Mike Wiegele

Austrian-born skier who immigrated to Canada in 1959 and became director of the Lake Louise Ski School in 1965, succeeding Franz Haaz. He held the position until 1972. There he developed children’s ski and racing programs that launched athletes like Ken Read (North America’s first World Cup downhill champion) onto national teams and World Cup circuits.

Early career: Wiegele earned CSIA Level 4 certification after instructing at Mont Tremblant (1960–61) and Sugar Bowl, California (1961–62), where he skied for Warren Miller’s films. He coached the Lake Louise Ski Club for four years in the late 1960s, producing six national team members including Jim Read, Chris Kent, and the Irwin brothers. In 1967 he married Bonnie Derome, a multi-sport athlete who later co-built his ventures.

Heli-skiing pioneer: Wiegele eyed heli-skiing amid BC’s boom, scouting Blue River and Valemount peaks from 1965 for optimal snow. He launched operations in 1970 near Valemount in the Cariboo Mountains with day trips via Bell helicopters. By 1973, inspired by local snow records from “Grandma” Molly Nelson, he shifted to Blue River for its 30+ feet annual snowfall and low wind, building a full resort by 1974 (main lodge in 1988).

Legacy: His 1.2 million-acre tenure in the Monashees and Cariboos offered unlimited vertical. He pioneered safety standards through avalanche research with the University of Calgary (1988–90) and founded the Canadian Ski Guides Association in 1990. He hosted Powder 8 Championships from 1980, prototyped fat powder skis (later influencing Atomic), and was inducted into the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame (2000) and Banff Sports Hall of Fame (2006). He died in 2021 at 82; his family-run Mike Wiegele Helicopter Skiing continues to operate in Blue River.