Year-end heliskiing photography slideshow 2015

Working as a heli-ski photographer at Northern Escape Heli-Skiing is a great opportunity to experience the incredible scenery of the Skeena mountains and the world class ski and snowboard terrain only accessible via helicopter or snowcat.

It is an honour to be out in these mountains, skiing with guests from around the world, giving the option to have professional photography of them on their heliski vacation.

For skiers and snowboarders, the winter of 2015 proved to be a challenging one across much of western North America with many ski areas closed due to lack of snow and variable conditions.

In the mountains around Terrace, in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, we certainly had our challenges, but we managed to make the most of it and had some great turns from the first to last day of the season.

Click play on the slideshow below to check out some of Aaron Whitfield's images from this winter.

Click here for the video in HD and other work by Aaron Whitfield and Red Bike Media.

Hobiyee 2015, Gingolx, BC, Canada

Hobiyee is an annual celebration of culture for the Nisga'a Nation. This year's celebration "Honoring Our Grandmothers," was hosted by the Nisga'a Village of Gingolx, a quaint coastal village located in northwest British Columbia, Canada, but a stone's throw from the Alaskan panhandle.

Although the rain came down steady in the fog ridden inlet, the rhythmic drumming, singing and dancing inside was heartwarming and uplifting. The traditional outfits and costumes worn by the elders, drummers and dancers, young and old alike, were beautiful and ornate.

The stories were told from generations passed on and the youth had the opportunity to take it all in and "don't forget" was the message as the elder telling the story was told by his ancestors.

The Hobiyee celebrations are traditionally at the end of February celebrating the return of the Oolichan fish to the rivers bringing the first opportunity to replenish food stores. The Oolichan are small oily fish that are the food source of a variety of prey up the food chain and are used in a variety of ways by the Nisga'a people including making oil. To the delight of the Nisga'a, the Oolichan are followed closely by Spring Salmon, and many other species of sea life and birds looking for a meal after a long winter.

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To read a more detailed traditional explanation of Hobiyee as told by the Nisga'a, click the link below.

http://www.nisgaanation.ca/hoobiyee

Nisga'a fisherman harvesting Oolichan on the Nass River.

Oolichan ferment in a holding tank to be cooked down for other uses.

HOBIYEE !!!


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NEH Staff Ski Day 2015

The season at Northern Escape Heli-Skiing kicked off with a staff ski day in their Cat-Skiing back-up tenure. One of the perks of working for a heli-ski lodge that has Cat-Skiing back-up, is the opportunity for staff to get out to celebrate their passion for skiing and snowboarding in the mountains. 

Northern Escape flew their staff out to, "Catland," for a day of fun and shredding powder during staff training week. No better way to test out the operation than have the people involved get a taste of the goods. A solid team is in place to make world class skiing and snowboarding happen in the Skeena Mountains, near Terrace, BC, and make the most of what mother nature serves up for the winter of 2015.

Guiding staff have a quick chat about logistics.

Guide Yvan Sabourin.

Hugo Skishop is stoked for the day.

Amy Ross snaps a pic of the fun.

Guide Owen Day checks altitude in the heli as he arrives in Catland, greeted by guide Mikey Olsthoorn.

Massage practitioner, Heather Park, is stoked to be out ripping it up in the mountains.

Pilot Darren Pedersen flew the crew in and out in the Skyline Koala Helicopter and aired it out on the snow in between.

Cat Operations manager, Chad Hamilton, grabs some airtime.

Ski shop expert, Jono Eastwell, rides the pow.

Breakfast chef, Kassandra Davis, gets some.

Chad Hamilton takes his turn driving the cat and loading skis.

Guide Oyvind Aanes, from Norway.

New to the guiding staff this year is Dave Healey.

Being out in the mountains skiing with friends is as good as it gets.

Four amigos salute the mountain after a great day.

NEH 2015 Heli-Skiing Guides Training Week Photos

Working as a heli-ski photographer requires a solid understanding of the risks and dangers involved with working in the mountain environment in the winter. Knowing how to avoid potential risks and what to do in case of an emergency comes through planning and practice. Team work and communication is key to the safety of all concerned while out working in the mountains.

The guiding staff and helicopter pilots at Northern Escape Heli-Skiing are second to none. I had the opportunity to take part in the 2015 heliskiing guides training week with them, which was a great team building and learning experience for everyone involved. It instills confidence knowing how much planning and preparation each member of the team has gone through to reach this point.

Northern Escape Heli-Skiing Guide Staff 2015
Left to Right: front row: Yvan Sabourin, Clair Israelson, Mikey Olsthoorn,
back row: Robert Thor Haraldsson, Dave Healey, Owen Day, Gerry Israelson, John Forrest, Peter Wainwright, Oyvind Aanes

One of NEH's longest serving guides, Yvan Sabourin, shovels off one of the fuel caches. Overloading of snow could prove to be a hazard to pilots when re-fueling. Shoveling it off eliminates the hazard.

I see lots of potential ski lines up in those mountains...

The tail section of Summit Helicopters Bell 407.

Where the magic happens. The helicopter turbine rotor.

To get invaluable information on the stability in the snowpack through digging pits and assessing each layer is critical to evaluating terrain choices in any given situation moving forward. It is part-hardwork, part-science, part-artform that requires great attention to detail. Clair Israelson, (foreground), is a veteran in the field of avalanche awareness and safety. 

The sun strives to break through the moody clouds.

My planks... *Name that ski*, in the comment section below. First person to get it will receive a custom 8x10 print.

Skiing Operations Manager, Clair Israelson, radios in a mock avalanche scenario and calls in the other group for back-up. 

Heli-Skiing in British Columbia, Canada, is as good as it gets.

An effective heliski program relies heavily on excellent communication between guide and pilot.

Northern Escape Heliski guides are pumped for the winter of 2015. Here we go!

2014 Camping trip I - Redsand Lake, BC

"Daddy, I want to go camping," stated my little girl, two months shy of her third birthday. With her big brown eyes wide open, a tilt of the head, and spoken in a tone cute enough to make the surliest of people melt. "Can we go camping now?" she asked, over and over again.

Being late April, and the ski season just behind us, our Starcraft tent trailer was set-up in the driveway for a spring-cleaning. Normally in Canada, camping season doesn't start until the third weekend in May, "May long," as it's known, and  usually seems to be accompanied with snow.

Surprisingly, up in northwestern British Columbia, things warmed up earlier than I would have expected and allowed me to reply, "Yes dear, lets go camping."

Camp set-up, ready to enjoy

With my wife eight months pregnant, we knew that the early season camping would be short lived. So on May 1st, 2014, we packed up, hitched up, and headed out for our first camping trip of the year. Destination: Redsand Lake, about a 45-minute drive from Terrace, BC, in the Skeena Mountains. The drive is along the pothole filled West Kalum Lake logging road for about 26 kilometers north of highway 16. It didn't make the baby in the belly happy, but alas, we took it slow and made it in one piece. Being a weekday, we were only one of two sites occupied, in this no charge for camping recreation site. With a quick set-up of the trailer in our favorite site tucked in the trees just off the beach we let the fun begin.

Beach walks, sand castles, feet splashing in the sun warmed glacial fed water, Bocce, Yoga, relaxing in the hammock, bike rides, wood gathering, chopping, snacks, and sunshine took up the rest of the day in an incredibly beautiful part of the world.

Yoga lesson with Mom. Be at one with the forest.

A great dog is a man's, (and this little girl's,) best friend.

A walk on the beach with Dad.

First ever outdoor pee break.

Time for a (run) bike ride.

A little hammock R and R with Mom.

If you dig deep enough the hole will fill with water.

Beach fun with the family is a great way to spend the day!

The next day we woke up to heavy rain. After breakfast, our little girl stated, "I want to go home now." So pack up we did, and made our way home splashing through the big puddles formed in the oversized pot holes. There will be lots more fun to be had on our next adventures.