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The Life of a Guide Part 1.

July 31, 2013 Last Frontier Heliskiing

If the guides at Last Frontier Heliskiing didn’t already seem to have a great life – skiing day after day in the world’s single largest heli skiing tenure – they seem to have the most epic summers as well. My next three blogs will look at what they get up to in the off season leaving you with nothing short of utter and complete lifestyle envy.

Michael Brackenhofer Living The Good Life. Photo: C3 Productions
Michael Brackenhofer living the good life. Photo: C3 Productions

Jane Emerick: Hi Michael you are a Leadguide and Operations Manager at Last Frontier Heliskiing. What is your favorite thing about being a guide?

Michael Brackenhofer: You have to be in there with heart and soul – for most people it’s a dream job to be doing what you love to do, be it skiing, climbing or fishing. There is a lot of responsibility and a lot of coaching. The great moments are seeing the happy faces on the people you take out when you have had an awesome time out there.

JE: What is your favorite thing about Last Frontier Helisking?

MB: My favourite thing about Last Frontier: best skiing that I have seen in all of my life – great company and people to work for.

JE: What else can you say about the experience there?

MB: Amazing terrain, unbelievable amounts of snow , the wilderness and sheer size of the tenure. There is nothing like it when you have a space the size of a third of Switzerland and your guests and you are the only ones carving turns into it.

A Typical Work Day For Michael Brackenhofer. Photo: Dave Silver
A typical work day for Michael Brackenhofer. Photo: Dave Silver

JE: Sounds amazing, how do you make the off season just as exciting?

MB: I’m guiding fly-fishing for salmon, steelhead and trout here in the Northwest of BC. Mainly on the Bulkley and Skeena Rivers, as well as a few very remote rivers on the West Coast.

Michael Brackenhofer's Summer Office, The Skeena River.
Michael Brackenhofer’s summer office, the Skeena River.

JE: What do you love about that and how does that compare to heliski guiding.

MB: Living and being on a river every day. Seeing a lot of wildlife and great adventure- flying in with float planes and helicopter. Rowing or jet boating big water, but most of it is the thrill of finding, outsmarting and catching beautiful wild fish.

Michael Brackenhofer Shows An Example Of Why He Loves The Off Season.
Michael Brackenhofer shows an example of why he loves the off season.

JE: Sounds like you are living the good life.

MB: Yes, it’s great to see this wild country in all it’s seasons – BC what a place!