Changes to U.S. heli skiing

"In the past, they'd just get together and drink beers at their annual meeting and talk about their season," he says of the organization known as Heli U.S. and modeled after the widely respected HeliCat Canada. "It was something I longed to be a part of for 10 years, and finally I just got fed up and said, 'Are you guys a club, or are you actually an official association, as you claim?' I really shook the tree."

The result has been a reshuffling of the association and its goals. This summer, Paul Butler, co-owner of North Cascade Heli Skiing in Washington, was elected president of Heli U.S., succeeding longtime president Joe Royer of Ruby Mountains Heli Experience in Nevada. "We're streamlining the organization," Butler said. "Tightening things up, taking a look at where we want to go."

Heli U.S. counts eight members that pay an annual fee of approximately $7,000. When a new operation joins, it's strictly audited so as not to dilute the membership. "We're promoting the gold standard," Butler said. Yet there remain about 20 non-member outfits in the U.S., whose practices carry implications on the industry as a whole, especially in the event of an accident. "It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when somebody's going to get it," Quinn said. "And when that happens, it's going to affect all of us."

In addition to its eight operators, Heli U.S. recently added a guide membership and now counts 84 individual guides who are rated Level 1, 2 or 3 based on their experience. The next step, Butler said, is to align with the American Mountain Guides Association and have the AMGA certify guides through its courses, a huge departure from how it exists now. "They're looking long term at having a mechanized ski guiding course in their program," Butler said of the AMGA. "I think it's just a matter of time before that happens."

Royer, who oversees Heli U.S.'s membership reviews, believes the organization's revamped efforts are direly needed. "Nobody's setting a precedent; there's no regulation," he said. "It's not like the Forest Service is saying, 'You have to do this.'"

If Quinn gets his way, however, that could change. "It's going to come down to: 'You want a permit? Are you a member of Heli U.S.?' That will weigh heavily," he said.

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Devon O'Neil

Writer, Action Sports

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O'Neil was raised in the Virgin Islands before dropping anchor to ski, write, and combine the two for profit. He now lives in Breckenridge, Colo.