Imagine it.
Turn after turn of snow so deep it flows over your head in cold smoke clouds. Weaving through old-growth forests. A wide-open glory line down a glacier. The quiet awe of an entire mountain range rising across the horizon from where you stand atop your next run, taking it in before you drop. Imagine, your body blissfully tired from skiing thousands of vertical feet, relaxing in front of a crackling fire to watch the sun set into alpine glow on the peaks outside the warm lodge window, reveling in the fact that you have nothing to do tomorrow except experience it all again.
What if this winter, you didn’t have to imagine it?
With the unprecedented circumstance of Canada’s closed borders this season comes an extraordinary opportunity: a once-in-a-lifetime chance for British Columbians to ski these famed ranges with legendary operations, close to home in your own backyard. And all of our operators, who’ve put in place the highest of health and safety standards, are offering exceptional discounts to welcome Canadians with open arms.
Since a pioneering group of mountain guides trail blazed the idea of accessing the far reaches of untouched mountain ranges using flight and snowcats over half a century ago, British Columbia has been known as the storied mecca of heli- and cat-skiing. In normal winters, travelers come from all over the world to experience these pinnacles of ski adventure, booking the lodges and operations solid—sometimes for years at a time. In fact, it’s often impossible to secure mid-winter dates at many of these operations.
But this is not a normal winter. This winter is for Canadians. And it comes at a much-needed time. After weathering months of social isolation and starving for shared experiences, a heli- or cat-ski trip represents the opportunity to re-connect with your inner circle over the important things: finding the joy in the present moment, with each other, that skiing unfailingly provides.
In fact, that’s exactly what a heli-ski or cat-ski experience will look like this winter. It will be just you and your own group, with your guide, in the helicopter or snowcat. Only your group skiing together. Your group together in your own bubble at après and dinner, if you’re staying in a lodge.
So yes, the experience might look a little different this winter. (Including more affordable—many operations are offering unprecedented discounts to Canadians this winter.) But skiing, at its core, remains unchanged: the exhilaration of powder turns, the calming feel of snow quietly falling and adventure enjoyed with your chosen bubble of important people under a crisp winter sky.
If a heli- or cat-ski trip has been on your bucket list, this is your year to do it. If you’ve always wanted to bring your family for a special experience beyond the ski resort slopes into the sublime wonder of the backcountry. If you’ve been aiming to get your closest shredder friends together to ski some dream lines. If you’ve wanted to put together a women’s-only trip, or book out an entire lodge just for your bubble. From day trips to multi-day stays at lodges, you can find these all on offer from B.C. heli- and cat-ski operators close to home—at remarkable deals.
This is your winter. Come ski the world-renowned snow in your own backyard.
