Heliskiing in Alaska

Heli-ski reality: Ignore the misconceptions, it’s a sport without discrimination5 COMMENTSBY DONNY O'NEILL/ DECEMBER 19, 2016 38Shares Share Tweet Pin
We rocket through the sky, defying gravity, the pervading sound being the WUMPH-WUMPH-WUMPH of tornadic rotor blades. Below, the snow-caked pinnacles of the towering pine and fir tree metropolis seem to tickle the chopper’s underbelly—taunting us with the promise of the bountiful snow bedded between their trunks. We ascend higher until the timber thins out and we hover above our designated landing zone. The mechanical bird gently kisses the wintry earth and we file out of the door, bodies hunched for safety, then huddle together a few yards away from our transport. The guide removes our equipment from the basket mounted to the helicopter’s side and distributes the gear before kneeling beside us and giving thumbs up to the pilot. With that signal, the machine lifts off delicately—as if in slow motion—then whizzes into the sky. I turn ar…

Beyond Technical; The Human Aspect of an Outdoor CareerGraduate Feature, Brett Menter Since graduating in 2014 with a degree in Outdoor Recreation Leadership, Brett Menter has found himself leading heli-ski trips in Alaska, guiding ice climbing trips on glaciers, coordinating outdoor activities for disabled children and more recently, instructing outdoor orientation classes at Colorado Mountain College Leadville. When Brett began the ORL program in Leadville, he was already employed at a summer camp in British Columbia. “It’s an outdoor recreation camp for children with disabilities. I ran the adventure ropes program that was adaptable to children with wheelchairs. I was there for four summers and worked my way up all the way to Head Coordinator at the camp.” A natural born leader, Brett recognized that he would need to learn skills to excel in the outdoor industry. The OUT program at Colorado Mountain College Leadville was the perfect match. Not only did Brett learn the technical skills…