Abigail Kingsbury Elvy is Travelplan’s specialist Heli-ski adviser, and daughter of Marion and Mark Kingsbury. Over 38 years Mark Kingsbury started as an inaugural guide and ended up C.E.O of CMH. He sadly passed away in 2001 after a motorcycle accident. Marion recently retired after controlling CMH reservations for many years. Abigail truly is a child of CMH Heli-skiing.

- David Withers. Travelplan Owner

From a child to an adult of CMH Heliskiing.

I have grown up with CMH always in my life. From a baby I would be bundled up in a back pack on Dad’s back cruising down the high Alpine slopes of the Cariboos or Bugaboos or wherever Dad was guiding at the time (CMH has twelve different heliski areas). Both my parents worked for CMH for the majority of their adult lives, thus to me it seemed pretty normal – the idea of heliskiing.

I have spent the last 7 years working for Travelplan Australia and selling the CMH product to Australians. It is so impressive how much the Aussies love there skiing and this year I was lucky enough to join Toby Withers (Travelplan Manager) and a group of 30 Australians in a week of heliskiing bliss at Gothics Lodge and let me tell you – Aussie’s are awesome skiers as well as being so much fun!!

During my week in the Gothics, I watched potential life long friendships grow through each persons experience due to the family style of each CMH lodge, where the common living, dining and socializing areas brings everyone together.

As each ski day went by everyone was becoming more confident with their own ability in the different snow conditions - we skied trees, we skied high Alpine in the sunshine, we skied open cut blocks. At the end of each day many of our guests would ask me “what is the best day of heliskiing you have ever had?” I could never answer this as each day is awesome for different reasons. My personal skiing philosophy is if it is white and down hill and you are with great people then what more could you want! Heliskiing with CMH offers this and so much more.

The CMH guides, helicopter pilots and staff at the Gothics were wonderful but it is hard to fault the program, dedication & safety of any of the teams. One of the legend guides, Claude, kept saying to us “Do you know why I love the Aussie guests? Because they do not complain! They just have a great time, laugh and ski hard.” This could not explain the Aussie skier better.

CMH heliskiing is a special adventure, a special place no matter what lodge you go to and a place for any strong intermediate skier with a good level of fitness. It is not extreme skiing but it is an extreme experience. I am lucky to be able to call it “my job to sell heliskiing trips and to still visit my birth mountains and be reminded of the beauty of helisking and the vast, untouched mountains.

I have realized (with some adult maturity) during this trip and a few others over the past few years that CMH heliskiing is not normal- it is extraordinary!

- Abigail Kingsbury. Travelplan CMH Specialist

 
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