What REALLY is a Heli Skiing Company?

In the heart of international heli skiing - British Columbia, the terrain is granted by the Canadian Ministry of Forests and three other government agencies. it is described as "tenure." The initial grant is for five years. If the operator has performed in a satisfactory manner, then they are awarded a long-term lease (I believe it's 35 years.)

I'm told that there is no more available tenure for lease in B.C. It's a closed game - a limited resource. So in B.C. it's HIGHLY regulated.

In the U.S., it's very similar. The Forest Service is typically the body governing the use of the land. And in some mountain states such as Montana, it's a NO GO. The community and the environmentalists have put their foot down.

Outside of the U.S. and Canada, we have limited knowledge of terrain management, but without the snow, you can't go skiing!

Without a pilot, you're not getting airborne!

Heli skiing pilots often have military experience. But one thing is for sure..THEY ARE LEGIT!

They typically have several THOUSAND hours behind the stick before you meet them, so the are VERY experienced.

YET, they are not typically employed by the heli skiing operator. They are "hired guns," just like the helicopters. They are a necessity to the operation, but not part of the operation.

In some European operations you pay for the helicopter and the pilot separately. That demonstrates the independence of those two interconnected components of the whole operation.

for instance, when it comes to tipping (at Selkirk Tangiers), it is recommended that skiers tip the pilots independently of tipping your guide.

While standing around with Mike Royer, who is the heir apparent to his family's Ruby Mountain Heli-ski operation, we were waiting to approach our last descent. I asked him what it takes to get certified as a guide. It's a massive commitment of guide certification, rescue certification and first aid response training. It's serious stuff.

You want a guiding team that is not only very familiar with the terrain, but that is prepare to act in an adverse situation.

The American Mountain Guides Association is the entity that provides certification in the states. Outside of the U.S. it's the IFMGA. If your heli skiing operator does not employ guides that have these certifications, you should look elsewhere. These ARE the standards.

Don't ski without them.

There are three answers to this question, 'Where are you going to stay?"

# 1: "Oh! You're going to come stay with us!" and

# 2: "Well...You can stay with them...or maybe over there...or wherever..." AND

# 3: "What? Why do you ask?" (You'll be gone by the end of the day...)

If your operator has a destination lodge, it's safe to say that they are legitimate. BUT WAIT...there is a twist! Or two...

Heli Skiing Destination Lodges

There are a few locations on the planet where legitimate operators have not OWNED large lodges or ranches that they have leased. They do this to provide a destination experience, presumably within their tenure! I can think of one example where Northern Escape Heliskiing switched their destination ranch location. When we originally did our research it was a one ranch, then recently they switched that destination to the Skeena Spey Wilderness Lodge. I believe I saw the other lodge for sale. I'm assuming they don't own either. These are expensive assets, just like helicopters! For real estate, there exists significant carrying costs, like taxes, maintenance and insurance. So it make sense in the winter to lease a B.C. hunting or fishing lodge that is not utilized during the summer off-season.

The true oddballs...but potentially profitable...who knows...are the pieces of real estate that are OWNED for adventure use!

"Bighorn" in Revelstoke is a prime example. This extremely luxurious 15,000 sq. foot, 8 stateroom property with it's own heli-pad has been built, primarily for heli skiing visitors. It is said to be used for private groups skiing with CMH Revelstoke, Eagle Pass Heliski and Selkirk Tangiers clients.

Eleven Experience seems to be taking a similar approach to adventure accommodations. They offer at least five different skiing locations throughout the globe, including a property in Chile and another in Iceland.

Community Accommodations for Heli Skiers

Many heli skiing operators do offer multi-day packages, but do not have destination lodges. They just are not set up that way. You simply stay at a hotel. Or perhaps you stay at the resort hotel such as Hotel Alyeska in Alaska, where Chugach Powder Guides operates from. This setup is not that uncommon. Bottom line, you stay close at a recommended hotel. On a rare occasion like the Hilcrest Hotel in Revelstoke where Selkirk currently operates from until 24-25, the big corporation owns the whole thing!

Why Do WE Care Where You Stay?!!!

When booking a day of heli skiing or even a few runs, an operator is not concerned about your accommodations. Therefore, that piece is not included or part of their offer.

Legitimate heli skiing operators nearly always post package and pricing options. If they don't, they have put enough attention into developing their website where you're not concerned, and you simply inquire. It's pretty obvious.

That tends to be another "tell" on an operators site: Are they clearly trying to navigate you towards package options, so you can begin your decisioning process, If yes, then you've got a legit one! Package options almost always include:

• Larger Group
• Semi-Private, Smaller Group (in an A-Star helicopter)
• Private.

That's the typical setup...and where the money is made.