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Key Words: small operations, isolation, elitism, environmen-
tal vision
ABSTRACT
Procedures refined over 12 operating seasons in the North
Cascades are reviewed, alongwith avalancheincidents, by
the senior guide.This paper is an attempt to help answer
BruceTremper'schallengetoheli-skiguides,toreveal
exactly how we manage risk.Ourguide staff continuity
emphasis,and internal communications,as well as client
relationsstrategies are included, alongwith the obvious
operatingproceduresregarding:settingup landings,radios,
pits,ski tests,and route management.
The clients' feelingsinvolved are emphasized,especially
as they relate to expectations, safety, liability, and the bot-
tomline.Finallythe survival ofthe sportitself,and its
contributionto-andinteractionwith-environmental
awareness, is related to its perceived elitist nature.This
contributes not only to the problem Bruce Tremper pointed
out,but also to ignorance of mountain reality by environ-
mental activists.The future of heli-skiing and backcoun-
try management may be at stake.The role of helicopters in
supplyinghuts, maintainingtrails, andrescuingski tourers,
relatestohowwellinformedtheinvolvedpolitical
constituencies are.
Increasedparticipation of all heli-skiers, guidesand cli-
ents,in environmental affairs is advocated.This is pre-
sented as potentially contributing to both snow safety, and
moretoleranceofheli-skiingbythoseunfamiliarwith
avalanche hazards.Weare the eyes in the sky,and need
to share ourvision.
INTRODUCTION
Tree wells, crevasses, avalanches,helicopterefficiency,and
crashes, are probably the survival challenges most heli-ski
guides think about,in small operations.Profit sharing is
only possible if there is some profit to share, andthe con-
tributingfactors - like risk managementandflightefficiency,
areall too obvious.Client misconceptionsabout avalanche
risks are fundamental toourstrategies forimprovement.
Heli-ski guides can't predict avalanches99.5%of the time,
anymore than anyone else can.Whatwe can do is operate
with a margin of safety, in terms of where, andhow, we ski
- based on ourevaluation of risk.
Survival hasboth short term andlong term aspects.Nei-
therare enhancedby the unwillingness to communicate,
whichBruce TremperpointedoutinhisAvalanche Re-
view editorial lastseason.Long term survival iskey to
answering environmentalist critics of heli-skiing, andeven
nordicskiing.OurNorthCascade Heli-skiinginvolves
bothalpineandnordic-directly,and basesoutofthe
Methow Valley which has forsaken ski lifts in order to get
past environmental opposition toconstruction of a desti-
nation nordic, and trails based,resort.
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NORTH CASCADES PROCEDURES
Smalloperationshavemanyproceduresincommon,I
suspect.Here is a concise summary of ours.
Experienced guides are ourkey risk management tool.
Seniorguides go outwith any group,and new guides go
along as spacepermits. All our guidesalso have"realjobs",
or at least other jobs that compliment heli-skiing.That is
simplya fact of life foroursmall operation.Wecull the
long list of wanna-bes, to pick the very best, with potential
for long term relationships.Our experience indicatesthat
it takes a few seasons to get good at this game.
Clients are preparedwith: pre-trip mailings - including
acustomized transceiverinstruction pamphlet,personal
pre-flight instructionby a guide, andare of course outfitted
with fat skis,if they didn't bring theirown.We gave up
onbothslide-tapeand videoclientbriefings,afterthey
seemedtooimpersonal,andtherefore-notsufficiently
credible.Welike to teach helicopter safety at the machine
itself,with hands-on practice, and beacon drill out in the
snow too,while we're there.
Oursafety record includes no burials oravalanche re-
lated injuries.Perhapswe'vesimply been lucky. but maybe
we're also doing some things right.We've had guidesand
clients caught by small slides,but usually we ski out fol-
lowingthesuggested procedureforcompetent skiersin
the Ortovox instruction pamphlet.I've occasionally been
frightened byunanticipated clientbehavior,butseldom
bysnowinstability.Idon'trecallanyavalanchethat
qualifies as even a close call.
Ourlandings are set up,ahead of use with clients,by
separateflights, snowcat, snowmobile, or ski touring.We
currently use both one and a quarter, and two meter land-
ing stakes, of different widths, so that when we fly in with
the first clients - ourlead guide has a visual aid to judge
newsnow depth and wind transport.Forthose ofyou
who are not familiar with heli-skiing, the primary purpose
of these stakes ispilot reference.These pre-client visits
also involve leveling of the site, clearing anybrush or trees,
snow pit analysis, and ski checking.Typically we get our
biggest releases on such trips,because they occurduring
or after the storm, and we have time to climb or traverse to
the best sweet spots in the starting zones.Explosives are
used only infrequently, as a check. Usually we simplyski
elsewhere,untilwearesatisfiedthatconditionshave
stabilized.
Radios are a potential problem for small operators, and
we fail- safe ours with a regular protocol of check ins, from
guide to guide, guides to base, and all to - or often relayed
through - the helicopter. Yes, THE helicopter, we are a one
ship operation.It is an ASTAR with radio channelsearch,
andGISnavigational,capabilities.Ourpilotisgood
enough withall this,that he'll sometimesradiohow far
mynordictourisoutfromthepick-up point.Healso
spots,andreports,natural avalanche activity - we might
otherwisemiss.Ourpilotsbothski,andareintensely
interested in avalanches.
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