This 20-minute short film tells the story of ski pioneer Mike Wiegele — and reinstills our love for mountains in the process.
“Call Me Crazy: The Legend of Mike Wiegele” starts at the beginning, with Wiegele skiing in Austria as a kid, chasing snow. Minute after minute, you watch him grow up, learn about his life, and explore dozens of gorgeous mountains vicariously.
Who is Wiegele? He’s essentially the father of modern helicopter skiing, but there’s more to the story. He’s a ski pioneer who ended up founding North America’s preeminent heliskiing operation. If you’re wondering what heliskiing was like in the ’60s and ’70s when Wiegele first dreamed it up, this film is a must-see.
The short combines old film footage with new — shots from a small ski hill in Lake Louise and big-mountain skiing in the Blue River Range. It tells the stories of the time before fat skis were invented.
It reflects on the time of neon jumpers and the old-school search for pow. And it’s every bit as fabulous as we anticipated.
