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Overview
A half million acres of brand new heli skiing terrain is now ready to explore, complete with thousands of potential first descents. Located between Whistler and Bella Coola, British Columbia, the heli skiing terrain has been a favorite of professional skiers such as Warren Miller Productions for more than a decade. Now for the first time, this big mountain experience is open to those looking for an authentic challenge.
This trip is the ultimate high-value heliskiing package: only 2 groups of four guests per helicopter, with one certified guide for each group. You are never skiing with more than seven other skiers utilizing a jet-powered A-Star helicopter. This experience has no waiting times, incredible flexibility, and offers those lucky 8 skiers the chance to access some of BC's best ski terrain as a close-knit team that will create unforgettable memories.
Weather
A lodge and heliport is on the Eastern (lee) side of the Coast Mountains, which means that the weather here is in the west-to-east transition from the wet Coast Mountains to the dry interior plateau. As storms from the Pacific dissipate, the dry areas of the plateau near the lodge are the first to clear. Consequently, while coastal areas are expereincing rain, our area may have blue skies. The guests usually lift off in clear weather and fly towards the mountains and clouds, rather than the opposite; this means plenty of snowfall, but better weather for flying.
The weather of the Pantheon / Niut / Waddington Ranges is considered Central Coast and Chilcotin Plateau. As moisture laden storm fronts roll in from the Pacific, they risie up the Mount Waddington divide precipitating a snowpack of averaging 6 metres. As the air mass descends eastwards over the heliskiing area, the snowfall is drier and colder.
Terrain
The heliskiing area is located one hour by air north of Vancouver, on the east (lee) side of the Coast mountains, roughly halfway between Whistler and Bella Coola. The nearest town is Tatla Lake, which is 3 hours west of Williams Lake by car, or 1 hour east of Anahim Lake.
The terrain is a half-million acres (695 square miles or 1,800 square kilometers) of 3,000 to 5,000 foot descents located in the confluence of three mountain ranges well known to climbers and professional skiers: the Waddington Range, Niut Range and Pantheon Range. The terrain is 40% strong intermediate, 40% advanced and 20% expert and adjacent to historic Mt. Waddinton, the tallest peak wholly in British Columbia. The ski terrain is the highest in elevation of any in the Coast Range, meaning that the snow tends to be lighter, drier, and less likely to be affected by winter rain.
Getting to our area is as easy and quick as getting to Whistler: guests board our private 18 passenger pressurized aircraft in Vancouver and make the one hour flight to a modern airport just one hour from the lodge by shuttle van.
Accommodation
You'll be staying at a historic working guest and cattle ranch in the heart of the Coast Range wilderness. Mountain climbers and movie stars have been returning here for more than 20 years to experience true adventure and warm, personalized Canadian hospitality. The ranch is made up of a large main lodge, ranch house and cozy guest cabins. These accomodations are a one minute walk from the hangar, which is ten minutes by air from some of Canada's greatest skiing.
Before and after the skiing, guests relax in the lodge, a hand-hewn log building with a giant rock fireplace and comfortable seating areas upstairs and a bar and pool table area downstairs. The functional accomodations are located at the Pantheon Village, just a one-minute walk from the hangar. Each has a full bathroom and great views of the surrounding Coast peaks. They are clean and warm but basic, with new furnishings including new mattresses and high thread-count cotton sheets and down comforters. The ranch has regular landline telephones and satellite internet. The lodge has a wireless router system if you feel the need to bring your laptop and talk to those at home or work.
The food is very fresh, with much of it coming right from the ranch. All the bread and pastries are baked fresh each day. Lunches are packed to order in the morning and eaten in the field. Our chefs accommodate all different kinds of diets.
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