Heliskiing Unlimited Vertical!
Newsletter
September 2009
Hello all.
I trust you are enjoying the last days of summer (or winter if you are in the Southern Hemisphere). In the office we have differing opinions... Deane wants some more summer before getting some turns in and I'm devouring the new ski/snowboard magazines and am 'amping' to go heli-skiing. I can even tell you as of today (Friday September 18) that it's 49 days until Lake Louise opens (Nov 6th), 84 days until Kicking Horse opens (Dec 11) and 99 until our first group goes heli-skiing (Dec 26)!
Several months ago bookings were fairly slow compared to previous years, however we noticed there was still a lot of interest in going heli-skiing... most people were just watching and waiting to see what the economy was doing. Well, as things have gotten better, we've seen a big increase in the number the bookings, so if you are "umming and ahhhing" about making a reservation I would make sure you contact us to secure your preferred dates (especially in February as we are getting a lot of requests for then)! Here are the Saturday start dates where we are sold out or almost sold out:
Dec 26 - 2 spots
Jan 23 - 4 spots
Jan 30 - 2 spots
Feb 27 - 2 spots
Mar 20 - Sold Out
As you may have read in the newsletter we sent out the other day, we are very excited to be able to offer some really cool 'combo packages' where we have combined heli-skiing with cat-skiing at Chatter Creek and resort skiing at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. Getting in some turns at a resort is a good way to prepare for some awesome powder skiing at Chatter and Great Canadian Heli-Skiing. Check out our Combo Packages page for more details. If you would like a different combination of days resort/cat/heli-skiing, let us know and we'll see what we can do for you!
Kicking Horse. Photo: Tero Repo
Chatter Creek. Photo: Dylan Page
Great Canadian. Photo: Sue Gould
The second draft of the new 2010 Great Canadian Heli-Skiing calendar has been completed and updates are being made as we speak. It looks great! If you are in our database and we have your postal address we will send the new calendar out to you sometime in October (if you'd like the calendar and don't think we have your address, drop us a line. This might be the case if you haven't booked with us yet, but we have your email). Remember, if you get some killer shots while heli-skiing with us feel free to send them in... we might include it in the next edition of the calendar or pop it up on our website!
Speaking of the website, I'd like to keep it "fresh" and by that I mean updating it regularly. So if there's anything you'd like to see let me know. I plan on giving some up-to-date info on the conditions, photos and anything somewhat newsworthy.
Late next month I'm doing a quick tour through Europe to meet some of our European and British agents. This will be a great opportunity for me to explain face-to-face why we believe heli-skiing with us ROCKS!
If any of you out there would like to catch up, let me know. Maybe you are a bit of a group leader and you have some mates (oops, sorry we're in Canada, so I should say 'buddies') or colleagues and you'd like to get a group together let me know, maybe we could meet up and have a chat.
Dates are yet to be confirmed, but I should be in London for the last few days of the Metro Ski and Snowboard Show (i.e. around Oct 23-25) and then in Austria, Germany and Switzerland from about Oct 26 - Nov 3rd, then back in the UK Nov 4 - 7 (then on the 8th I'll be watching the Wallabies play England in the rugby at Twickenham!). It looks likely we will do a presentation in London in conjunction with Worldwide Heli Skiing on Nov 5. We might also do some presentations in Austria and Germany. I will let you know when we have confirmed dates.
I'm really looking forward to it and hope to meet some of you!
As I mentioned in the last newsletter, Heather Mountain Lodge is open during the summer, providing a relaxing atmosphere for those travelling through on the Trans Canada Highway. Word is getting out that the Lodge makes a good alternative than staying "on the strip" in Golden. In fact, our bookings are up 25% on last year!
The summer lodge crew have been busy. Marcie Taylor, Heather Mountain General Manager, gave me a bit of an update on what has been happening out there;
Last week I asked Dan Bracko, chef extraordinaire, what he was up to out at the lodge over summer. After using the 'spell checker' and thesaurus I worked out what Dan was on about...... here is what he had to say;
"It's been yet another uncannily hot summer out at the lodge with temperatures hovering well above 30°C (86°F) for quite a few weeks through July and August which at 4,000 feet, with views of frozen glaciers shimmering in the distance plastered like cake frosting on quartzite grey mountains is impressive to say the least (30°C equates to 48°C/117°F for us chefs in the kitchen all day.... not so impressive. I have, however, lost about 10lbs this summer).
Chef Dan holding last night's dinner in the Lodge vegetable garden
Thoroughly enjoying the warm weather were the vegetables, herbs and fruits in our humble high mountain garden. The broccoli, radishes, spinach and dill went straight to flower and then to seed in a matter of days. Game over, do not collect $200 or any of the aforementioned vegetables. The strawberries, sugar snap peas, green beans, potatoes and edible flowers on the other hand seem to be enjoying one of the best yields in lodge history. The lodge property being once clear-cut out of dense forest makes for perfect wild huckleberry and honeyberry growing conditions and as a result we have been making our own jam and pies all summer as well as utilizing all our home-grown lodge bounties on our customer's plates. Nothing impresses a diner more than a chef in his 'whites' running (well, walking briskly) through the dining room, bucket and scissors in hand on the way out to cut fresh food for dinner from the garden he/she is sitting above.
Forced into the realisation that winter is on its way by a newly fallen dusting on the mountain tops of our old friend 'powder snow', we are busy in the kitchen sourcing some new and exciting products with which to tantalize and seduce your inner gourmand. Fancy fresh West Coast Dungeness Crab anyone (yes please! -Tim)? How about Pacific fresh crab claw meat out of the shell? (Oh heck yeah!! -Tim)
We have also spent the summer working out with both our meat smoker and BBQ rotisserie and have a whole slew of new items in our culinary quiver to impress including our house Cold Smoked Maple & Brown Sugar Canadian Sockeye Salmon, brontosaurus sized Bison Back Ribs falling off the bone, slow cooked Sweet and Spicy BBQ Sauce and our own secret recipe BBQ rub. We have even succeeded in outwitting the local bears, foxes, pine martens, wolves and coyotes by raising a few chickens out here, mostly for fun and occasionally for our own dinner.
Here's looking forward to another winter season chest deep in that horribly addictive white powder. See you at home, once you get here. — Dan Bracko"
Cheers,
Tim
Tim Wilkinson
Director - Marketing and Communications
Great Canadian Heli-Skiing
Ph: +1 250 344 2326
Toll Free: 1 866 424 4354
Fax: +1 250 344 2316
Email: tim@canadianheli-skiing.com
Web: canadianheli-skiing.com
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