BRADY prepares to board the A-Star for more POW!
Heli-skier founder BRADY and his brother Dave have skied at this operator, and all guests agree it's the best kept secret in British Columbia heliskiing! So...sshhhhhh...don't tell anyone. They book a year and a half in advance.
Bear Paw Heliskiing could easily be considered as the premier boutique operator in British Columbia. Established in the mid-2000’s by the duo Kevin Taylor and Amber Shipley, Bear Paw serves up a platinum level, "intimate" heliskiing experience where close camaraderie, endless terrain options and FIVE-STAR meals in the family dining room are at the top of the menu each day!
Kevin and Amber's exceptional recipe for their guest's heliskiing experience starts with limiting their guest capacity. They invite just eight guests per week. Certainly from a simple passenger load perspective, that would only require ONE aircraft. However, to attain maximum mobility within the tenure for their skiers & boarders, they fly TWO A-Stars each day. Obviously, the second aircraft amplifies safety as well.
Sometimes one bird is parked. But during the day of skiing, you rarely see the other group of four. It's uncommon to see their tracks, and with no waiting for pick-ups, this FEELS more like a "private" tour set-up.
The following is a full review of everything that we loved about our week with Kevin & Amber at their home in in Sinclair Mills, B.C.
It starts with a BIG welcome HUG from your hosts! 🙂
You have arrived at Bear Paw!
Compared to some B.C. operators, the trip to Bear Paw Heliskiing is short, because it's located in Sinclair Mills, a bit more than an hour drive from the Prince George Airport. This airport is just a quick hop North from Vancouver, making it a convenient flight in. This convenient access makes their packages ideal for someone who considers themselves independent and wants to take charge of their own transportation. If you find it more convenient, a shuttle is provided by Bear Paw.
They typically pick-up guests from the airport, who arrive on the early afternoon flight from Vancouver on Sunday. If you can get an early am flight into YVR in Vancouver, arriving at lunchtime, you can make it to Bear Paw from anywhere in North America in a single travel day.
In the small, rural town of Sinclair Mills, you won’t find many amenities at all. Traveling to Bear Paw is about immediately submerging yourself into the wilderness and sharing the experience with your friends and guides. Nestled near the banks of the Fraser River, you will find 150 acres of pristine property and a total of 21 buildings that is described as Bear Paw Lodge & Heliskiing.
You'll know you've arrived when you turn left off the "highway" (it's anything but), and you pass this sign!
Bear Paw owner Kevin Taylor & Guide Dr. Mike Smith get a bite.
Uniquely, Bear Paw gives you the opportunity to name runs! In their expansive 1.2 million + acre tenure spread across four mountain ranges, there are numerous runs that have never been skied. If you’ve got the eye, and the ability, Kevin Taylor would be happy to take you on a first descent and allow you to coin its name. Although this wasn't the case for us, I'm looking forward to it next time!
This operator has it all, but their tree runs are where they truly shine, and I LOVE tree skiing!
Here's a quick clip of five different runs...slaloming trees and CHARGING some pretty DEEP POW descents! NAW...I wasn't having much fun...just listen to the HOOTS!
If trees lines and deep pow doesn’t suit you (what are you crazy!?), there’s still a wide selection of alpine and glacier skiing available.
Bear Paw Heliskiing's Tenure includes the Dezaiko Range
We spent a whole day in the Dezaiko Range in the alpine. It was kind of like nature's humongous skate park, with some wild features!
Their tree line ends around 5,000 feet, but the aircraft can take you all the way to the top aft their tenure (around 10,000 ft.)
Bear Paw welcomes first time heliskiers, but they recommend that all guests have a good level of fitness and are comfortably able to ski any run at a major ski resort.
Speaking frankly, I would not choose Bear Paw as your first heli trip. It was my ninth trip, my brother's third trip, and the other guests had logged far more trips than I have. It's an an experienced Heli skier's destination for experts only.
Heliskiers lay down "lonely" tracks in the Dezaiko Range
They will certainly accommodate your desires for pace and terrain, but this operator is not necessarily for a first-timer.
Actually, the three other groups of guests that we skied with come visit Amber & Kevin several times a year...some since their inception. Amber calls them the 3 X / year club!
Other than eating, sleeping & spa therapy, this is Bear Paw Central!
Sometimes it's just the little things that sum up to make an overall BIG difference!
In the "heli-building" - the ski shop, boot room, retail store, gym and après ski lounge - Bear Paw Heli has it all!
Of course it offers your personal cubby storage for pack, beacon, radio, all gear, etc. Naturally there are bathrooms, soda, snacks, extra sunscreen and complimentary après ski BEER... 🙂
Dave Brady enjoys the rejuvenation effects of the Compression Boots!
But it also has THESE! A pair of Air Compression Boots that help your legs and calf muscles recover! You probably wouldn't see these at CMH!
I also like the dueling spas right next to each other - necessary if all guests want to hop in at the same time, but right next to our cabin...I almost didn't need the robe for the few steps back to my cabin.
And the proximity of the "heli-building" to your cabin...and to the heli-pad is ridiculously convenient - just steps! On the first day of getting your gear situated, it makes your last minute trips to your cabin a breeze!
Owner Kevin works very hard taking care of operational deatils
And then there's Kevin & Amber's dog - "BEAR" of course!
I can't applaud THE GUIDES enough! Of course that starts top down with the founder, Kevin Taylor. He leads each day. Dr. Mike Smith & Rich Haywood were fantastic. It didn't take long for Mike and Rich to start making suggestions to me, directing me to more creative & challenging lines which were slight deviations to our group's general lines down the hill. Our other three skiers, including my brother were relatively conservative skiers - good skiers, but I always search for the more interesting line or dance through the trees!
Heliskiing dog appropriately named Bear...posing!
These guys allowed me freedom, to do my thing, and I definitely thanked each of them for that generosity. Dr. Mike's response was, "Oh yeah...no problem - as long as you're not being dumb or dangerous, have fun!"
And they don't care whatsoever about "keeping your tracks tight," preserving fresh lines for the next group. There IS NO NEXT GROUP! They have a ridiculous amount of fantastic terrain for just eight skiers a week - 1.2M+ acres! On that topic, one time Rich looked back up the hill and laughed saying, "See your tacks all spread out there...at (Mike) Wiegele, they would have had a mental breakdown! We don't care...our tenure is huge!"
That collective guiding experience and vibe can make all the difference on a heli-trip - and IT DID!
BRADY sinks in deep at Bear Paw Heliskiing - Photo, courtesy of Owner Kevin Taylor
And although I've had guides take video and images of my runs at other operations, Bear Paw took it to another level for sure. They SET UP the photo opps many times...and did a hell of a job of it! If we can get 'em, we all want images of our ski trip for our memories and to show our friends. The Bear Paw guides, including Kevin, captured some of the best heliskiing imagery of me (video & stills) that I've ever had!
Thanks so much Kevin, Mike & Rich!
Bear Paw Heli-Skiers Peter & Dave hydrate in the A-Star
If the small group, "seemingly private," intimate - family owned, fairly remote & rural, expert only heliskiing experience is not what you had in mind, we suggest you continue to browse all that B.C. heli-skiing has to offer on our British Columbia Heliskiing Operator Directory.
We at Heli-Skier.com were very excited to go skiing with Bear Paw in Feb '24. To Amber & Kevin's credit & credibility, they cancelled the trip the day before our Feb. '24 departure, due to a massive warming trend in B.C. She offered a full refund of our payment or a re-booking. We chose to re-book for March 2025, and we were not disappointed!
Amber has been a wonderful owner / booking agent. Yeah, you get to book with the owner - uncommon in this world of corporations and tech.
The big attraction for us was the limited number of guests, the tree-skiing and their skier-to-helicopter ratio! (4:1) They typically fly two A-Stars and 8 skiers out to the tenure each morning. Then they shuttle the two groups with both A-Stars, but often park one bird. Again, without seeing the second group much during the day (except for lunch), the rhythm of the pick-ups and the skiing FELT more like a private tour!
We're really looking forward to seeing you again Kevin & Amber!
Hey! Keep this little gem a secret, OK? 🙂
