w h a t i t ' s l i k e
You have dreamt of helicopter skiing since you were a teenager.
You ski-raced in high school.
You went to school in Colorado, and managed to ski 60 days in one year alone (while still getting a 3.9…).
You backcountry skied.
You learned to telemark. You skied with buddies who grew up in Sun Valley and Aspen. Your dream of endless runs of waist deep powder grew.
Then you got older. You had kids. You had a job.
The dream went dormant. But it was still there.
Then you got a phone call. "Lewis," a voice said. It was Bill, your senior-year roommate from Colorado. "We're going heliskiiing. We've got the whole lodge wired for our group. It's going to be awesome. You have to be there."
Bill used to be known as 'psycho,' because he would do things no one else would do. Now he was a lawyer for a big tech company.
You know it’s now or never. The clock is ticking. You can't wait forever for some things.
You talk to your wife.
You negotiate your terms.
You pay the deposit.
You are going heliskiing in Northern British Columbia with a group of expert skiers (and wine lovers). It is going to be awesome...
I could tell you about the smoke in the cockpit that caused a re-route and new plane, or the ice on the wings that caused a re-route to an
airport a 5 hour bus drive from the intended destination airport. But those things just don't matter anymore. Warnings, perhaps. Unheeded.
February 5, 1999, you are way the hell out there, in northern BC, where wolves and moose dominate the landscape. The nearest paved road is hours away. And endless powder awaits.