2013/2014 Whistler Blackcomb - South Coast - Duffey Lake Thread

[TeCeBe]

That is a great letter. Squamish is becoming, or better worded is being discovered, as a badass town to base oneself out of.

[Shaggy]

Intangibles Schmangibles!

Living in Whistler I've realized that I don't need much to be happy.

Yes, all I need are my friends, a good book, and plenty of snow and sunshine... and the occasional slice of cheesecake, lots of wine, the Netflix, an Armani suit, a big house with a sauna and a hot tub, a monkey butler, a sports car, designer furniture, a weekly massage, a weekend home in the Caribbean, a perfect body, my own private jet, and world peace.

That's all I need. It's the simple things really.

[Shaggy]

Let's both of us not get too smug. We both had soul-crushing workloads before we checked out of the race.

So, how does one do that? Big risks? Luck? I'm not being judgemental at all.

But I am at the point where I could use to check-out of the race. Hard work and aptitude have not really paid off for me.

[LeeLau]

Luck, timing and imo minimizing expenses and yeah a bit of work

[ROCKS]

it took a few years, but I managed to carve out a decent life here, I'm not making mad bank, but I don't have to live in a big city that would suck the soul out of me within weeks. the GF and I have a sweet 1 bedroom with storage for our gear, it's only a bit more than 800 a month, and I work in my field (I understand that's a rarity in these part however). But we don't go out partying, and that makes the slight increase in groceries completely bearable and really not that bad. Plus it's 2 minutes to covered parking and a gondola ride up the mountain, I can ski out to my house if required and it's 5 minutes on my bike to work in not winter with amazing trails within minutes of home and work, so yeah, 'intangibles'.

Well you basically sold me on that idea!!

Any positions for e-comm sales/business dev??

[gramboh]

I figure this will get posted here soon anyway since I know Dave is on here. Thoughts? Aren't you a member Lee, heli dropping lesser flute?

http://www.powdermag.com/stories/heli-club/

[Atrain505]

Eliel wrote that article and Dave commented. Its well put all around. I've gone with Gillis and the club. Great idea, awesome that it exists, glad it exists. I commend everyone who is involved, but Dave is also 100% right. At some point something is going to go down badly. Renegade is the right word for it. You aren't being guided so act like you are on your own and fill the bird with people you know and trust, then it is an amazing tool.

When randoms get thrown in to fill seats, that is when things will go wrong.

[powder11]

When randoms get thrown in to fill seats, that is when things will go wrong.

I think its kind of weak to write that story at all. Thats the sort info people need to learn locally by word of mouth; not some horse shit article in Powder. Shame on Eliel, he should know better. I like Shawn as a person, but think he is a bit excessive with some of the sacred lines. Simple probability says the more often you expose more people to a dangerous situation means an accident is over due. Coupling groups of relative strangers in those situations is even more recipe for disaster. Hopefully that day never comes.

[shirk]

The first rule of the Heli Club is you don’t invite weakness to the Heli Club. The second rule of the Heli Club is you don’t invite weakness to the Heli Club. So begins the Fight Club-inspired mantra of the Whistler-based Heli Club.

First rule of fight club, is don't talk about fight club.

Shouldn't have been written.

[Greydon Clark]

A similar article ran last year in Coast Mountain Culture (I think).

[powder11]

Thats the ironic part. Shawn wants it to be all exclusive and spoken in whispers, yet he cant keep his mouth shut about it in magazine articles. Kind of think he likes rubbing it in on those who either outright oppose him or just don't want to go on his trips. I dont really care either way, but articles like that only perpetuate an already tense situation.

[JJChit]

I think its kind of weak to write that story at all. Thats the sort info people need to learn locally by word of mouth; not some horse shit article in Powder. Shame on Eliel, he should know better. I like Shawn as a person, but think he is a bit excessive with some of the sacred lines. Simple probability says the more often you expose more people to a dangerous situation means an accident is over due. Coupling groups of relative strangers in those situations is even more recipe for disaster. Hopefully that day never comes.

+1. i saw that article and was already shaking my head at the title. Met the guy over the summer, seem like a nice dude...but pretty disappointing he came out and wrote that.

[Graham]

I would hazard a guess that Eliel asked Shaun about writing the bit before it was put online. The Mountain Life blurb on it was surprising considering the exposure it would get, putting it out in the open. I'm glad Eliel put Dave's thoughts into it, because there is absolute truth to what he says as well. Renegade heli hasn't been a secret for over 2 years now.

[Clownshoe]

"Real bad boys move in silence"
-KRS One

[Solesides]

Renegade dropping 2,500m couloirs? No time for fact-checking - "shit, this shit is the shit."

[powder11]

I would hazard a guess that Eliel asked Shaun about writing the bit before it was put online. The Mountain Life blurb on it was surprising considering the exposure it would get, putting it out in the open. I'm glad Eliel put Dave's thoughts into it, because there is absolute truth to what he says as well. Renegade heli hasn't been a secret for over 2 years now.

No doubt, but its like throwing gas on a smoldering fire, which means they're just craving negative attention. Kind of dumb if you ask me.

Sent from my LG-D803 using TGR Forums

[TeCeBe]

"Real bad boys move in silence"
-KRS One

Ain't that the truth.

[t.odd]

if it's so successful, why the need to publish that? other than ego?

[LeeLau]

if it's so successful, why the need to publish that? other than ego?

For the beacon practise and crevasse rescue race!

[powder11]

For the beacon practise and crevasse rescue race!

I love how Shawn challenges Dave to a beacon off in the comments section of that Powder article. So funny.

[GoNads]

Given how that random deceased US lawyer's wife is trying to sue his "buddy" who was supposed to have eyes on him before he died of a heart attack in a tree well while heli-skiing at a Canadian operation that had both a lead and tail guide, I would be worried about getting thrown in a heli with random strangers, who may have passed cursory beacon drills but you are truly on your own out there... imo it's only a matter of time before something tragic happens and someone attempts to sue over said accident.

What Brian said - first rule of fight club is you don't talk about fight club. There are a million other easy stories Eliel could have written about, I'm sure the local heli operators aren't too stoked with the influx of random tourists asking for 85$ drops to places they've never been before. There's a reason guides exist. Eliel isn't even Canadian, isn't he from Utah? How many drops has he been on around here?

[reidhresko]

How many drops has he been on around here?

I bet he doesn't get too many more from here on out!

[gramboh]

It was full Juneuary yesterday at the resort. Sunglasses and beers on the Roundhouse deck. Some fun turns on corned up steeps as well.

Looks like maybe a bit of snow this week? Going to take a lot to turn it around now though.

[filthyfrenchbum]

Telus fest should have been moved to this weekend. Beers on patio and corn harvest weather for sure. Cool to see patrol practice their HETS rescues off the middle step of Jordan (I almost thought it was an Aussie day bet gone wrong at first).

[djbooter]

I thought I saw a single drop of rain yesterday. Could be mistaken though.