2016 - Revelstoke / Selkirk Tangiers Heli
For whatever reason, "back for more" usually doesn't work out for us powder wise. So we took out a little powder insurance this year and booked a day of heli-skiing.
Our first two days at Revelstoke were good - packed powder, zero crowds, incredibly convenient lodge. The second day we had an inversion, where the middle of the mountain was in a very cold cloud, but up on top of the clouds, we got cool views of the surrounding mountains. Frankel had our first ever (?) ski trip injury, taking a nasty fall on a hard packed surface. But a sore calf wasn't going to stop us from....
And on Day 3 we woke up to see the Revelstoke Gnome half buried (6" of fresh) and we were off to the backcountry. Our guides Alex and Aaron started the day with some avalanche rescue and helicopter safety training. Then it was up, up and away. We got 7 runs through some amazing terrain - glades, open meadows, a few steeper bowls. Every run was totally untracked powder between shin and thigh deep, and our group all skied well and stuck together (thankfully no stopping for social media tagging!). The feeling of landing on top of a mountain, where the heli then lifts on in a blast of snow leaving you to ski is surreal. That sound has been added to our collection of great ski sounds - #2 behind the sound of powder silence.
The following day, we woke up to another dump of new snow and we saw our first ever Revelstoke lift line for the opening of the Gondola (everyone wanted fresh tracks). Revelstoke claims more acres per skier than any other resort, so we all got fresh lines. Deep snow, untracked for much of the day. Amazing. Then the long drive back (through more snow) to Calgary, and a red-eye home. Next year, if we come back, heli-skiing will definitely be part of a Revelstoke trip. And maybe Fink will come with (did we mention that he had to go to London for a work trip?)
Our first two days at Revelstoke were good - packed powder, zero crowds, incredibly convenient lodge. The second day we had an inversion, where the middle of the mountain was in a very cold cloud, but up on top of the clouds, we got cool views of the surrounding mountains. Frankel had our first ever (?) ski trip injury, taking a nasty fall on a hard packed surface. But a sore calf wasn't going to stop us from....
And on Day 3 we woke up to see the Revelstoke Gnome half buried (6" of fresh) and we were off to the backcountry. Our guides Alex and Aaron started the day with some avalanche rescue and helicopter safety training. Then it was up, up and away. We got 7 runs through some amazing terrain - glades, open meadows, a few steeper bowls. Every run was totally untracked powder between shin and thigh deep, and our group all skied well and stuck together (thankfully no stopping for social media tagging!). The feeling of landing on top of a mountain, where the heli then lifts on in a blast of snow leaving you to ski is surreal. That sound has been added to our collection of great ski sounds - #2 behind the sound of powder silence. 
The following day, we woke up to another dump of new snow and we saw our first ever Revelstoke lift line for the opening of the Gondola (everyone wanted fresh tracks). Revelstoke claims more acres per skier than any other resort, so we all got fresh lines. Deep snow, untracked for much of the day. Amazing. Then the long drive back (through more snow) to Calgary, and a red-eye home. Next year, if we come back, heli-skiing will definitely be part of a Revelstoke trip. And maybe Fink will come with (did we mention that he had to go to London for a work trip?)
posted by jonfrankel at 2:42 PM
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