The Waiting Time – Prepping for the Ski Season

Patience is a virtue. At least that’s what I have always been told. But this time of year is tough. Waiting for the coming ski season can be brutal. Don’t get me wrong, fall is a magical time of year in just about every part of the world. The hot summer temperatures have given way to cool, crisp temps and warm, gorgeous days. In the mountains, the loam is tacky, the rock is grippy and the conditions are ripe for every outdoor endeavour. Hikers, climbers, mountain bikers, road riders, paddlers, runners…everyone loves the fall.

But there’s a manic side to the fall. The snow addiction that lives inside those of us that live life for sliding on snow, dormant during the summer months, comes alive and begins to permeate every aspect of our lives at this time of year. My skiing dreams usually start in late September and continue throughout the fall until the first ski day of the ski season. All over the ski world, people are starting to read weather reports, long range forecasts and look up every morning at their local peaks to see if the sky blessed them with a dusting of snow the night before.

Ski resorts and heliski companies are deep into winter preparation. Groomers are being fixed, snowguns being placed, explosives being ordered, staff being trained, helicopters moved; activities all geared for the first big snowfalls of the year. This is the waiting time. At Last Frontier Heliskiing, we are neck deep into preparation for the coming season. Our crews are already up at Bell 2 Lodge and Stewart, BC, working hard to finish the work that goes into opening a heliski operation.

Our director of operations & mountain guide Cliff Umpleby, is up there right now. Cliff is no stranger to working in the mountain environment. A certified IFMGA Mountain Guide, he’s one of those guides that’s comfortable leading a group up Mt Logan, putting in a first descent on a remote peak or bucking trees and slinging loads in the bush. We spoke to him the other day just to get a sense of what goes into making our operation ready for opening day.

“This time of year is busy. There’s lots to do. The major work is over, but it’s the smaller things, the details that have to be worked on. Checking all of our rescue gear to make sure everything is working properly. Testing and checking the radio repeater systems. Organizing all the skis and ski gear, making sure everything is plug and play for when everyone shows up before opening week. Looking at all the skis and wishing I was on them. Trail work, firewood, general maintenance, archery range maintenance, IT system maintenance. The list is a little endless this time of year, but we start early, so there’s lots of time. Did I mention checking all the skis? That’s the best part.”

It’s the little things that matter most and the fall is meant for sorting all that stuff out. It’s the same for all of us. This is the time of year when we check all of our own gear. Do I need a new beacon? Shovel? Skins? Skis? Boots? Skis? Skis? Skis? I don’t know about you, but I can’t really resist buying new skis. I like to get them in the fall so I can look at them for a few weeks, letting the anticipation build before actually spending a day on them.

The waiting time is always difficult, but take solace in the fact that like Last Frontier Heliskiing, ski resorts, cat ski operations, heliski operations, ski touring operations and every other business devoted to the search for deep snow is hard at work making sure that when you arrive to shred, everything is in its right place.

Be safe, ski hard.