How to become a "heli-ski guide"

be doug coombs or rick armstrong

go to guide school, get to know people, be strong skier, be intelligent in the outdoors (ie avy skills, first aid skills) be a people person then probably you still have to get lucky to land a job.

Get a shitload of experience patrolling and guiding, get to know some people, blah blah.

Or, if you want to be like some heli ops, be a total freakin' cowboy who doesn't know a snow-pit from the hole in his ass and take people into gnarly BC so you can all get swatted by big avvys, then blame the client. Grumble grumble. Few and far between but they do exist.

there is a 7 year course you have to take before any legit heli-ski operations even consider letting you be a guide

no there isnt where did you hear that?

I am currently attending guide school and am in the process of becoming an ACMG (Association of Canadian Mountain Guides) Ski Guide.  take a look at the ACMG website for all of the requirements to take the Ski Guide exam.

man honestly just pm me with any questions I dont feel like posting all of the things in this thread.

well i've been working with craig calonica and thats the info he passed on to me. i'll take his word over yours

start by moving to the mountains. from there, get your entry level avi course and start skiing in the backcountry and learn a bit about mountain travel and proper evaluation of the snowpack.

from there, get more avalanche course certifications. it's not 100% an old boys club, but it does have a bit to do with it.

You have a long trek ahead of you.

If you want to be an ACMG guide which enables you to heli/cat/tour/resort ski guide around the world it is a well laid out process that you follow into the middle of a boys club.

to start:
-professional avi 1 course (CAA AVI 1 in canada)
-100 hour first aid course (Wilderness first aid ideal but not necessary)
- minimum of:
- 25 single days of touring
- 5, 3 day hut based remote touring trips
- 5, 3 day non hut based remote touring trips
...you must keep a record of all these trips and "lead" them
- must be over a span of 3 years in three different snow climates

then you can go for your assistant ski guide. This allows you to guide at operations, but not be the lead guide (first heli, calling the shots, head of the table, biggest head). wage is around $200-250 a day average.

add a bunch of shit jump through the hoops, mandatory first time failure on your Full ski Guide course (because the old guys are bitter), and an intense week of mountain navigation and you are a full ski guide. around $400 a day.

Some of this may be inaccurate as I am drunk. Friends have done the whole process (minus general touring exp. in 6 years).


Or you could say fuck being a real guide, go to alaska, take a 6 week course each year for two years, then pay half price for heli time and tail guide, then after 4 years total you are a fully certified alaska ski guide that can only work in alaska.

Move to the Kootenays of BC. More cat/heli/hut operations than the rest of the world combined. It's the place to do it.

it's easier to work at the resort as a non-heli guide and then do the necessary courses to become a tail-guide then it is to take all the courses and then apply without anyone knowing you. the employees within a heli business are a closely knit community. they do a lot of things together. that is good time for people to get to know you and will make the transition from service to guide a lot easier. if i recall that is how a maintenance/janitor dude did it at mike wiegele.

ALASKA HELISKIING offers guide school. with ppotential to work off some of the cost.

Enjoy

i've been looking into becoming a mountain guide and in europe the german alpine club is said to be the easiest/most accesible way to become an international UIAGM mountain guide, the perfect trajectory through the course is about 3 years with exams, projects, and internships ....

Don't have a wife.

pretty much this.

bump...