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]