Heli-Free Wasatch

Yes – they both have anti helicopter websites!  You might expect this in a highly populated area like New York City, but the snowcapped mountains of Utah..?!

It is interesting to see that New York City has the same issues and concerns – noise and safety.  I wonder if the NYC helis get to drop bombs, cut down trees and blow stuff up at will?  Probably not.

HeliFreeNYC.org‘s logo – same idea, different state.

As a third-hand rumor has it, during a recent clear spell after a week of high avalanche danger, WPG underling guide Spencer Wheatly tried to talk veteran carpet-bomber Mike “Ole” Olson from going on search and destroy backcountry bombing mission. 

Bombing the backcountry during or immediately after periods of high avalanche danger accomplishes next to nothing.  If the slope slides, WPG is not going to ski the remaining tattered bed surface.  If the slope doesn’t slide, they still probably won’t ski it as there is known danger.  More often than not, WPG goes on bombing sprees just to get their rocks off by creating big avalanches that tear out trees and keep the snowpack thin and dangerous.  Not only that, two days later the snowpack’s stability had greatly increased, so as always, patience is a virtue.

If the rumor is true, GOOD JOB SPENCER!  You get the Golden Snowflake award for showing some restraint and trying to talk some sense into the Mad Bombers.

WPG President Rusty Dassing should just learn to keep his mouth shut, but he can’t seem to help himself.  In an article published today (Dec 3, 2008) in the Salt Lake Tribune, Rusty issued his own personal “Mission Accomplished!” statement in regards to the PENDING Forest Service Scoping review:

“The community as a whole welcomes this opportunity. They should be happy to have one of the great heli-skiing companies and the great skiing opportunities in the country right here,”

WPG is one of the great heli-skiing companies in the country? 

If that isn’t enough to make you want to write a letter of complaint, he followed it up with:

“there is a lot more controversy than actual conflict”

That can be easily fixed. 

Here is a quote from the Wasatch Powderbird Guides website that makes you wonder what kind of drugs these guys are on:

Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the United States Forest Service, while heli skiing with WPG, you will be recreating on your national forest with assurance that these activities cause no harm to the environment and minimize the disturbance of others.

If this isn’t harming the environment, I don’t know what is:

Here’s the WPG version of “minimizing disturbance of others” – landing not only one, but two helicopters full of guides and clients directly on top of a touring party in broad daylight within inches of the ski area boundary.

Here is yet another brilliant video by Derek. Simple, to the point and thought provoking.

The Wasatch Cache Forest Service has granted guiding concessions to three operators in the Wasatch Mountains; Exum of Utah (backcountry skiing & climbing), Utah Interconnect (Skiing between the ski areas) and the Wasatch Powderbird Guides. While most people have never even heard of the first two guiding concessions, the Powderbirds on the other hand is one of the most controversial guiding operations in all of America. It is hard to imagine the Forest Service granting a permit to, say, a fly fishing guide service which allowed them to bomb the rivers, tear out trees so their clients could cast easier and land directly on top of other river users who have hiked in to the prime fishing holes on their own. The Forest Service does this as they are set in their ways of 35 years, and more importantly, they collect user fees from the Wasatch Powderbird Guides.

It’s a sad yet familiar sight… you are out backcountry skiing in the beautiful Wasatch Mountains and just as you come up to the top of a peak, there is a little pile of WPG flagging attached to a snapped off tree limb. 

This is called “litter.”

And because it makes the Wasatch LitterPig Guides feel important and like a REAL heliskiing company, there is a lot of it!

Real heliskiing companies use 36″ (or longer) staffs that they plant in the snow with durable flagging, then they remove it at the end of the day or the season.  The Wasatch Powderbird Guides just rip a branch off a nearby tree, tie a piece of tat to it and leave it to rot.  This is done mainly to impress their clients.  Not only that, but they often place the flagging so low that it is buried by the next snow storm, so they have to plant even more litter.

WPG is sanctioned by the Wasatch Cache Forest Service to place all of this litter and rip branches off of trees as they see fit.  They have no provision for cleaning it up and claim the flagging is biodegradable, which it probably is… in 25 years.  In the meantime, it just clutters up peaks and then gets mulched into the talus in the summer.

This makes backcountry skiers mad:

Remember, PUT LITTER IN ITS PLACE, which in this case is the Wasatch Powderbird Guides parking lot.

Almost any discussion with the Powderbirds ends up with them getting fed up, frustrated and finally saying (grrrrr..) “It’s just all about the powder.”  To them and their clients it may be, but to backcountry skiers, it is about being landed on, rude WPG clients & guides, litter, noise and WPG’s poor backcountry behavior.  This photo is a classic illustration about why it is NOT about the powder:

This incident took place between Alta and Brighton, which is a 45 minute hike for a touring party and a two minute flight for the helicopter. It was a clear, sunny day and the helicopter decided to land on a cornice which threatened a touring party below. After disgorging its group of clients and guides, it returned five minutes later to do the same thing all over again. Note the very chopped up powder – hardly the stuff of heli skiing dreams.

A photo sent in by Ryan Kluh from April 3rd, 2008.  The Wasatch Powderbird Guides say that “whenever possible, they will try to avoid backcountry skiers.”  I guess in this case, it wasn’t possible (or convenient) and they didn’t try very hard.  This photo is taken in broad daylight on Superior Ridge, which is a 30 second flight from the WPG heliport.  WPG could have easily landed elsewhere instead of right in front of this backcountry skier, but they chose not to. 

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This is why people hate them.

According to the Wasatch Powderbird Guides 2007/08 Operating Plan (which was approved by the Forest Service), “WPG will practice good backcountry ethics, including: (a) allowing ski mountaineers who arrive at a particular location before WPG an opportunity to ski first, and (b) avoiding, when practical, flying through passes and along ridges occupied by other backcountry users.” As this photo illustrates, they don’t try very hard to avoid other backcountry users. On this day, Feb 12, 2008, WPG outlined six drainages they might be operating in, yet still chose to land within 100′ of other backcountry users. To add insult to injury, this was a 30 second flight from the WPG base helipad – they could have easily gone elsewhere.

Forest Service response from Steve Scheid on 3 March, 2008: “I have checked with WPG and they stated they did not land at this location at the time you allege.” (This is despite five eyewitnesses and photographic proof.)

 From a Wasatch backcountry skier:

“On Valentine’s Day, those powder-maggots in their serenity-destroying machines darn near landed on top of my party of three at the top of Day’s Fork. They were so close we could feel the spindrift and were able to have a conversation with the fat guide (he obviously hadn’t skinned up much of anything lately!). I was ready to lay into him and his group for landing so close to us and for imposing on our experience so rudely, but my nicer and calmer friend held me back because there was a couple in the group- it was, after all, Valentine’s Day.

I’ve heard that there is a 500′ berth they are required to give touring parties. It certainly wasn’t given to us. I’ve also heard there is a forum for complaints, but can’t find it on the web. Do you have any suggestions?

Keep up the good fight! Let me know how I can help.”

(name withheld upon request)

 A few pertainent issues here…

1) There is no designated landing zone distance.  The Wasatch Powderbird Guides land within inches of their clients, so they feel it is therefore safe and acceptable to land or fly within 50′ of a touring party.  Regardless of what the the Powderbird Guides say, under their annual Operating Plan, they are under no obligation (aside from common curtesy) to avoid backcountry skiers, and if it is a powder day… you are going to get landed on.

2) Unfortuantely, there is no official office to file complaints with.  The Forest Service wants conflicts to be worked out between user groups, which means the WPG will either deny it every happened, or “try” to avoid that situation in the future.