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Life of a Guide Part 3.

August 14, 2013 Last Frontier Heliskiing

This is the third and final post of a three-part look at Last Frontier Heliskiing’s guides and their amazing summers. This week’s post looks at Last Frontier Guide Andre Ike’s summer’s as a rock-climbing guide in Squamish BC, Bugaboo Provincial Park, the Rockies, and in Europe.

Andre Ike Climbing In The Bugaboo Provincial Park.
Andre Ike climbing in the Bugaboo Provincial Park.

Jane Emerick: Hi Andre, what do you love about your work as a year-round guide?

Andre Ike: Being a guide means showing guests a great and rewarding experience.  I feel very fortunate to have this profession.  I love the amazing places it has taken me and the people I have met along the way.

JE: How did you get into it?

AI: Back in Whistler in 1997 some friends I looked up to were guides. I thought to myself… “This is what I want to do!”

JE: What is your favorite thing about Last Frontier Heliskiing and how does it differ from other heli-ski operations you have experienced?

AI: My two favorite things about Last Frontier Heliskiing are the staff and the terrain. Last Frontier is unique because it has small groups and the single largest  heli-skiing tenure in the world. 

Small Groups And The World'S Largest Single Tenure, Make Last Frontier Heliskiing, One Of A Kind. Photo: Dave Silver
Small groups and the world’s largest single tenure, make Last Frontier Heliskiing, one of a kind. Photo: Dave Silver

The town of Stewart is very unique and beautiful, having the massive Cambria Icefield and Portland Canal just above the town, while being bordered by Alaska.

The Bell2 lodge is very diverse being nestled between the Coast Range and the Skeena Mountains with many ski run options right at hand.  The combination of the two ranges so close, make it one of the best places to ski on the planet.

Bell 2 Lodge, Nestled Between The Coast Range And Skeena Mountains. Photo: Andrew Doran
Bell 2 Lodge, nestled between the Coast Range and Skeena Mountains. Photo: Andrew Doran

JE: Sounds like Heaven on Earth. What do you do in the summer?

AI: I am a rock climbing guide in Squamish BC, with my company Westcoast Mountain Guides Inc.  I also guide in the Bugaboo Provincial Park, the Rockies, and abroad in Europe.

JE: What do you love about being a rock climbing guide in the summer?

AI: Being outdoors and being active. Like in the winter with Last Frontier Heliskiing… I also love providing guests with a great and rewarding experience.

JE: What has the been the highlight of your summer so far?

AI: I just got back from ten days of straight sun in the Bugaboos Provincial Park. I guided Pigeon, Snowpatch and Bugaboo Spire.  Definitely summer guiding at its best!

There Seems To Be A Common Theme Here, Last Frontier Guides, Love The Mountains.
There seems to be a common theme here, Last Frontier guides, love the mountains.