Snowbird, UT – Wasatch Powderbird Guides will start their 39th season of helicopter skiing in Utah on December 15  at the Snowbird heliport in Little Cottonwood Canyon. Powderbird will also once again be operating out of Canyons Resort during the 2011-12 season, giving skiers staying in the Park City area helicopter access to backcountry terrain without adding a drive to Snowbird. Both the Snowbird and Canyons bases have access to the same terrain and guide staff.

“We’re very excited about starting our 39th season in business,” says Mike “Ole” Olson, owner and lead guide of the operation. “During the ski season you get to see return clients and old friends in addition to new clients; you never know who is going to walk through the door or who you get to take skiing on any particular day, which is always cool.”

The 2011-12 ski season marks the third consecutive year of heli-skiing operations at Canyons Resort, giving guests access to many dining options, the night life of Park City’s Main Street as well as high end lodging. Although helicopter skiing was offered by Powderbird in the 90’s at Canyons when it was known as Park West Resort, the operation never had an official home base like today where guides and clients meet at The Alpine House Restaurant. Helicopter skiing has been gaining more renown among the ski community in the Summit County, Utah area and Powderbird is working closely with Canyons Resort to continue the relationship.

Powderbird offers a wide range of products and services from avalanche classes and full day heli-skiing to private chartered helicopters. Powderbird operates under a special use permit from the U.S. Forest Service. This permit allows them a 120-day operating window with access to 80,000 acres of terrain stretching from Bountiful to Provo, Utah. Many of the runs are only accessible via helicopter but terrain is shared with the ski touring community and
snowmobilers.

The 2010-11 season laid claim to 800 inches of snow in the Wasatch Mountains with the ski season at Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort, where Powderbird is based, running into July. Although Powderbird did not operate that far into the year, they do fly into April and use roughly 50 to 60 percent of their allotted operation days from the U.S. Forest Service annually.