Did you know that Mike Wiegele Helicopter Skiing Guides are also qualified Ski Instructors? Not only are you safely toured through the mountains and the best powder lines by your guides, but they are also providing continual advice to bring your powder skiing to a greater level. Skiing or boarding in powder can be more strenuous than resort skiing. However, with preparation, training and the right equipment, your day of heliskiing or heliboarding will be the rewarding experience you expect. Tune in monthly for techniques and tips that will make you stronger powder hound. Then, put those skills to practice in the Cariboo and Monashee Mountains of Mike Wiegele Helicopter Skiing.
Tim McLean - Senior Lead Guide CSIA Level 3, CSGA Level 3
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Although skiers often train to improve the strength and endurance in their legs, back and upper body, hip flexors are often overlooked. In human anatomy, the hip flexors are a group muscles that act to flex the femur onto the pelvic complex. “What” you say? Ok..they act to pull the knee upward. Keep in mind that the hip flexors are always on. They are part of all movements of the lower back, hips and legs. They are also critical to skiing. Consider walking through deep powder, climbing into the helicopter, and generally navigating the terrain and snow variations of back country skiing - you get an idea why hip flexors are so important. The most common cause of hip flexor injury is acute trauma and lack of flexibility. Hip flexor strain can also be caused by compensation for other injuries, or weakness of other muscles. Think of improving hip flexors through strength training and stretching.
To stretch your hip flexors:
Kneeling Hip Stretch: Kneel with one leg forward, while the other leg behind. Bend your front knee. Keep your torso upright.
Active Standing Hip Flex: To stretch the hip flexor actively, start with placing your foot on a chair or some other structure about the height of your knee to waist. Next, raise your opposite arm overhead. Lean your hips towards the chair while keeping your back straight. Reach sideways with your arm. You should feel a stretch in the front of your hip. Hold for 2-3 seconds, and then return to the starting position. Repeat 5-10 times.
To improve strength and endurance in your hip flexors try these simple exercises:
V-Up: Start the V-Up by lying flat on a mat and then raise both your legs and arms together while keeping them as straight as possible. Keep your lower back as straight as possible as well. Lower down to the starting position slowly while exhaling.
Air Bike: Start with your back flat on the ground. Now raise your opposite arm and leg together. Repeat side to side until a complete set is finished.
Leg Raises: Start by lying on a mat with your legs straight out. Lift your legs straight up using only your abdominals and hip flexors. Lower your legs down without them touching the ground. Repeat.
Working on hip flexor strength and flexibility will make for longer better ski days.
Our 40th year celebration of heli skiing has come to an end - we’ve packed up our guide suits, put away our skis and boots and now it’s time to start making plans for a new season of powder. I know what you’re thinking - the ski season just finished, so what should we be preparing for? As I stow my gear, it is very clear the impact 150 days of heli skiing had on this equipment. What better time to make a list and make plans for any changes that might be necessary for next year’s ski season. Skis This past season was my premiere on rockered skis - the Atomic Atlas model to be specific - which proved to be incredible in any conditions. Atomic says the Atlas utilizes a “power rocker.” What I can tell you is that the skis rocked in every condition - in the trees, on the glaciers and everywhere in between, in deep powder and spring corn. I know my skis are good for next year. In fact, when you find something that really works for you, make sure you get a couple of pairs so you are not disappointed if they are discontinued down the line. Boots Boots have always been a sore spot for me. I’ve tried many brands, done a lot of boot work and generally suffered. Not this year. To my rescue came Martin Rand at Sturtevant’s Ski Shop in Seattle, recommending a new Intuition liner and a very comfortable custom foot bed. This might not work for everyone, but for me, after years of skiing, I was comfortable and warm. Comfortable boots are a revelation, and yes, I have another pair in the works for next year. Helmet Finally, my year long experiment with a helmet is over. I had never worn one skiing before this year. I am happy to report I grew to appreciate the comfort and performance it provided. My trusty Smith vario-brim will be back to protect my melon next year. So there is my list. Look at your gear and ask yourself what worked. Get rid of what didn’t. Make your own list and store it in a safe place. When the first snow flies, you will be better prepared to hit the powder. Only 7 months and counting – start your timer.
In last month’s Powder News, several of the guides gave input on the best techniques to improve powder skiing. Stance and balance, timing and rhythm and momentum were highlighted as the most useful tips. Reflecting on this, I thought of a very important but often overlooked powder technique – the pole plant. So much of the basic techniques associated with skiing are affected by how, when and why we use a pole plant. We even have a run named after this technique – Early Basket. It is a long beautiful open run with variable terrain features and more powder than you can imagine. Mike Wiegele has always stressed the need for a good, well timed pole plant to successfully negotiate this run. Think of these useful ideas with the pole plant to help improve your powder technique: The Early Basket The pole plant signals the start of the turn so get the “basket out early” to help get each and every turn started. Late pole plants slow the progress of the turn and force skiers into the back seat. Reach Down the Hill By reaching down the hill we put ourselves in attack mode ready to conquer any terrain feature with our weight and power on the downhill ski. Quiet Hands Pole plants require little upper body movement. A simple reach down the fall line and a quick plant of the pole and the turn has been initiated. By maintaining a quiet upper body, hands and poles, skiers require less body position correction as terrain and snow conditions change. Pole plants dramatically affect skiing. Try starting the pole plant early, reaching down the hill and keeping a quiet upper body. Your powder turn will love you for it.
We have a tremendous amount of experience in the guide’s department at Mike Wiegele Heli Skiing. If you looked at the accumulated years of service between our 5 most experienced guides, the total years at Mike Wiegele Heli skiing is 138. That is an average of 28 years. Now add the other 25 guides with anywhere from 2 to 15 years of experience, and you get an idea how much ski improvement experience we have. I asked our guides to give me their three most useful ski tips for powder skiing. These are tried and true ideas, used every day to improve our guests experience and technique in powder snow. As I suspected, a few ideas and techniques where universal: Stance and Balance To start everyone mentioned stance and balance. Not everyone called the skill stance and balance, some called it body position or dynamic body position - but for everyone, the idea of a dynamic, evenly weighted, centered stance is critical for successful powder skiing. Erich Schadinger stressed the importance of “body weight centered on the ski with the ankle, knee and hip evenly flexed”. That’s right, centered, not sitting back or “getting forward”, centered and able to react to slope changes with a dynamic, athletic stance. Rhythm and Coordination Perfecting powder turns requires rhythm and coordination. Turns become fluid and are linked by coordinating flexion, extension and ski pivoting. Everyone agreed that this is best accomplished with a powerful pole plant. Bob Rankin said “Reach down the fall, forward of the ski tip and never let your hands drop below your hips.” Think of your pole plant and how you can improve pole plant placement, timing and power. The results will improve your powder skiing techniques. Momentum We often see skiers attempting to make turns in powder snow without enough speed. The result is far from the graceful. Powder acts to slow us down. Lead guide Barry Widas' valuable advice is remembering to “ski in the fall line, carry some speed and allow energy to build in your skis.” Powder should be effortless and this is achieved by managing our speed and momentum. Sounds simple? Powder for a lot of people isn’t simple. It can be frustrating and often after a few failed attempts at powder skiing, many people simply give up. The final tip then is…practice. Powder technique improves by skiing in powder so find a little stash and think of these three simple techniques. You will be floating on powder in no time!
Our first week has come to an end. It has been great to get back to what we do best…powder skiing. We had great skiing with a highlight of 20cm of super low density face shots in the trees in Froth Creek and the Finn trees. I always find it amazing that no matter where our guests come from (this week we had skiers from 6 different countries), their age, gender or ski experience, the one thing everyone has in common is a love of powder. It is also amazing that everyone essentially skis the same way. This stems from the 5 basic skills that provide the foundation for all good skiing. 1. Stance and balance 2. Pivoting, 3. Edging, 4. Timing and coordination 5. Pressure control. The same lesson my kids get at Sun Peaks is the same advice coaches will be offering Olympic ski hopefuls as they prepare for Vancouver. Sure, there is more depth to the instructions, higher expectations and certainly better execution, but the fact remains, to improve your skiing everyone must work on these 5 basic skills. To improve stance and balance, hop. First while stationary and next while skiing. If the ski doesn’t move universally, then you are either too far forward or too far back. For pivoting practice pivot slips. For this drill ski down a gentle fall line and simply pivot the ski allowing it to slip. This requires counter rotation of the upper body and unweighting and flattening of the skis. For edging, trying skating on your skis to the chair lift. This requires movement from one edge to the other. Even just climbing a steep slope requires commitment to your ski edge. Timing and coordination is best achieved with a useful pole plant and by skiing and mimicking a partner. Certainly some of the best skiers demonstrating this technique are Powder 8 competitors. Pressure control is dependent on snow conditions and terrain. For powder, use even pressure distribution on both skis. To practice this skill move through gentle terrain flexing and extending the ankles, knees and hips. Stand up tall and sink low into a centered well-positioned stance. These are simple, basic drills will enhance the fundamentals of your skiing and ultimately improve your skiing performance and enjoyment.
Tim McLean - Senior Lead Guide CSIA Level 3, CSGA Level 3 >>back to top
It has been a crazy fall; receptions, ski shows and world travel have dominated my time. Talking about heli skiing, powder snow and the lodge, mean that my thoughts never strayed too far from the world of Mike Wiegele Heli Skiing. However, what reconnected me to the passion of skiing wasn’t talk but action.
Four weeks ago I arrived in Solden, Austria for the first World Cup event. What an incredible spectacle and even more spectacular venue. I was truly enthralled by the beauty of the area, the passion for skiing but most importantly, I was blown away by the skiing. To be honest, it wasn’t a run down Most Mag in 35 cm of fresh powder, or face shots in Ski World Trees, but it was still skiing. After months of talking about skiing, I was reminded what it is really all about…actions spoke much louder than words. Of course, those first few turns where a wake up call; so strange yet so familiar. I still over pressured my left boot, “keep that right hand forward and stay centered” I told myself. These ideas had in fact been facets of my skiing that I have worked at improving for as long as I could remember. They are realities of my skiing that I will work on improving this year and for years to come.
This is what gave me the idea for this month’s tip - to get ready for skiing, get mentally prepared to ski. Giving thought not only to where you want to ski (hopefully in Blue River) but your equipment and how you want to ski are just as important. I was fortunate to get a few runs in the latest Atomic boots in Austria. Great performance and comfortable right out of the box. Upgrade now and your feet will thank you. Even if you are an expert skier, get a lesson. Watching all the trainers and coaches at a World Cup event reminded me how everyone can improve – even the best in the business – can always learn something to help their technique.
Our first heli ski guests arrive in only in a couple short weeks. Get ready everyone. Actions speak louder than words.
Our discussions this summer have centered on staying fit during the summer. This will enhance your ski experience and decrease the amount of preparation time needed before arrival in Blue River. I want to add a critical area that most skiers ignore. The first is calf exercises. Most skiers can’t imagine the importance of strong calves. Often skiers believe that the structure and rigidity of a ski boot eliminates calf function. If we look at skiers’ feet as the foundation that all ski movement originates from, then the importance of strong calves cannot be stressed enough. Strained calf muscles have ruined many ski trips. The injury is painful and has a long recovery time. Try these exercises to strength and protect your calves: 1. Straight Leg Calf Raise Stand on one leg with the ball of your foot on the edge of a step and your heels hanging off the edge. You should hold onto something to help you keep your balance. Keep your knee straight during the entire movement. Slowly lower your heel until your calf muscle stretches down as far as possible. Hold the stretched position for a second and then rise up as high as you can on your tippy toes. Hold this position for a second to enhance the peak contraction in the calf muscle. Repeat for the desired number of reps. Repeat with the other leg. This is a good exercise to do as a warm up or as a finishing exercise for your calf workout. 2. Double Stair Jump Start by standing in front of a set of stairs in a squat position. Jump with two feet bringing your knees to your chest while jumping to the stairs in front of you. Repeat this process until desired. This exercise utilizes plyometrics ( see our exercise archives if you missed the discussion on plyometrics) and adds a cardiovascular component. 3. Movements with Vertical Components Any time you move your body vertically you will have to use your calves. Gravity is your friend for the best calf exercises. Each step you take during activities with vertical components forces your calves into action. The resistance loaded on the calf muscles during hiking and climbing can equal several times your body weight so add hiking, climbing stairs and if you have been spending some time on your fitness this summer, add running uphill.
Intensity - One of the most common exercise mistakes is not measuring exercise intensity. Your work out should be a challenge, but what does that feel like? Two simple methods can be used to measure intensity, Target Heart Rate and the Talk Test. Starting out you want to exercise between 50% and 60 % of you maximum heart rate. Maximum heart rate is 220 – age and then 50% to 60% of that number. As you exercise after 15 minutes take your pulse for 6 seconds and multiply by 10. The Talk Test is even easier. You should be able to answer a question but not able to carry out a conversation. Duration - You should aim to exercise for at least 30 minutes per session. The key is maintaining the appropriate intensity for the entire duration of your exercise session. Frequency - It is not enough to exercise a couple of days a week. Exercise benefits are short term and the psychological and physiological require 4 to 5 exercise sessions per week. You need enough frequency to stress the body and enough rest time to heal and recuperate. Putting these ideas together is the real challenge. Family, work and hectic schedules often take priority but with goal setting and a little determination, anyone can fit in 30-60 minutes into a busy schedule. It has been Mike’s goal to exercise and be active everyday and his reward has been 40 years of powder turns.
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