Mike Wiegele

Mike Wiegele had an inherent love of skiing and the outdoors, two passions that fuelled an incredible career as a competitor, coach, pioneer and entrepreneur.

Born in Feiztritz, Austria, in 1938, Wiegele grew up in Austria before moving to Canada in 1959. In 1960-61, he worked with the legendary Ernie McCulloch at Mont Tremblant Ski School in Quebec. From there, he moved to Sugar Bowl Ski Area in Lake Tahoe, California, where he worked for another skiing legend, Junior Bounous.

After returning to Canada, Wiegele earned a Level IV certification from the Canadian Ski Instructors Alliance (CSIA) and briefly operated a ski school and ski shop. For four years, he coached the Lake Louise Ski Club racing program, which from 1978 to 1983 was the best represented club on the Canadian Alpine Ski Team, producing well-known athletes such as Mike and Bill Irwin, Chris Kent, Ken and Jim Read, Dianne Lehodey and Bobby Allison. He was also a founding member of the Banff Alpine Racers club, which later produced several national team members.

Wiegele’s interests extended to avalanche study and snow research. He built the Grizzly Hut to support avalanche research in cooperation with the University of Calgary and the federal government. The hut also serves as an emergency shelter and a base for education and training for the Canadian Ski Guide Association, which Wiegele founded.

In the mid-1960s, as Hans Gmoser’s heli-skiing operation began (Gmoser was Wiegele’s best man at his wedding to Bonnie in 1967), Wiegele showed keen interest in the mountains around Valemount and Blue River, B.C. In 1970, he started taking skiers into the Valemount area. The region’s weather patterns were of particular interest, aided by decades of meticulous data collected by “Grandma” Molly Nelson, an amateur meteorologist.

This information proved invaluable in determining the location for a permanent heli-skiing operation. In 1974, Wiegele moved his business to Blue River, located between the Cariboo and Monashee mountains north of Kamloops, B.C.

As demand for heli-skiing grew, Wiegele began acquiring land in the 1980s to support a full-service resort for his expanding worldwide clientele. Today, Mike Wiegele’s heli-skiing operation in Blue River, covering some 1.2 million acres, is the world’s second largest.

Wiegele is also a recipient of the Medal of Bravery from the Governor General of Canada, awarded to those who risk their lives to protect or rescue others. A man of many interests and roles, Mike Wiegele has left an indelible mark on skiing in Canada.

Note: The information gathered in this biography was compiled from a number of sources; it may not be inclusive of all accomplishments. Copyright © Canadian Ski Hall of Fame & Museum. For personal and/or educational use only. All rights reserved.