Blue River, British Columbia

Back in the 1970s Mike Wiegele had an avant-garde vision of what Canada’s Blue River had to offer. When he asked a local old-timer what he thought of his idea to open a Blue River backcountry skiing outlet, the wise man said simply, “The snowflakes fall down big and straight.” This statement inspired Mike to found Mike Wiegele’s Helicopter Skiing.  Since then, Mike has been on top of the world, as the panoramic views of the Monashee and Cariboo Mountains circle endlessly around him. Join new-schoolers Cody Barnhill and Chris Benchetler as they dive into Mike’s snow-covered playground. This is big-mountain skiing at its finest, as sweeping turns, breathtaking natural features and tailing powder trails explode off the screen. Chris explains the childlike feeling of excitement that takes over as he steps into Wiegele’s bird, knowing that a 2000-vertical-foot line of fresh powder is waiting, and that he’ll have this sea of expansive white bliss all to himself.  Cody adds, “Here anything and everything that you can see is all fair game.”