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Wednesday, seven AM, we slide open the thick opaque hotel curtain to reveal more whiteout conditions. Our meandering the prior evening led us to several local joints. Each one is full of antsy professional skiers and boarders gathered here to compete in the extreme skiing and boarding world championships. All of who had been waiting now 14 days for a clearing in which to hold their competitions. This cold fact of less than desirable weather does dampen our spirits. Who are we to come in for five days and expect blue skies when others have waited two weeks to get nothing? Either way, sun or snow, we had no reservations or plans to board today, so we gear up in some Gore-Tex and go romp around in the blizzard. We are determined to have some fun, reverting to childish antics of building pathetically small jumps and hucking snowballs. We retire that evening with some hope, although the weather calls for more of the same. We rise to high clouds and a hint of blue, oh yes, let it be blue. Our guide from H20 heli-guides gives us a call and tells us to get ready. Go Huge has some ties with Dean Cummings, a professional extreme skier who owns H20. It is a well ran operation with a focus on service and safety. Dean knows we are there too get some good shots and he does his best to get us in the air fast so we can get the best morning light possible. We assemble our gear and fly out as if the ark is leaving and we have but one chance to save ourselves. As we drive in a semi-reckless manner to the heli-shack, we observe the scattered cloud pattern with intermittent snow flurries and hope for the best. The scene at the H20 shack is one of chaos and anticipation, the hint of blue skies elevates the energy of all those in the line to get flown up today. What fortune we have been bestowed, being that our reservations start today, we will be the first to fly up in nearly two weeks. We check our gear, cameras, beacons, probes, shovels, extra food and water, we are ready. In comes the first ERA operated A-Star helicopter, the one we will be in. It lands in a flurry of snow crystals and the thumping blades increase my heart rate and hits home the reality of the day we are about to begin. We are briefed in the protocol of helicopter safety and procedures by Dean and load up with our guide for the day, Jacob. In seconds we are screaming through snow-covered valleys heading to our first destination, a peak called the Island. The Island juts steeply out of the smooth glacier, 4500 feet of vertical from top to bottom, and not a track on this beauty. |