Kootenay 1

Kootenay is a heliskiing operation based in Nakusp, British Columbia staffed by some the warmest, friendliest people you'll ever meet and guided/piloted by true professionals.  It is one of eleven heliskiing areas in the Canadian Mountain Holidays portfolio of premier skiing experiences.  Kruser cast the lure, and I hit it like a Northern Pike.  My third visit to Kootenay with said powder pusher started off like all the rest - EPIC!!!  We had a very nice group:  Debbie, Gordon, Lori, Geo, Scott and son Greg, Dr. Snow, mw, Kruser, and yours truly led by the esteemed Guide Patrick. 

Patrick also capably presented our orientation to all three of this week's groups.  We viewed our safety video, an interesting piece put together with excellent examples and extremely important information that stuck.  Then off to the heliport for instructions from pilot Mike and avalanche transciever training by the guides.  Then we flew away in the magic machine to the powder paradise in the Selkirks.

We skied.

Bowling Alley, Rim, Little Leary, Pleasure Center, Shotgun,

Revelstoke Mountain Resort

The town of Revelstoke is blessed with a truly marvelous ski area, Revelstoke Mountain Resort.  Its gondola and chair lifts carry skiers to the greatest vertical rise of all North American ski area on Mount McKenzie.  From a base elevation of 1680 feet, the chair lift tops out at 7300 feet.

Dr. Snow, Kruser, mw and yours truly started 2011 with a couple of days of powder prospecting at RMR.  Fresh snow had fallen about a week earlier, and all of the obvious powder lines had been skied.  But, we found a fair amount of untracked powder in the glades of the North Bowl, served by the "Ripper" high speed quad chairlift, as well as the higher "Stoke" lift on the front side. 

Doc Surviving the Cliff

Kruser found fresh in the next alley

The "Back 40 Glades" funneled into an interesting creek

RMR has exceptional terraine with a lot of cliffs.  We found so many cliffs, mostly marked with unobtrusive signs and downclimbed by our party in only two episodes, that we joked about doing the cliff run... Which one?

Road to Revie

A skiers’ paradise, Revelstoke is aptly named. Situated at the Columbia River crossing by the Trans-Canada Highway, the town boasts backcountry, lift-served, snow cat, and helicopter skiing in the epic Columbia Mountain ranges with arguably the world’s best snow. Revelstoke, originally a railroad town, is the kickoff for world-renown Rogers Pass alpine touring area; it has North American ski industry’s greatest vertical lift of 5600 feet at Revelstoke Mountain Resort; and it's home to multiple heli- and cat-skiing operations.

Powder paradise seekers Doctor Snow, Kruser, mw and yours truly jam packed our mid-size SUV rental with baggage, ski gear, and four men. We stuffed the baggage in the very back and our ski bags formed a partition down the middle of the cabin effectively isolating each of us in a personal powder capsule.  Our plane touched down at 4:30 p.m. in Kelowna and we were settled in our Revie motel by 9 p.m. after gathering our gear, passing through customs and making the 2-1/2 drive to Revie.