Helicopters and Hydro on the Sea to Sky Job

This is a helicopter view of the work site, several months after these photo were taken. Some pioneering road work done, and some of the trees removed. I think that the reason for calling the site "2 Pole " should be obvious now. ( upper right in the photo )

These are a set of photos that I just recovered from some old DVD discs.

This is a BC Hydro crew working to install new power poles and lines on the overland route section of the Sea to Sky highway project. They were likely taken sometime in 2007 or so.

I believe that the helicopter was a 205 belonging to Blackcomb Aviation, flown by Garret Mack ( I think I hope...correct me if that's wrong ) The location is the wild and nasty Cut 9, approximately 110 or 120 meters vertically above the Squamish highway. For anyone who knows the territory, this is the site of "2 Pole "...a landmark feature of Cut 9.

The blasting for the power-pole holes ( in solid rock ) was done by Glenn from Howe Sound Drilling and Blasting. All of Glenn's gear, the air compressor, drills and tools all had to be flown into the site. Glenn and his crew were also there to help install the poles when the got flown in.

It's hard to see the long-line below the 205, the pilot is delivering tools and heavy bags of back-fill gravel for the power-pole installation to the "2 pole" site on top of Cut 9

The white bag contains crushed rock for back-filling around the power-pole when it gets lowered into the hole. You can see the waiting crew ( red vest/white hard hat ) in close to the tree line

One of the poles getting swung into place

This is shot from the still undeveloped Cut 8, looking across to Cut 9...the pile of gravel is actually our "stemming" for the blasting operations...but is similar to the material used to back-fill the poles on a heli access site

Hard to see, but there is a crew waiting to receive the materials. This would be Glenn and his guys, with Hydro workers. The helicopter is forced by the location to come very close to the tree on every trip. Lots to look at and think about...while carefully lowering stuff into place

Picking up from the Hydro ground crew. This was in between Cut 6 and Cut 7.

Lifting a bag of gravel up and away

Looking north towards Cut 7

I wish I had better shots of this...or video. The 205 is flying backwards with the long-line attached to an new section of power-line. He is pulling the cable from a truck mounted reel, and lifting it up to a guy waiting on top of a power pole to place the cable into it's clamp on the cross bars. Amazing flying and team co-ordination. This was shot from the old Squamish highway at the south end of Cut 10 ( near the access road )

Close up of a delivery to the work site

The crew waiting for incoming materials.

Here's a video from the same job, different location. This video is on other blog posts, I added it here for the people who haven't seen it. It gives a great view of what it's like to work under a big helicopter