A Pocatello backcountry tour company is offering extraordinary heli-skiing excursions in Alaska and unforgettable adventures across the globe.

Whether you are braving the colossal peaks of the Matterhorn in the Alps, circumnavigating the Antarctic expedition of Sir Ernest Shackleton or climbing the Inca Trail in Peru, Pulseline Adventure offers intrepid journeys to the most breathtaking vistas and remote getaways across the world.

Gabe Monroe, who is the owner of Pulseline Adventure and a Pocatello native, has been involved in guiding and fearless adventuring for nearly half his life and is showing no indication of stopping.

“I’ve been helicopter ski guide in Alaska for 20-plus years,” Monroe said. “About six or seven years ago, a permit came up for grabs, so me and a couple of my guide staff had decided that we wanted to go ahead and apply for that permit. We got the permit, and we decided to turn it into a real brick-and-mortar branded operation worldwide. We own one of the most coveted heli-ski permits in the world for some of the most competitive and amazing terrain in the world.”

The permits Pulseline owns are extremely sought-after, with the Chugach National Forest permit they obtained considered the Holy Grail of heli-skiing. These permits also allow the organization to get access to very exclusive areas.

“We have a state land permit, we have a (Bureau of Land Management) permit, and then we also have the Forest Service permit,” Monroe said. “All of these permits are difficult to get — the application process is getting more and more stringent — but the Forest Service permit, especially, is very exclusive. There are only three operators out of the 10 or 20 that apply that they even give it to; they don't they won't give it to anybody else. It's a 15-year non-competitive permit that allows access to the Cordova Ranger District Forest Service lands, which is arguably some of the best heli-skiing terrain in the world.”

Wild drop-in helicopter skiing isn’t the only tour Pulseline Adventure can provide, with a wide variety of specialized guided trips offered for anyone seeking thrills and exotic spectacles.

“We offer some of the world's best skiing adventures,” Monroe said. “We also offer some of the world's best surfing and yoga retreats in tropical areas. We offer some really amazing adventure opportunities for individuals for corporate retreats. (We offer opportunities to) families such as trekking in Europe, walking from France into Italy and then into Switzerland or hiking the Inca Trail in Peru and finishing at Machu Picchu.”

Monroe continued, “We do mountaineering trips, taking groups on Mont Blanc. (We offer) fly-in remote lodges where people can just completely unplug. There’s no electricity after 10 p.m. The generators shut down and you're off the grid. That's been really special for people, especially for corporate retreats and families where there are busy businessmen who want to get away from the rat race. We have a lot of different offerings and a lot of professionals that are part of the organization now that help us accomplish that.”

Having guided for over 20 years, the doors of opportunity have been wide open for Monroe, using his connections to bring new, interested guests on his amazing trips.

"We're running trips to Antarctica, for example, and the owner of that company, he's bringing guests to our operation in Valdez now,” Monroe said. “We have groups out of Sweden, France, South America and Canada that are bringing their guests to our operation and different trips that we offer, so it's really opened a ton of doors. It's quite a quite an awesome honor to have the opportunity to share this land and this experience with people.”

Part of Monroe's inspiration is to find what gets his customers' blood flowing, finding that life-changing experience that can forever shape an individual.

“We call ourselves Pulseline Adventure,” Monroe said. “We just want to explore the world and help people find their pulse. What makes your heart beat? In a lot of ways, we don't call ourselves a ski company. We kind of call ourselves a life company.”

Pulseline Adventure employs a large scope of experts within their fields including marine biologists and historians who not only help guide the encounters but inform the customers about the rich and extraordinary feats of the fearless explorers that came before them. Cultivating the highest quality possible, Pulseline ensures a stringent hiring process that evaluates the guides' work experience, history and technical skills.

On trips like Pulseline's Antarctic excursion, pilgrims sail from Patagonia on the southern tip of South America engaging in kayaking, fly fishing, hiking and skiing before getting onto a boat and crossing the Drake Passage en route to Antarctica.

“You're sleeping in this amazing four- or five-star floating hotel and every morning you wake up, you're in a new location,” Monroe said. “You look out the window and it's a completely new landscape in every direction, because as you're sleeping, the captain is moving very slowly to a new bay. That's one of the most special trips.”

Depending on what each customer desires for their cruise, the price has a lot of variation. Individual costs range from $350 a day to close to $15,000 for thrill seekers searching out exotic expanses.

“It just depends on what we're doing,” Monroe said. “Helicopter skiing is expensive. It's aviation, insurance and jet fuel. Those trips are rather expensive, but we have a number of price point options for customers. A three-day trip for four grand or you could do a seven-day trip for 10 grand. That lodging is all inclusive, so food, lodging, guiding, heli-skiing and all of that (are included).”

Monroe continued, “We have these custom packages where we can get technical, or we can keep it really family friendly. An elderly couple might not want to climb the Matterhorn, but they definitely want to go hiking in Europe or in South America. We offer a ski trip in Gulmarg, India, which has amazing culture and really neat skiing along with great food. We really want to ask, what makes your heart beat? What's your next adventure? We’re taking people into places and situations that they wouldn't otherwise be in. You learn a lot about yourself and learn a lot about the people you're with and connections and relationships are deepened at a rate that's impossible to mimic anywhere else.”

For Monroe, the inspiration for starting and maintaining these adrenaline-fueled escapades comes from his love of the outdoors and the rejuvenation he and his others guides feel taking these trips with other passionate explorers.

“I'm passionate about being outdoors and being in the mountains and exploring areas off the beaten path," he said. "There’s nothing wrong with staying in town and skiing at the resort, but I have found personally for myself that the most rewarding days that I've had in my life have been days that I've been away from the city and away from the crowds.”

Monroe continued, “I can hear myself breathing. A lot of us (at Pulseline) feel the same way. We’re invigorated by the outdoors — we're invigorated by these adventures. We're passionate about it. We want to share those passions with others because we believe they need it, whether they know it or not. Not many people who experience the outdoors regret it. We hear that all the time: ‘It's the best day of my life.' I hear that five times a month. It literally is life changing for these people to have these experiences.”

For more information on Pulseline Adventure, visit pulselineadventure.com.