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Top Billing goes on a Canadian helicopter adventure
Top Billing goes on a Canadian helicopter adventure
On a Canadian helicopter adventure where only eagles dare, a frozen Jeannie finds herself heading for the kind of surprise you might get once in a lifetime!
Warmed by currents from the Pacific Ocean and protected by mountains, the climate here is surprisingly mild for such a cold country. In fact, so many people move here from across the world that half the population have a first language other than English.
But it can be overcast. The cloudy skies make the city popular to film-makers because the stars always look their best in such soft light.
Seaplanes and yachts are a popular way to get out of the city - this being a metropolis set on a river and surrounded by lakes and fjords. But being big on exercise and adventure, many locals head just an hour North to Squamish, an old logging town at the meeting point of ocean, river and forest – and here they ski, hike, climb - or some just look.
The area is named after Squamish people who’ve lived here a few thousand years. To guide Katie Tikkanen, the scenery feels little changed in that time.
Nick Drader is Chief Pilot for a family business whose helicopters are used to collect tree seeds and keep forests sustainable. He also does heli-tours. In his forestry work, as part of a team collecting two billion tree seeds and suppressing many fires, Nic’s made some spectacular discoveries but one in particular stole his heart and he decided to share it with us!
Where the trail ends for other guides is where Nick picks up. He lives moments others might not see in ten lifetimes and is generous enough to share them.
