Posted by John Entwistle on Fri, Sep 03, 2010 @ 03:43 PM
As our CEO David Barry promised on my first day, I can now say for certain my life has been forever changed.
This became blatantly obvious the other day at my final marketing meeting. Every member of the team had a complete mash-up of my wardrobe over the last 8 months… Ties, hoodies, baseball hats, flip flops… All getting one last shot in at the low guy on the totem pole. I must admit, I got a pretty good kick out of it and it was a fairly accurate representation of, how Patty so nicely puts it; “You have changed from such a nice young man”.
Today is my last day working as the marketing intern in the Banff offices of CMH. I thought that I would reflect why it is so hard to answer people who ask what it is I do.
My job interview was on a very cold day in December last year. I remember it was cold because the suit I was wearing didn’t keep me very warm… It was then that Marty Von Neudegg hired me on to my dream job. At this point, I don’t think that anyone really knew what I would be doing. I knew that I was being brought on to figure out a large part of the “new” internet marketing, but other than that, I was open to anything… This of course made it very had to answer people who wanted to know what I WOULD be doing at CMH.
Now that I am sitting here in my office 8 months after it all began, it seems crazy to think of everything that I have done here at CMH. It turns out that the term “Marketing Intern” is a very loose term. I mean sure, my day to day tasks of manning our facebook, twitter, foursquare, and other social media accounts, among many other things, have kept me busy, but it is all of the “extra curricular activities” that have made my job so hard to explain.
So what is it that makes it so hard to describe what it is I do here? Well, whenever I try to explain, it ends up something like this: Hi I am the marketing intern for CMH, but I am also a bus host, a food delivery man, an airport front desk man, a construction worker, an interior designer, a photographer, a salesman, a blogger, a ski bum, a hiking bum, a social media man, a delivery man, a go-fer, an iPhone evangelist, a rescue bell coverer, a barbequer, a punching bag, and the list could go on forever… I really have had no shortage of things to do in the last 8 months. I hope that some of you have been entertained or have learned something from one of my many blog, facebook, or twitter posts. Some of you have skied, hiked, ridden a bus, or eaten dinner with me, and I can tell you that it was truly a great experience!
The award for the strangest job I have had to do in the last 8 months goes out to Rick Carswell and our Food and Beverage Department. One day in early august, I received a panicked call from Rick. Turns out that both of our food delivery trucks were stuck in Calgary and we had a shipment of ice-cream that needed to get up to the Bobbie Burns. We had to use one of our ski vans to transport the Bobbie Burns their ice-cream shipment. So off I went, air conditioning on full blast and winter jacket on… IN AUGUST!!! Headed for the 4 hour drive up to the Bobbie Burns from Banff. I arrived at the lodge just before dark with the ice-cream still in a solid state! I then ate some left over dinner (almost as good as fresh dinner, yet still better than anything I can cook!), had a few drinks with the guests and staff, and went to bed. Woke up the next morning to a fantastic breakfast, packed myself a lunch, and drove back to the office for work! Definitely one of the crazier 24 hours in the last 8 months.
The last 8 months have been action packed and fun. Going back to school is definitely going to be a major culture shock next week! Hopefully I will be back at CMH someday where I can continue to live the dream. I will be writing a couple of blogs over the winter, so be sure to tune in for those. And if you don’t read my blogs, that’s fine… as long as I see you out in the mountains next winter!
Bring the snow and let’s go skiing!!!
John
CMH Kootenay Lunch- John Entwistle
Posted by Topher Donahue on Tue, Aug 24, 2010 @ 09:07 AM
Almost everyone carries a camera heliskiing or snowboarding these days, even if it's just a camera phone. Of the hundreds or thousands of photos taken by a heliskier or snowboarder during a heliski week with Canadian Mountain Holidays, there will be a couple of great photos, a lot of mediocre photos, a few really bad ones, and one or two that were almost great except for one problem. Those can be some of the most fun. Here are five of my favourite shots that best exemplify the almost-great heliski photo:
Timing: When you’re just about to snap that shot of your friend with snow up to his waist, right in the middle of a sunlit pocket in the trees, in perfect control, another powder hound cartwheels out of control across the photo.
Snowing too hard: There is a good reason the Columbia Mountains in interior British Columbia were the birthplace of heliskiing – it’s one of the snowiest places on earth - but sometimes it can dump too hard to see, ski, or fly and even the best cameras finally succumb to the elements. You’re probably thinking, “Show me!” This was the last run of the day at CMH Bobbie Burns.
Too many boards: Snowboarding zenmaster Rob Stevens decides to try heli-noboarding, a snowboard without bindings, at CMH Gothics, but accidentally ends up on the summit with both his boards. Rob rides the entire 1200-metre run with no bindings and his regular snowboard strapped to his back. It was a great display of skill, but a weird photo.
Trick goes sour: Needs no explanation. Approaching lunchtime at CMH Bugaboos.
Too much fun for fashion: Heliskiers are usually having such a raging good time that they forget to dress for the camera. They also tend to forget about life’s pressures for a while, forget what day of the week it is, and forget to use their smartphones - except for taking pictures.
Ready to go heliskiing already? During early season the powder is often as good as it gets - and it's cheaper.
Posted by Topher Donahue on Tue, Aug 17, 2010 @ 09:00 AM
A few weeks ago I was walking to the store under cloudless summer skies with my three-year-old twins. Out of the blue, my daughter says: “Papa, I miss skiing. I want to go skiing. Can we go skiing?”
I tried to explain how we needed to wait for the snow before we could go skiing, and that winter would come soon enough. She seemed content with the answer, and I thought she’d forgotten all about winter fun, but the next morning she came down the stairs all groggy-eyed and crawled onto my lap. She looked out the window for a minute, seemingly deep in thought, and then turned to me with a disappointed look in her eye and said, “Papa, it did not snow last night. We cannot go skiing.”
Since then, my kids talk about skiing pretty much every day. As a father, it is nice to see them so excited about something I love to do; but as a skier, my kids are driving me nuts. Now I’m jonesin' for skiing too!
I tried to order the new Fritschi AT binding that promises to be the rage for riding lifts and backcountry touring, but it’s not available yet. I caught myself checking out the newest backcountry ski boots and wondering if my goggles would work for another year. I surfed to one of the CMH guide videos with the excuse of checking out a chest camera that some of the heliski guides are using.
Last week we went hiking. After perhaps a kilometer, the twins wanted to go back to the truck. First I tempted them with a snack, but they were still not inspired. Then I suggested they lead off the trail through some open woods and meadows. That worked for five minutes, and then they wanted to go back to the truck.
Rather than push them I started to turn around, and then said, “Hiking will help you ski better when it snows.”
They both looked at me for a second, and then took off up the trail, teetering around some big puddles and tiny streams without even getting their feet wet, and kept going for another half an hour before I grew worried about blisters on their little feet and turned us around.
Now, whenever the twins get tired of walking, I mention skiing and they both find a second wind. My kids’ sudden and inexplicable late-summer enthusiasm for skiing has rubbed off on me. I started going out on my road and mountain bikes, and hitting the local skatepark to practice physical balance and mental commitment - until I sprained my ankle, and then my first thought was, “I’ll be healed by ski season!”
Frosty window photo by Topher Donahue.
Are you jonesin' too? Want to just talk about powder? Give us a call. We can’t wait for that first face shot either.
Posted by John Entwistle on Tue, Aug 10, 2010 @ 12:46 PM
How can you define skiing? Does it have to involve snow? Is it something that can only take place during the winter months?
For most skiers, spring brings a time where skis are put away in the basement and the golf clubs or mountain bikes are brought out in to the sunlight. In one of my previous blog posts, I discussed some strategies to survive a ski-less summer. I know that there are some of you who have probably tried some of those strategies, and are looking for more. Maybe that itch to ski is so bad by now you are looking to answer how to ski/snowboard in the summer without snow? Here are a couple of options I have considered this summer:
Wake skiing: Basically take a pair of oversize rockered skis, add some water-ski bindings, get a boat, and let the fun begin! The picture below is of me completing the first ever 180 on okanagan lake in Kelowna B.C.
Wave skiing: Just watch the video. Otherwise you won't believe me...
Grass Skiing: That’s right! This is actually an F.I.S. sanctioned event. Again though... You will need to watch the video to believe me.
Wakeboarding: Basically snowboarding behind a boat with a short rockered board. (Airtime optional)
Surfing/ Wake surfing: Behind a boat or on the natural waves on the ocean. Hang 10 dude!
Sand Boarding: What you do if you have the opposite of snowy mountains: Sandy desert.
Whatever your method of off snow skiing or snowboarding is, getting out in the summer sun is all that really matters! Have another form of off snow skiing that you enjoy? Feel free to comment with your methods so I can try it out!
-And if you really miss that heli-powered snow sliding, feel free to come up on a CMH Summer Adventure and try your hand at butt sliding! WAY more fun than it sounds!
Posted by Jane Carswell on Mon, Aug 02, 2010 @ 01:36 PM
by Bob Krysak, Manager, CMH Retail Services
CMH has guests from all over the world, some that ski multiple times in a season and many who have been skiing with CMH for over 30 years. When you reach 1 million vertical feet of skiing/riding, which some have done in one season and others in 8-10, you are awarded a two piece suit made by Arcteryx (see photo to the right). There is a bottle of champagne shared by the recipients group, and there is a pin and certificate commemorating the achievement.
On average, 250-350 suits are given out each year, and there are 3,800 guests who have from 1 million to 20 million vertical feet. In some weeks in a lodge there will be 11-12 suits awarded in high season. So we make sure we are well stocked with champagne!
The idea of giving something to commemorate the million foot achievement came in early 1971-1972 from Chip Fisher who was at the time the manager of Head Ski Canada. His suggestion was an elegant blazer. We had some blazers made and awarded a few, but found that proper sizing and fit were a problem and people did not find them particularly useful.
When Andre Noel took over from Chip (1974) he suggested we do a ski jacket. This was made by HCC (Henri Charles Colsonet) from Geneva. The jacket had a “diaper” that would go under the crotch to keep the snow from coming up inside the jacket. This soon evolved into the first powder suit.
Since the early beginnings of the suit from HCC we have had suits from Far West, Ditrani (see image below), Bogner, Marmot and now Arcteryx.
The suit is a badge of honor, and in many cases a conversation opener. Many times I have been in an airport or at a ski resort and have seen someone wearing the suit. It opens up the chance to ask if the skier/rider has been to CMH, and great stories and memories are shared. Today we have some guests that are in their 80’s who still come skiing with us and still have the sparkle in their eyes as they recount the many runs shared with family and friends.
As Hans Gmoser, founder of CMH said:
“A person should have wings to carry them where their dreams go, but sometimes a pair of skis makes a good substitute”
I hope you have a chance to realize your dreams at one of our Lodges. And if you already have, we'd love it if you'd share your story here!
Photos:
Neos AR - the CMH Million Foot Suit jacket, circa 2010
CMH Heli-Ski guests Paul Dudzinski and Reb Forte receive their Million Foot suits together at the Bobbie Burns Lodge, April 13, 1987. Photo by Mark Dudzinski supplied by Reb Forte.
Posted by Topher Donahue on Thu, Jul 15, 2010 @ 08:44 AM
At sunrise, just a few days ago, I snapped this photo of a ski track melting out of an alpine snowfield. It made me wonder about the skier who left it behind. Was it a committed ski bum, merely grabbing a quick training run before heading to Las Leñas for a winter of skiing in the Southern Hemisphere? Or was it some inspired weekend warrior who wanted to do something unusual to end their season?
Skiing is one of those things where one moment blends with the next, one day with the next, and one season with the next. Even powder days tend to blend with other powder days, but for some reason I find the last day of the season is often memorable.
A year ago it was a sunny day riding lifts in a ski area so deserted that I left my helmet behind - and avoided the trees - to let the rejuvenating mountain air tickle my ears.
A few years ago life got in the way and my last turns were on bulletproof moguls sometime in February. By July skiing seemed a sadly distant memory.
There was a dreamy season when my last turns stopped just 30 meters from a waiting helicopter after a thousand-meter heliski run at CMH.
A couple of seasons my last turns were long, tired arcs across Alaskan glaciers under the ghostly midnight glow of the Arctic summer during June climbing expeditions.
One year it was a long walk in the high country for the reward of ripping a few beautiful arcs in the middle of summer.
Where were YOUR most memorable last tracks?
Posted by John Entwistle on Tue, Jun 01, 2010 @ 01:50 PM
What makes a good ski song? There is nothing quite like the perfect song while you are cruising down the hill. But what is it that makes a song so fitting for skiing?
Well for starters, you need songs that match the beat of your skiing. It also helps if the song has a strong beat that you will be able to hear over the wind rushing past your ears (without having the volume so loud you go deaf). But most of all, a song should have a good memory of skiing that goes with it. Most of the songs that I ski to were heard in ski movies, or in the car on the way down from an epic day of skiing.
I looked at my iPhone and realized that I have 3 playlists for skiing. Depending on the mood, I have playlists for snowy days, sunny days, and days where I just feel like ripping.
I realized that there were 5 songs that were consistent across all three playlists. This must mean that they are the songs that I find truly perfect for skiing. Here they are and why they are so great:
(Click the title for a youtube clip of each song) 
1. Baba O'Riley- The Who. Whenever I plug in my music for the first chairlift ride of the day, I like to start of with this song. It is a great song to get you excited for a day of skiing. Great for long gondola or tram rides. Make sure that you enjoy the base line through this song... I hear it is pretty good... Hah!
2. Gold Guns Girls- Metric. When I get to the top of my first run, I like to have this song blasting in the headphones. It is a great song for a warm up run. Great beat, great intro, and not too intense. The beginning also gives you a great feeling if you can time your "drop in" with the start of the vocals.
3. Wolf like me, T.V. on the Radio. This is a great song for when you are well in to your day. Great beat to ski to and it is long enough to last most of a run! On a sunny day, plug this in at any point for a guaranteed dose of inspiration.
4. Soul Meets Body, Death Cab for Cutie. Alright powder fans, if you ever need a song to cruise to on a deep powder day, look no further! This song is the ultimate feel good skiing song. It compliments the feeling of flying that you get from powder better than flying itself!
5. The Final Countdown- Europe. If you ever need to feel like a superstar, this is the song for you. This song automatically instills greatness in even the most destroyed egos! Just fell on a green run? Have a tumble after your first attempt at a 360? Finding your first day in deep snow to be a challenge? Pop this song in to your head and all of a sudden you will feel like the world champion of anything!
6. Bonus song: The Cold Part, Modest Mouse. This song IS skiing, although I don't really like to ski to it because I find it to be a little slow. If you are ever thinking about skiing or winter, this song is a must play. It is good to wind down from a long days skiing beside the fire.
Of course, with my love for music and skiing, I was extremely disappointed when I was told that there is no music allowed when Heli-skiing with CMH. From a safety point of view, I now see why this makes perfect sense... With helicopters whirling everywhere and guides giving you specific instruction, it is definitely a life saving asset to be able to hear. And plus, if you had headphones in your ear while heli-skiing, you would miss the amazing sound of the helicopter taking off followed by the greatest silence in the world as you stand with your group on the top of a snow capped mountain.
If you like any of the above songs, feel free to fire me and email @ jentwistle@cmhinc.com and I would be happy to recommend a song for the type of skiing you do!
-John Entwistle
Posted by Topher Donahue on Fri, May 28, 2010 @ 04:05 PM
Getting the chance to ski with Klaus Obermeyer during his 91st year was an opportunity not to be missed. The ski legend helped turn the eyes of the world onto Aspen, Colorado and invented double ski boots and down jackets, among a long list of contributions to our sport. When I met him in Aspen in April and he was in a good mood – he’d only missed a couple of days of skiing all winter. Over breakfast Klaus told me:
“The best thing about skiing. The very best thing about skiing - is that it is such a great family sport. An Olympian can go skiing with their kid and both can have fun.”
We had a big breakfast and then he drove, wearing his ski boots, to his VIP slope-side parking space. After getting off of the gondola, Klaus stepped quickly into his skis and accelerated away from the lift. I leaned on my ski poles to catch up, and started chasing the sturdy figure, white hair and white, form-fitting Obermeyer ski jacket turning heads left and right. As the run steepened, I caught him, but stayed behind to see how a 90-year-old skier approached a run. The best I can explain it, is that he let the run come to him, rather than him chasing the run. At the lower angled sections, he slowly opened up his speed, letting the skis run at the optimal carve and speed to make the pitch as pleasant as possible. When steep sections appeared on the horizon, he gradually slowed to conservative sweeping turns and I would find myself abruptly putting on the brakes while he smoothly adjusted his speed. Then, as the angle lessened, he would effortlessly conserve momentum from the steeps and race out into the flats, leaving me working to keep up.
He skied Aspen Mountain top to bottom without stopping or even once looking over his shoulder to see if I was with him.
“When the snow is good, can you still ski double blacks?” I asked him, once we sat down in the gondola.
“Of course.” He replied.
Back on the lift I asked him, “What’s your trick to staying so capable for so long?”
“Keep doing sports.”
After three hours of showing me around his home turf, Klaus went in for his daily swim. In the summer he switches his skis for a tennis racket, but swims year-round.
Klaus lives the mantra, “If you don’t use it, nature takes it away from you - very quickly.”
To put it all in perspective, the next day, I went skiing with my 3-year-old twin son and daughter. When a friendly loft operator asked me how old they were, I realized there was an 87-year difference in my ski partners from one day to the next.
I told the lifty they were 3, and that the day before I had skied with a 90-year-old. He replied, laughing, “Now that’s a great sport!”
Klaus and the lifty are both right.
If you agree, and have kids who are good skiers, check out CMH Family Heli-Ski Trips for an unforgettable family holiday.
Posted by Topher Donahue on Tue, May 11, 2010 @ 04:22 PM
I just picked up one of those books that could change the world. Last Child in the Woods, by Richard Louv, is a best seller of such magnitude that its implications will send ripples through families, universities, and - hopefully - our entire culture.
In it, Louv coins the term “nature deficit disorder”, and gives the reader a shocking view into the wide range of issues today’s children face and how many of the issues can be blamed –at least in part - on how little direct contact with nature they have compared to earlier generations. The book opens the floodgates of contemporary studies that are in the process of proving that our electronic, indoor, hyper-compartmentalized lifestyles are liable for issues including ADHD and obesity – and that time in the natural world has therapeutic potential to help with the very same issues.
This morning I watched my twin three-year-olds grow hyper and irritable as a spring snowstorm prevented even a short play in the garden. It seemed obvious that the time outside was crucial to their learning and happiness as I reread a few of Louv’s best lines:
“Increasingly, nature is something to watch, to consume, to wear – to ignore.”
“As far as physical fitness goes, today’s kids are the sorriest generation in the history of the United States.”
“They (researchers) say the quality of exposure to nature affects our health at an almost cellular level.”
“Pediatricians now warn that today’s children may be the first generation of Americans since World War II to die at an earlier age than their parents.”
“The CDC found that the amount of TV that children watch directly correlates with measures of their body fat.”
“A study of Finnish teenagers showed that they often went into natural settings after upsetting events; there, they could clear their minds and gain perspective and relax.”
“There is a real world, beyond the glass, for children who look, for those whose parents encourage them to truly see.”
“Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle maintains that each hour of TV watched per day by preschoolers increases by 10 percent the likelihood that they will develop concentration problems and other symptoms of attention-deficit disorders by age seven.”
“I was intrigued by the way children defined play: often, their definition did not include soccer or piano lessons. Those activities were more like work.”
“Typical Americans spend 101 minutes in their car daily, five times the amount they spend exercising.”
“Time in nature is not leisure time, it’s an essential investment in our children’s health (and also, by the way, in our own).”
“Two-thirds of American children can’t pass a basic physical: 40 percent of boys and 70 percent of girls ages six to seventeen can’t manage more than one pull-up; and 40 percent show early signs of heart and circulation problems.”
Louv reveals that even our playgrounds, parks, and arenas are not providing the experience in the natural world that has nurtured children’s development since the beginning of time. And the Internet, while a gateway to the world in so many ways, is entirely devoid of the very same sensory experiences that nature supplies in abundance: the smell of a pine tree; the deep vibration of a wave crashing into a rocky shore; the tickle of a cool breeze blowing off a snowfield.
For adventure travelers, skiers, mountaineers, hikers, farmers, gardeners, sailors, surfers, people like us in the business of providing exceptional experiences in the natural world, or anyone who finds time in nature is essential to their health, "Last Child in the Woods" puts to words something we have been feeling for a long time.
Photo by Topher Donahue
Posted by Jane Carswell on Thu, Dec 24, 2009 @ 09:23 AM
'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the lodge
Not a creature was stirring….must be the ‘nog
The boots were all drying along with the gloves
And the jackets were hung on the rack up above
The turkeys were thawing alone in the kitchen
And the chefs and the house staff had all started bitchin’
The skiers were nestled all snug in their beds
While visions of face-shots danced in their heads
The 212 had been tuned by our engineer
Not a bolt was loose…well, not that he could hear
Bugaboo pond had frozen and was all set for hockey
Lots of snow had fallen so no run was left rocky
I’d set out my thermals and all of my gear
My goggles were cleaned. I was ready...no fear
I was all snuggled up in my room called Howser
Almost asleep when I heard some rabble-rowser
I jumped out of bed and reached for my fleece
But in my haste I ripped off the sheets
Gathering the cloth around my cold body
I ran down the hall and out to the lobby
In the yard lights were flashing, an engine was roaring
What the hell was happening – it was hours til morning?
Where was everyone else? Was no one concerned?
I peered out the window and saw that rotor blades turned
The ‘copter it rose, snow was blowing around
I took a quick look, then fell to the ground
I covered my ears untill all became quiet
But really, the whole thing, it was such a riot!
I’m not certain, you know, because of the 'nog
But I’m pretty sure I heard a loud voice through the fog
“Thigh-deep powder, endless runs and first tracks
I wish you for Christmas… and I hope you come back!”
