Featured Image: Wes Wiley

We’ve all dreamt of skiing far-off, hard-to-reach places for the jaw-dropping views and froth-inducing, untouched powder. There’s something so elusive about making the first–and often only–tracks on a mountain face that may not see another human for weeks. It’s what inspired Johann Wolfgang “Hans” Gmoser to found Canadian Mountain Holidays (now CMH Heli-Skiing and Summer Adventures) in 1959.

Since CMH flew its first guests to previously inaccessible terrain via helicopter in 1965, the operation has depended on the service of knowledgable guides to lead these excursions safely. The excitement and responsibility of such a role is what motivated Lindsay Andersen to become an Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG) certified ski guide for CMH in 2002.

“I knew right away,” recalls Andersen. “I was probably 15 when I wrote my grandma a letter that I wanted to be a ski guide and work for CMH and wear the yellow suit.”

Born and raised in Banff, Alberta, Canada, Andersen quite literally grew up on skis. From riding in her father’s backpack before she could even walk to standing on her own two planks at the ripe age of two, skiing has always been at the forefront of Andersen’s life. So much so, when her peers were busy deciding which university to attend, Andersen’s guidance counselor introduced the young mountain maven to the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides.

“Now, as I reflect back, I think it’s quite amazing that he did that,” says Andersen. “Right after high school I started working at Lake Louise.”

Earning her chops on the Lake Louise Ski Patrol, Andersen worked her way up to the avalanche control program and did all of her avy training through the Canadian Avalanche Association while working at the world-renowned ski resort. From the hours upon hours spent mitigating potentially disastrous slides to the hundreds of thousands of vertical feet ski touring with friends every chance she had, Andersen began to build her personal resume to apply for ACMG–the global leader in mountain guiding standards. It didn’t take long for Andersen to trade her patrol uniform for a ski guide setup.

At 24, the Banff native packed her ski bag and headed south to get her start as a tail guide at Island Lake Lodge–a cat-skiing operation near Fernie, BC. From there, Andersen continued developing her guiding skills as an apprentice ski guide for Selkirk Mountain Experience, north of Revelstoke. The following year, the emerging ski guide found herself in the heart of the Purcell Mountain Range at the CMH Bobbie Burns lodge–living out her teenage dream. Now 44, Andersen has devoted the last two decades–17 of those years at CMH–to honing her guiding craft and developing metamorphic mountain experiences for people like you and me. A commitment that has lead her to become one of four senior guides at the Burns.

“It really moves me emotionally to see people light up when they’re out there,” gushes Andersen. “I just absolutely love taking people into the mountains and showing them an amazing view and amazing skiing.”

While CMH has always been the dream for Andersen, she did not anticipate the affect this heli-operation–and specific lodge–would have on her. In the 17 seasons Andersen has guided at CMH, the seasoned veteran has worked at almost every lodge within the operation’s three-million-acre tenure, but it’s the Burns she continues to call home–for good reason.

“I work with an amazing team, some of the guides I work with I’ve worked with my whole career,” says Andersen. “I feel very at home there. But also, the terrain. I really love the terrain.”

Unique to the Bobbie Burns lodge, skiers have access to both the Purcell and Selkirk Mountain ranges via 212 and, come December 2019, 407 Bell Helicopters. Notorious for its massive vertical and fast-paced, expert skiing, Bobbie Burns quickly becomes a beloved lodge to guests and guides, alike. From the perfectly gladed tree skiing down low to the magnificent high-alpine access, the skiing around the Bobbie Burns lodge is unfathomable. Conditions permitting, it’s possible to start in the high-alpine and end up at the valley floor, slashing fresh turns for over 5,000 vertical feet in a single run. Not to mention the saving grace that is the high-alpine when the skiing down low is less than favorable.

As a lead guide at CMH, Andersen is responsible for the logistics of the day: where the groups will ski, when the groups will go out, which guide will be with which group, among a million other things. On top of that, Andersen bears the responsibility of snow safety. This means she’s getting up early, heading out in the support helicopter, assessing the snowpack within the Burns tenure and bombing when necessary.

“I go heli-bombing all of the time and my head is just constantly in the snow to give information to the other guides,” Andersen says so nonchalantly.

Within minutes of talking to Andersen, it’s clear her role as an ACMG lead guide at the CMH Bobbie Burns lodge is more than just a job. It’s her passion. One that ignited a fire in a local Banff girl some 30 years ago and has ceased to dim, season after season.

“I love being in the mountains, I love skiing and I love bringing people into that environment,” beams Andersen.

Whether you’re a longtime CMH guest or you’ve just booked your first trip, Lindsay Andersen’s contagious excitement for heli-skiing is hard to miss when you walk through the front doors of the Bobbie Burns lodge. Her guiding expertise, along with the stellar views and epic terrain, will do more than meet your expectations. It’ll leave your mind blown, your thighs burning and an insatiable appetite to ski it all again.