lower quality ones by Zippy):
First it was the scenery of the mighty Wasatch that caught my attention:
Then we prepared for the boarding:
Some of the other clients were not really on our level. They brought their private instructor:
Finally in flight. I think everyone was actually more excited than they look here:
Old avalanche crown, old tracks:
Views:
The flying was as fun as the skiing:
We did some skiing. We started out on lower elevation SE facing slopes where the corn was ripe.
Zaq and Lew:
Steve:
I made a few turns too:
Unfortunately Kong was put in with a different group. But we managed to grab a few shots of him too:
Feeling pretty fired up after a few $$$ corn runs:
My view from the window seat behind the pilot:
More views of amazing mountains - In fact, the twin peaks on the right is where we would ski our last 3 runs:
Thanks to Zippy for letting me ski the Moment Ruby's:
More skiing. Zippy decides to get jibby:
Lew decides NOT to ski it Switch - a good choice:
Heads over to the corniest aspect:
And finds the goods.....with a view:
Steve's next:
Uh -
Oh.
Zippy got one of me:
Zippy making sure things are always exciting, takes this run at 30 mph, switch:
"Do these pants make my butt look big?"
And in a blur he's back to skiing like a normal human again:
It got rather extreme down low in the Aspens.
Happily waiting (briefly) for another pickup:
Then we saw Kong at this Landing Zone. Traversing too low was the finest part of his day:
Can't you tell?
The bird drops down on us to take us much higher this time:
Twin Peaks on the left, Great Salt Lake in the distance, Superior on the right (I believe):
Our guide Spencer has the best job in the world:
Exciting mountains out here:
Including this one, Snowbird:
Time to ski some bigger more exciting terrain. Twin Peaks:
Lew harvests some corn:
Steve. Starts tentatively....
Then gets his groove on:
Oh No.
This run just kept going and going. 3,000'+
Me off the top:
Zippy is not a good photographer.
He is a good skier though:
He takes things so seriously....
Then we found Kong again:
And the rest of his group......yea.
Time to go again:
More worthy views:
Felt a little more airy up here on our last two runs:
Zippy gets it started with a worthy and airy backdrop:
Lew cuts loose:
Steve hits it:
He didn't have to reach far to touch the snow on this slope:
Cranking 'em!
Zippy above and Steve below:
Zippy has no idea what "one at a time" means:
Then I ran out of space on my memory card! I did erase a couple worthless shots to take this one of Lew flying down the bottom of our last run of the day. It was a new line for WPG on the South (?) Twin Peak. It was steeper and sweeter than any other run we did that day.
Lew ripped it. Endurance is not an issue with him:
These are Zippy's pictures. Captivating photographer, isn't he?.....He really has an eye for the sky:
But he did get a couple of good Kong shots.
This alone is priceless. Back in the safety of the lodge, he is happy to be ALIVE:
Since we had some time left in the afternoon, Lew gave us a two hour tour of Snowbird. Another amazing mountain. I'll have to come back to ski the resort on a powder day sometime in the near future.
This was the trip of a lifetime!
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