February 21, 2013 380 Million Vertical Feet and Counting…

What do these numbers mean to you?

380 million vertical feet skied.   151 years of ski guiding experience.

To us it means that our ski guides are highly experienced, dedicated….and loved to ski! Combined, these 5 guys have heli skied 380 million vertical feet(based on 2.5 million vertical per season per guide) with 151 years of heli-ski guiding experience!

To commemorate their dedication, Mike and Michelle Wiegele recently presented each of them with the highly coveted Silver Buckle. All of them have served over 20 years and have skied over 50 million vertical feet. What a feat!

For those of you who have not been to Blue River and are unfamiliar with the Silver Buckle, here is a quick history…

Mike wanted a way to recognize our loyal, long time guests. So he created a solid silver belt buckle that are presented to our guests who achieve 1 million vertical feet of heli skiing at Mike Wiegele Helicopter Skiing. On average this takes 8 to 10 heli-ski trips to accumulate this massive number. Our lounge in the Main Lodge is also aptly named the Silver Buckle Lounge where the buckles are presented to our guests on Friday evenings. 

The main reason that our guides and guests can accumulate such a massive amount of vertical feet while heli skiing or heli boarding is because Mike Wiegele Heli Skiing offers Unlimited Vertical. What that means is you heli-ski as much as possible every day without getting charged for additional vertical once you surpass your guaranteed amount. 

Erich Schadinger - 34th season, 83 million vertical...and counting.

Bob Sayer - 27th season, 65 million vertical...and counting.

Bob Rankin - 25th season, 60 million vertical...and counting.

Barry Widas - 25th season, 60 million vertical...and counting.