Just Dropping In for a Field Day on the Slopes

The helicopter took off, spraying a fine snow-dust on six skiers crouched in praying-mantis position on a mountain ridge, deep in the heart of British Columbia’s Southern Chilcotin Mountains.

It might as well have sprinkled us with stardust. Skiing would never be the same again.

That was the day we became hooked on extraterrestrial skiing via Tyax Heli-ski. We had escaped to a world of lost horizons, silent snowscapes and untracked snow fields.

Our launching pad for several days of this outer limits experience in skiing was the Tyax Wilderness Lodge, 124 miles north of Vancouver.

Once the clackety-clack-clack of the helicopter faded away, there was a mad scramble to find our skis while we were lowered by basket down one side of the helicopter into the snow.

Transmitters which had been issued each skier were checked. This is the most important precaution for heli-skiing.

The transceiver, which fits into the inside pocket of a ski parka or underneath sweaters, gives off a constant signal that can be picked up by the other transceivers when they are set to receive.

All heli-skiers are briefed in its use. If a person is buried in an avalanche, he or she can be located by the other skiers in the group in a matter of minutes.

Groups of seven to 13 skiers and a guide are transported by a Bell-212 helicopter from the lodge to the skiing areas. Groups average 100,000 vertical feet of skiing per week. That is about 35 runs down Mammoth from the Cornice to Warming Hut I.

At lunchtime, a wicker picnic basket comes from the tail of the helicopter and eating is at the bottom of a run, often near a glacial waterfall or beside a frozen lake.

The same run is never skied twice. The helicopter lands on many remote mountain tops, and the band of skiers follows a guide down miles of untracked snow. There is such an adrenaline rush that you forget about the cold and the inevitable falls in the powder.

There is nothing more on your mind than making the next turn down the mountainside. You own the Canadian mountains and all the snow for as far as those Vuarnet-shrouded eyes can see. You are hooked, and your ski life has changed forever.

Tyax heli-skiers return each day to a lakeside wilderness lodge where fireside dinners and soaks in the sauna or Jacuzzi await. The Tyax Lodge has a 33-foot ceiling in the dining room and eiderdown comforters on beds in suites that have private balconies viewing the surrounding mountains, woods and lake.

Each morning there’s the smell of freshly baked bread from an oven built into the dining room fireplace.

A Western-style bar off the dining room provides dancing and apres -ski talk, but the thought of tomorrow’s ski adventures in the great unknown sends many to bed early.

The lodge, with 28 guest suites, is the dream of Gus Abel, a former sea captain and wilderness guide, who teamed up with Swiss-Canadian businessman Urs Villiger to produce what skiers have been calling “the Deer Valley of helicopter skiing” since it opened two years ago. (The reference is to the elite ski resort of Deer Valley near Salt Lake City, Utah.)

The lodge sits facing Lake Tyaughton, high in the wilds of Canada’s coastal mountains. It is the largest log structure on Canada’s west coast.

Antiques from the area’s gold mining days are on the walls but no paintings. The paintings couldn’t compete with the views from the windows facing the 10,000-foot mountains.

To enjoy heli-skiing, people should be intermediate skiers or above and in good physical condition. The guides are prepared to assist skiers with their powder techniques. Groups are divided according to skiing ability.

Three- and seven-day packages are available that include transportation to the remote lodge from Vancouver or Whistler Ski Resort, meals, accomodations, heli-guide and helicopter ski lift. Prices are $1,302 for the three-day package to $3,000 for the seven-day package.

The heli-ski operating season is from January to May. If Tyax Lodge guests are reluctant to commit an entire stay to heli-skiing, a one-day introduction to heli-skiing is available for about $250 U.S. a day.

The resort caters to family groups, and not everyone heli-skis. There are cross-country ski trails around the lake, toboggans, snowmobiles, children’s sleds and ice-fishing equipment for use at no extra cost to lodge guests. Cross-country ski equipment can be rented for $13 per day.

Heli-skiers may use the lodge’s powder skis at no extra cost. Head guide and Tyax Heli-ski owner Mike Jakobsson recommends that heli-skiers who wish to bring their own equipment bring the skis they are most comfortable with. Another recommendation is that skiers bring soft luggage and limit themselves to 40 pounds as space is limited in the helicopter.

On days when weather precludes helicopter flight, there is a nearby ghost town to explore. Near the town of Bralorne, buildings of the old Pioneer Mine stand abandoned after reigning more than 40 years as one of the largest gold producers in British Columbia.

It is a trip back to another time to explore the ruins on cross-country skis and relive the glory days of Canada’s Coast Mountains.

For reservations for Tyax Heli-skiing, write P.O. Box 849, Whistler, B.C. VON 1BO, or call (604) 932-7007.

Since the Tyax Heli-skiing operation has its offices in the Delta Mountain Inn at Whistler Village, many skiers opt to combine a heli-ski vacation with lift skiing on Whistler and Blackcomb.

The two mountains compose a mega-resort connected by a single base village. Blackcomb Mountain has North America’s largest vertical drop--one mile.

The run is from the mountain’s summit, called “Seventh Heaven,” to its base. New to Whistler Mountain last year was a 10-passenger, high-speed gondola.

The 18-minute ride that ends at the Roundhouse restaurant gives skiers access to five bowls at the top of Whistler Mountain and North America’s second-largest vertical drop--5,000 feet.

Scattered among the mountains are 29 lifts including T-bars, double chairlifts, triple chairlifts, covered quad chairlifts, a four-passenger gondola and the new 10-passsenger gondola.

Daily lift tickets for Blackcomb Mountain are $29; for Whistler Mountain, $28. A three-day ticket for the two mountains is $88.

Ski runs end at Whistler Village, a blending of Canadian materials and modern architecture built around pedestrian malls. The streets are not only for walking. People sing, dance and play musical instruments there on sunny afternoons.

The last run of the ski day most often ends around a popular piano bar at the Nancy Green Lodge, where the day’s adventures are relived to background music.

Some recommended accommodations:

--The Delta Mountain Inn. Reservations: toll-free (800) 268-1133. A multi-storied modern lodge with restaurants, mountain shops, and health club. Rates: $115 to $120 for a standard double room per night.

--Nancy Green Lodge. Reservations: (604) 932-2221. A European-type family-run lodge. The owner may take time out to ski with guests or explain some of the trophies on display from an impressive racing career that includes top Olympic and World Cup victories. Rates about $100 a night, double occupancy.

--The Blackcomb, (800) 663-6413, centrally located on the village square, has an indoor pool, sauna and Jacuzzi. Nightly about $100 for a room with kitchen; $109 for a room with kitchen and fireplace.

--Edelweiss Pension, (604) 932-3641), is a European-style bed and breakfast inn with balconies. All rooms are nonsmoking. Rates: about $88.

For these and more than 1,000 other condo, hotel or pension accommodations, call Whistler Resort Assn. (800) 634-9622.

Eating in Whistler village restaurants is like taking a trip to Europe.

Joel’s is owned by a native of Chamonix in the French Alps. The art of France is on the walls. Swiss, French and Italian cuisine from the Lugano region dominate. Raclette , a Swiss specialty of melted cheese with boiled potatoes, is a favorite.

The Black Forest is a steak-and-schnitzel house owned by a Germany native, Herb Niemann. Gemutlichkeit (cozy friendliness) is the ambience. Try the Schnitzel Oskar, a breaded veal topped with white asparagus, crab meat and Bearnaise sauce.

Twigs, at the Delta Mt. Inn, accents seafood that only the waters of Canada’s West Coast provide in abundance.

When you shop at Whistler’s many stores and boutiques, remember that the Canadian exchange rate makes price tags almost 15% less in American dollars.

For up-to-date snow reports, call (604) 932-4191.

Canadian Air International, United and Delta fly from Los Angeles to Vancouver.

Skiers wishing to ski at Whistler/Blackcomb Resort for a few days before or after heli-skiing can take a bus, train or rental car the 70 miles from Vancouver.

Once in Whistler Village, a helicopter ride to the Tyax Mountain Lake Resort gives skiers a bird’s-eye view of the vast terrain in Canada’s Southern Chilcotin mountains for heli-skiing. Sometimes you can even get in an extra ski run on your way to the remote wilderness lodge.

British Columbia Rail has daily service from Vancouver to Whistler Village. Perimeter Transportation has direct service between the Vancouver airport and Whistler Village. Reservations are required. Call (604) 261-2299.

For more information on the Tyax Wilderness Lodge, write Tyax Mountain Lake Resort, Tyaughton Lake Road, Gold Bridge, British Columbia, Canada VOK 1PO, or call (604) 238-2221.

For more information on travel to British Columbia, contact Government of British Columbia Trade & Tourism, 2600 Michelson Drive, Suite 1050, Irvine, Calif. 92715, (800) 663-6000 or (714) 852-1054.