Skipress - Index

Skipress - SkiPress Canada Vol.22 No.4 - Index

SNOLIFEBY
LORI KNOWLES
Mike Wiegele’s
WHITE DREAM
It’s been years in the making, but Mike Wiegele
is fi nally seeing his dream come true.
Yes, the Mike Wiegele, pioneer of Canadian
helicopter skiing, dared to dream bigger than
simply establishing one of the world’s best-known
heli-ski ops. He’s now on his way to creating his
own remote, exceptionally exclusive ski resort in
British Columbia.
The entrepreneur says he’s always wanted to
establish “a tranquil alpine village far from the
hectic hurly-burly of ordinary ski resorts.” So
he’s drawn up plans for Saddle Mountain, a
village and a ski area near his Mike Wiegele
Helicopter Skiing operation at Blue River.
Similar to the private ski areas of Ontario — Osler
Bluff, Craigleith, Alpine Ski Club — Wiegele’s
Saddle Mountain will be a collection of private
Photo: Courtesy of Blue Mountain
IN BRIEF…
Skiing Saddle
homes and condos at the base of a ski hill, but
on a much grander scale. The new ski area will
include a lodge, six lifts, 1,750 acres of skiable
terrain and 4,500 feet of vertical. There will be
everything from beginner to expert runs, plus
gladed terrain and, of course, plenty of powder.
The plans also call for a skating rink, some
shops and restaurants, a spa, a daycare and
a chapel.
The operation is currently seeking up to
100 founding members — a term long familiar
to Ontario private ski club members. Capital
raised will go toward building Saddle Mountain’s
infrastructure. In his public relations material,
Wiegele writes: “Future memberships will be
offered at substantially higher evaluations.”
FoMoInfo: wiegele.com.
…Trails Edge is being established near Ontario’s Talisman Resort ski area —
a 300-home, $100-million development with slopeside “chalet-style” condos,
houses, shops, restaurants and daycare…
…Helena (Helen) Weider passed away January 22, 2008 at age 101. Ms. Weider
was the widow of Jozo Weider and co-founder of Ontario’s Blue Mountain…
… 24-year-old Edmonton ski pro Tal Hofstra was found dead in a treewell at
Revelstoke Mountain Resort, BC, after a three-day search in early January…
Helen Weider
… In response to a number of olfactory violations, management at BC’s Red
Mountain Resort has “discouraged the use of stinky polyester” among resort employees
and has turned to wool to promote the use of natural fabrics in technical performance
environments. “From the shuttle drivers to the bartenders to the ski patrol on the hill,”
states a Red press release, “staff has gone natural this season with 100% merino wool
base layers supplied by the Australian wool industry….”
Skiing Sarah
Sarah Goes Core
Freeskiing’s proclaimed “queen of air and
style” can now add original “Pro Core Girl”
to her CV. Canadian Sarah Burke is heading
up Core Action Sports’ fi rst pro team… and
that’s a good thing. Core Action is an online
boutique and forum that’s motivating girls
to participate in action sports.
SKI PRESS ONLINE
The ski world is at your fi ngertips
at skipressworld.com
Online now: Canadian ski news, resort
development, gear updates, and Ski Finder —
a tool that helps match ski to skier.
more news on skipressworld.com THE SPRING SKIING ISSUE 2008 9
Photo: Courtesy of Roxy
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Photo: Courtesy of Mike Wiegele/Helicopter Skiing