Since hellaskiing is just what your Cali frat brothers always said when you asked what they planned to do once Steven's opened, opt instead for heliskiing at Silver Star, a sweet Victorian village-style destination in the Monashee Mountain range, just collaborating with pros at a company called Eagle Pass, presumably run by that football Doug Flutie threw in '84. Here's the lowdown on SS's new package:
What: You get six to eight runs (split between morning and afternoon sessions) on over 270k ski-able acres between 11k and 17k feet, in small groups led by guides who'll provide helicopter safety lessons, as well as beacon training, which usually just means pointing at a map between I-5 and Rainier Ave.
Where: Your twin-engine Bell 212 Helicopter takes off right from the winter village at this off-the-beaten-by-obnoxious-tourists-toward-Whistler-path resort that boasts 10 different hotels and more than a dozen restaurants and bars, including the Bulldog Grand Cafe, the Silver Grill, and a bakery called Bugaboos, where eating something delicious is your Destiny, Child.
Why: Because, if dropping in sans-lift isn't enough, they're hooking you up with a personal radio and specialty powder skis made popular by Sean Patrick Flanery in the 1995 film (or help modifying your snowboard), and filling your belly with a mountainside lunch and, once you're back in the village, "après ski snacks", which damn well better include at least 80yds of Flutie Flakes.