Tracing the history of High Mountain Heli on their Golden Anniversary
The spirit of adventure and the lure of the unknown are intricately woven into the fabric of snowboarding. We are also drawn to the feeling of flight, whether carving a path at speed through freshly fallen flakes or floating through the air after launching off a cliff. The ultimate flight comes from heli-skiing, offering an unparalleled portal to untouched peaks, mind-blowing lines, and vantages otherwise out of reach. For the last five decades, High Mountain Heli (HMH) has been a pioneer in the world of heli-assisted skiing and snowboarding. Through that time they have remained the sole heli-ski operation in Jackson Hole.
The Early Days
In 1974, a visionary Jackson resident named Robin “Boomer” McClure decided to get into the helicopter business. He was an avid skier and a backcountry pioneer, and he conceived of HMH as a way to unlock access to more remote terrain. In the 1970s, the concept of heli-skiing was still brand-new and virtually unknown. Operations were few and far between. Powderbird was the first company to offer heli-skiing in the United States in 1972. They began flying off a helipad located near Snowbird in Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah. High Mountain Heli answered the call and became the second heli-ski operation in the States.
McClure launched the company with a single Bell 47G helicopter, a three-seat chopper with a distinctive bubble cockpit. The experience was a little rough around the edges. It was also renegade and largely unregulated during those early days. The HMH team had to figure things out as they went along.
“It was pretty much flying around by our shoestrings,” admits Jon Shick, High Mountain Heli’s former lead guide and also a former owner. Jon joined HMH in 1976 as an apprentice guide. When the business launched half a century ago, they were making around $95-$250 bucks a seat per day. At those rates the goal was just to keep the heli gassed up and flying for another day, rather than trying to turn a profit.
“In the first couple of years, I don’t think anybody got paid,” Jon remembers. “If you had a helicopter sitting there, you’d better fill it up, and you better look at everybody that you have in the back seat of the helicopter and make sure that somebody paid for it because if they’re not paying for it, you are.”
By 1977, HMH secured their first Forest Service permits, and the operation began taking off. “There was much more freedom in the 70s and early 80s before the Wilderness Act was passed,” Shick tells us. “We had vastly more terrain and could ski in places like the west side of the Tetons, Table Mountain, the Gros Ventre, and Sleeping Indian. We could even land on top of the Americano [now known as Snow King] or even at the top of the Tram on some days.”
Heli Pioneers
In the 70s and early 80s, HMH was at the forefront of backcountry exploration in the Tetons. With vast swathes of untouched terrain at their disposal, they were constantly discovering new lines and pushing the boundaries of what was possible. They ventured into areas that had never been skied before.
A particular moment has stuck with Shick over the years: one day there was a solar eclipse where the Tetons were in the path of totality. HMH gassed up the bird and flew 11 people to the top of the Sleeping Indian (otherwise known as Sheep Mountain). The group disembarked from the heli and waited at the summit for the celestial show to start, complete with an unparalleled view of the Tetons across the valley. As broad daylight faded into darkness, the crew clicked into their skis and ripped down the mountain’s flanks, hooting and hollering in the eerie frozen twilight.
Tragedy Abroad
After three years of operation, High Mountain Heli’s founder Boomer McClure thirsted for more. He set off for Switzerland in the late spring of ‘77, with his sights set on another lofty goal: climb the Matterhorn and claim its first ski descent. The pyramid-shaped peak is the most recognizable mountain in Europe, and also one of the deadliest in the world. The summit sits at 14,692 feet, making the Matterhorn the 12th-highest peak in Europe. Its striking features and the challenge of a first descent beckoned him.
McClure and his ski partners made it to the summit and got into their skis atop the western face. This shear zone sits approximately 4,000 feet above the Hurricane Creek valley. As they began to descend, a late-season avalanche cracked above them. It swept McClure and his partners off the mountain and into the valley below. Their remains have never been located.
After McClure’s tragic passing, his parents wanted no part of his ragtag heli-ski operation in Jackson Hole, so they handed off High Mountain Heli to his good friend, Dave Miller. It was still 1977, and Dave Miller tapped Carl McNew and Jon Schick to join him in taking the reins and steering HMH into the future.
Expanding Operations
Tales of impossibly deep powder and endless untracked runs percolated through the Jackson Hole community and beyond. HMH was getting busy. They tapped into their network, contracting helicopters and pilots from other operations, giving them the ability to scale up their business to meet the increasing demand.
Their mainstay helicopter model during these years was the Hughes 500, a bulbous-nosed little chopper that could hold five people: the pilot sandwiched in front with two passengers, and two others on a bench in the back. Their carrying capacity had improved even if the ride quality hadn’t.
HMH’s clients during that period were often young, physically fit, and able to ski deep powder. Day rates were close to what a full-day lift ticket costs now, and as a result more people could afford to experience heli-skiing. According to Shick, business boomed even more after the invention of powder skis. This new technology opened up heli-shredding to older clientele who now could ski powder, thanks to skis like Shick’s favorite: the Rossignol Haute Routes. These vintage powder boards had a giant slalom cut, curved tips for float, and a beastly size of 205cm.
All the Rich and Famous
As the popularity of HMH (and Jackson Hole) grew, so did the list of their famous clientele. One repeat skier Shick vividly remembers guiding was Queen Noor-al-Hussein of Jordan. Queen Noor was friends with a longtime Jackson local, and she skied multiple times with HMH. Despite flying to zones way off the beaten path and far away from any peasants, Queen Noor’s secret service trailed along for the backcountry romps, even though they weren’t adept skiers. They hesitatingly snow-plowed their way down perfect powder runs, as the Queen ripped fresh snow beside them with style.
One day the Queen requested they fly to the top of the Tram. They landed on Rendezvous Mountain, then clicked in and skied down to the Alpenhoff. When they arrived, her bodyguards were already standing at all of the doors. The Queen invited Shick to have cocktails with her husband, King Hussein. He accepted and enjoyed the drinks and conversation with Jordanian royalty.
Into The Future
Now under the leadership of Jake Laskin, who took over in 2021, HMH is poised for the next 50 years of shredding success. Laskin is committed to maintaining the company’s legacy of excellence while also making continued improvements to the guest experience.
“First off, I immediately came to realize that we had an incredible staff that had worked together for a long time—many for over eight years,” says Laskin. “In this business–which relies on a track record of safety–employee retention and loyalty are invaluable assets.” Laskin is still amazed by the sheer size of the terrain available to them. “This unbelievable heli-ski terrain covers 305,100 acres over four mountain ranges,” Laskin says. “I want to focus on creating a better guest experience. From moving operations into the Snake River Sporting Clubhouse to enhancing our lunches, we have built on what was already in place. We’ve had several great seasons in a row now, and we have such a great team and great repeat clientele that it makes me look forward to coming to work every day.”
There’s more to come for High Mountain Heli. As the prices and crowds at resorts continue to skyrocket, the lure of endless private runs starts to beckon. With its tenured team of guides and unwavering dedication to adventure, HMH will continue to be the premier heli-shred operation in the Tetons.
As long as the snow keeps falling, fiends from all over will chase untracked lines, seeking new experiences, deep snow, and the ultimate feeling of flight.
– HH
Next time you see @heatherhendrickshh, ask her about those mining claims, Billy + Squid, artifacts of Aspen, and if she’s still writing her tell all of first times…