Heliskiing Unlimited Vertical!
NewsletterJanuary 2010
The Leader in Boutique, Small Group Heli-Skiing
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Hi snowriders!
Jordan: “There was no better way to salute 2009 and usher in 2010 than by visiting Great Canadian Heli Skiing at Rogers Pass, BC for a 3 day photo shoot. I was joined by Jamie Bond from Doglotion.com, and Dave and Dan Treadway. Stunning terrain, deep yet stable blower powder, and warm hospitality made for a fantastic New Years.
I shot this video between shooting stills; however additional footage in this video is shot by Jamie Bond.”
Music: myspace.com/kkevinsshields
jordanmanley.com
Before reading any further, you have to check out the cool short video photographer Jordan Manley took. So check it out now and then come back to me, it’s only 104 seconds long.
So, what did you think? Cool eh? Amped to go heli-skiing or what? If you liked that video, make sure you check out Jordan’s photos below (click on them to enlarge, if your email is javascript-enabled).
Anyway, all of us at Great Canadian Heli-Skiing hope you had a great holiday season
Our heli-skiing season kicked off with a full house on Boxing Day, with 6 different families joining us. What an awesome way to spend some quality family time. There’s nothing more fun than shredding the pow with your family and friends and creating lasting memories. Even if your kids are older, they’ll think you are cool for taking them heli-skiing!
Head Guide Greg Golovach, who has been guiding with us for 18 years, said it is the best start he has seen in all his time here. In fact, the snowbase in many parts of our tenure is over 3 metres (almost 10ft)!!
We are excited to report that even while other regions have been experiencing very warm temperatures and rain this week we have faired very well. In fact, we haven’t had ANY down days yet! In fact, the last storm deposited 45cm and guest reports say the skiing is great!
It’s funny, in most years bookings really drop off as we head into winter and the helis start flying. However this year we’ve notice an increase in late bookings as we are still getting many inquiries about our various packages.
Most weeks are pretty full up now, with a few spaces here and there. The weeks that there is still good availability are:
If you are interested in a different week than above, drop us a line and we’ll see if we can fit you in.
Dan Treadway finding
the pow in The Burn
by Jordan Manley
“Stunning terrain, deep yet stable blower powder, and warm hospitality made for a fantastic New Years” – Jordan Manley
When I started here 7 months ago (wow, time flies!), owner Greg Porter and I discussed the need to increase our photo library so that we had some great images for the calendar, website and brochures. The skiing at Great Canadian Heli-Skiing is absolutely amazing....so we need images that reflect that.
I’m a bit of a ski and snowboard magazine junkie and I noticed over the past couple of years the name Jordan Manley kept popping up. His images are stunning. I usually prefer stories over the photos (insert Playboy joke here!), but Jordan’s photos always caught my eye. So when Greg and I were discussing getting in a pro-photographer, Jordan was the guy we wanted!
I looked up Jordan’s website (jordanmanley.com) and sent him an email with a subject title any skier/boarder would fall for: “Want to come heli-skiing?”
Dave Treadway getting buried
by Jordan Manley
Click to enlarge!
Dan Treadway
by Jordan Manley
Dan Treadway getting DEEP
by Jordan Manley
So after a few emails back and forth, Jordan, pro-skiers Dan Treadway and Dave Treadway and Jamie Bond, founder of the popular freeskiing website DogLotion.com, made their way out to our lodge.
With a snow base of 3 metres (almost 10ft) conditions were amazing, allowing the prowess and skill of the Treadway brothers to shine through. As you can see by the photos, Jordan is as good with the camera as the Treadways are on skis! Have you seen the latest issue of Skiing Magazine? Jordan shot the cover, in addition to many other publications such as Powder, Ski, Skier etc.
Not only a master of still shots, Jordan has a talent with video and post production. Check out the cool 1 minute 44 second video he (and Jamie Bond) shot in between stills.
Pro skiers and photographers are usually very well traveled and have visited many cool places. So when they sing your praises you know you are doing something right! Here are a few quotes from Dan, Dave, Jordan and Jamie;
“Everything awesome, expectations were well exceeded! You guys have some amazing terrain. Paddy was a really great guide and got us to the goods” and “Stunning terrain, deep yet stable blower powder, and warm hospitality made for a fantastic New Years” — Jordan Manley
Dan Treadway cliff drop
by Jordan Manley
Check out the mountain biker in
the water drop, the amazing thing
is this photo hasn’t been altered!
Photo: Jordan Manley.
Dave Treadway in 40 Watts
by Jordan Manley
“Thanks again for the great trip and hospitality. As Jordan mentioned we were all really impressed with the terrain and the operation as a whole. Three thumbs up” — Jamie Bond
Jordan’s cover shot of Chad Sayers
in the latest issue of Skiing Magazine.
On his way back to the Coastal Mountains Dave Treadway stopped off in Revelstoke for a ski and said “It was great skiing, but man did I feel like a spoiled brat. “Oh, there’s some other tracks” or “that was only a 1000 vertical ft run” were thoughts running through my head. After getting it as good as we did at GCH, it’s sure hard skiing the hill, even on a good day. Thanks again for the awesome time, and treating us to some of your white fluffy champagne”.
On his blog, Dan Treadway said “My brother Dave, Jordan Manley and I spent the last 2 days of 09 in some of the deepest snow possible at Great Canadian Heliskiing. The terrain these guys have is amazing. A good chunk of their tenure that we saw has been burnt by forest fires so the trees are perfectly spaced and with no needles on them you can see way in front of you. They also have some of the best pillow lines I’ve ever seen”.
Not bad feedback eh? Keep an eye on our homepage, our Facebook page (join up!), plus Jordan’s website and DogLotion.com for more photos and video! And no doubt you will see more of Jordan and Jamie’s Great Canadian images in next winter’s ski magazines.
As you can see, the conditions demand that you ski with us this winter!! And if I can twist Warren Miller’s words, “if you don’t ski with us this year, you’ll be a year older kicking yourself you didn’t!!”
Guide Paddy Jerome not letting the
Ride Guide crew have all the fun!
Photo: Dave Silver.
Leah Evans finding some nice pillow lines in
”The Burn” (named because a forest fire
came through the area many years ago).
Photo: Dave Silver.
No doubt most of you have heard about the Ride Guide, the ski and snowboard tv show that is shown in 60 countries and 60 million households. So we were very excited when the show’s Executive Producer contacted me asking if they could come film at Great Canadian Heli-Skiing!
The crew has skied with us this past week in order to film the amazing conditions and terrain in our vast tenure.
The show will star local Golden boy Justin Baun and Leah Evans from Rossland, BC. In the summer Justin fights fires and in winter he rides for the Ride Guide. Leah competes in international free-skiing competitions and manages her own company: www.girlsdoski.com. Girls Do Ski offers 2 day camps for women interested in improving their skiing and who want to learn to ski the whole mountain, not just the groomers. It’s a perfect way to warm up for heli-skiing!
The episode will also feature Chatter Creek Cat-Skiing which borders our tenure. The good news is we won’t have to wait long before the episode airs....it should be this season! We will let you know when it’s due to air.
For more photos on the Ride Guide’s visit, check out the Dave Silver Photography website: www.davesilverphoto.com
Name: Greg Golovach
Nickname: G.G.
Qualifications: ACMG & IFMGA
Position: Head Guide
Home Town: Banff, Alberta
Home Resort: Great Canadian!
Years Guiding: 21
Years at GCH: 18
Greg Golovach has been guiding for 20 years, he has been guiding for GCH for 18 years! Greg is a fully certified I.F.M.G.A. Mountain Guide and became a professional guide "because he could not imagine doing anything else for a living". Greg's passion for guiding is evident: not only is he a heli-ski guide, he also guides ski touring, ice climbing, rock climbing, and mountaineering. Safety is Greg's #1 concern. A true man of the mountains, when asked what his dreams are, Greg unequivocally states, "I'm living my dream." When not guiding, Greg spends his time enjoying the outdoors with his wonderful wife Mischi and their three adorable children, Hunter, Bryce & Tia.
If you are interested in doing any climbing, touring or mountaineering, check out Greg’s website: www.alpineadventureguide.com
Name: Hidehiko Yamajo
Nickname: Hide (pronounced He-day)
Home Town: Yokohama, Japan
Home Resort: Hakuba in Nagano and
Niseko on Hokkaido
Heli-Skiing Experience: Many years at
CMH and also New Zealand
Hide-san is a very strong, passionate powder skier....our guides have rated him a level 3 (our highest level)!
Hide has been heli-skiing and chasing snow for many years all over the world and has skied with us at Great Canadian Heli-Skiing for the last 2 seasons. He said without question he enjoys skiing with us the most. Why? He loves the small groups of 4 format and the fact that we are so easy to get to, especially when coming from overseas and he doesn’t need to stay extra nights and take extra flights to get to the lodge.
I spoke to Hide today and he said “I have skied (including heli skiing) many places but truly the snow quality at GCH is among the best - I just have skied in Hokkaido last weekend, great powder about 50 cm deep.......even with the great powder it is rare to feel the real bottomless, flawless powder you (Great Canadian Heli-Skiing) provide with (and your guides always find it somehow somewhere.)”
Interesting comment about Hokkaido, where often the resorts there achieve a 5 metre base (16.4ft)!
Hide likes the family feel of GCH which larger companies often lose: “I also do like the personal touch, friendliness and flexibleness in arranging the logistics in and out”.
Hide and his wife, who is an ex-ski racer, have a young son who Hide can’t wait to take heli-skiing when he is old enough!
Tim Wilkinson
Director - Marketing and Communications
Great Canadian Heli-Skiing
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