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Skiers take to the slopes in British Columbia. Local dentist Ted Ritota has partnered with a heli-sking company that flies people by helicopter to ski sites. Photos courtesy of Ted Ritota

By Dianna Smith

Everyone has heard of skiing — and the glamorous resorts that folks flock to each winter for fun — but what about heli-skiing?
This sport is for the more adventurous type. The one willing to brave mountains to ski on picture-perfect, virgin snow. To get there you need a helicopter, not a ski lift, and you have to have the passion and the skills for skiing that Ted Ritota does.
Ritota, a local dentist, has spent the past few years organizing heli-skiing trips, but even he has a hard time describing the adrenaline rush captured while gliding down a pristine mountain in the middle of nowhere.
“I can’t tell you why I haven’t gotten enough of it yet,” Ritota said. “With all that I’ve done, I still get excited about it. It’s an incredible sensation.”
Ritota met the general manager of Canadian Mountain Holidays, a heli-skiing company in western Canada, many years ago and soon after he joined a medical group that held annual heli-skiing trips with CMH in British Columbia.
The medical group disbanded not long after and in the early 1990s, Ritota re-created it and became a recruiter for CMH.
He credits his brother, John, with being able to start this side business because John is his partner in their dental practice , Ritota and Ritota on Federal Highway in Delray Beach. John runs the office while his brother is away.
Whoever goes on this brave journey is promised a memorable experience.
Once in Canada, skiers are flown by helicopter to a remote lodge, where they stay for seven days. They start their mornings with a stretch class and breakfast and then head to the helicopters with guides, who take them to various mountaintops where runs are anywhere from 500 to 1,500 meters.
Ski locations in British Columbia, Canada, the most popular place for heli-skiing, include the Bugaboos, Monashees and the Cariboo mountains.
Lunch is flown to the group wherever they are and after a long afternoon, they’re taken back to the lodge for a gourmet dinner and the evenings are booked for short medical seminars. The trip is a combination of work and play and Ritota compares the lodge and its services to a Ritz-Carlton in the middle of nowhere.
But, like the Ritz-Carlton, this trip isn’t cheap, nor is it guaranteed to be a safe sport.
It can cost anywhere from $8,000 to $10,000 for a week-long trip, but Ritota adds that heli-skiing alone runs about $1,000 a day.
Forbes.com declared heli-skiing one of the world’s most dangerous sports because of possible avalanches and helicopter rides over rugged terrain.
But Ritota credits CMH for always being cautious and for having wonderful guides.
Though most of the members of Ritota’s group are in the medical profession, you don’t have to be in the medical field to take part in the trip.
Skiers must be advanced and they have to sign up for one of Ritota’s trips at least a year in advance. His next trip is scheduled for December and he’s already submitted a list of skiers for his 2012 trips.
Those who sign up are mostly doctors from all around the world, but some are local, including Dr. Ray Doremus, another dentist in Delray Beach.
When he first tried heli-skiing 12 years ago, Doremus was apprehensive because he had no idea what to expect. But he quickly became addicted and he’s continued to love it ever since.
“You’re skiing fresh powder and you’re in wilderness conditions and there’s no one anywhere,” Doremus said. “The first run you take, you pretty much know you’re going to be back.”                              Ú

Interested in heli-skiing? Contact Ted Ritota by calling 737-0470 or e-mail him at  ted@heliskier.com. Go to www.canadianmountainholidays.com for more information on CMH.