Heli Skiing Legend Mike Wiegele Dies at 82

The ski industry has lost a legend. Last Thursday, Mike Wiegele Heli Skiing announced that their founder Mike Wiegele had passed away at the age of 82. For the last 50 years, Wiegele’s name was synonymous with the best feeling in the world: skiing bottomless, untouched powder. In 1970 this humble farm boy from Austria offered his first-ever heli guided ski trip in Valemont, BC. It was a wild and revolutionary idea, but Wiegele was certain that it would take hold despite the lack of initial success.

Shortly after he moved his enterprise to Blue River, BC, which became an industry-leading heli-ski destination with a tenure boasting more than 1,500,000 acres of terrain and over 1,000 peaks. In 1978, he hosted Canada’s first-ever Powder 8 World Championships to help promote powder skiing and the emergence of heli-skiing. His impact on the sport has been felt in heli-skiing, ski racing, powder ski design, and safety standards for Canadian ski guides. He’s remembered for being a competitor, coach, pioneer, entrepreneur, husband, father, a man of the mountains, and, of course, his iconic phrase: “Let’s go skiing.”

Learn more about Wiegele's incredible life in the short film Call Me Crazy