Mike
Wiegele, inset, born in Feistritz, Austria, 1938, grewup in Lading Kärnten,
Austria. Today he is considered the godfather of the helicopter ski industry
in British Columbia. Since his immigration to Canada, 1959, Mike has become
the dynamic leader of Mike Wiegele Helicopter Skiing. His warmth, kindness,
and generosity extend far beyond his love for the mountains, to include
the care and protection of his family, the community, and the many employees
who work for him. Much of Mike’s dream to give others the chance to experience
the majestic mountains of British Columbia was formalized when, as a young
man, he became Director of Lake Louise Ski School, 1965. In 1970, Mike
scheduled the first helicopter skiing trip to the Cariboo mountains. Mike’s
helicopter service now lifts skiers to slopes in the heart of the Cariboos
and Monashees. Glistening with fresh, deep powder snow, these conditions
host skiers who seek the ideal. Today, Mike’s ski village at Blue River,
British Columbia, is known the world over as home to the best powder skiing.
That people of fame and prominence travel halfway around the world to experience
a heli-lift to a mountain top of pristine snow is testimony to Mike Wiegele’s
ability to predict that powder snow is a desirable marketing commodity.
However, Mike’s dream was not yet complete. In 1992, Mike decided to start
summer operations at the Resort. Guests now come to Blue River during the
summer to be whisked off to remote lakes and beautiful mountain vistas
for heli-hiking, fishing, and summer skiing. In 1993, “TheGrizzly Hut”
was built. The Grizzly Hut is enjoyed by hikers in the summer and is used
as an education centre for research and a safety post for guides and visitors
in the winter. In this view, skiers, after having been helicoptered to
the top of the mountain in the background, are caught in a moment of euphoria
as they ski down the majestic slope covered by virgin powder snow. [Photo,
courtesy Mike Wiegele Helicopter Skiing]