THE REGION
The Columbia and Cariboo Mountains of British Columbia form one of the most snow-blessed mountain ranges on Earth, receiving over 750 inches of light, dry powder each winter. This is the birthplace of heli-skiing itself. In 1965, Austrian mountaineer Hans Gmoser loaded a group of skiers into a helicopter and flew them into the Bugaboo Range, inventing an entirely new way to experience the mountains. Today, Canadian Mountain Holidays operates twelve lodges spread across more than three million acres of this pristine backcountry, making it the world's oldest and largest heli-ski operation.
The terrain is staggering in both scale and variety. The Bugaboos offer iconic granite spires rising above vast glacial bowls. The Monashees are a holy land of perfectly spaced old-growth trees blanketed in deep snow. The Cariboos stretch into Canada's high country with dramatic open alpine and long fall-line runs. The Adamants, Galena, Gothics, Bobbie Burns, and other tenures each have their own character, from steep couloirs and pillow lines to mellow powder meadows suited to intermediates. No two lodges ski the same terrain, and many guests spend years working through the different areas.
This is not a ski resort in any conventional sense. There are no chairlifts, no groomed runs, no ski town to wander through. CMH is a wilderness expedition wrapped in the comfort of a backcountry lodge. Guests fly by helicopter to untracked powder every morning, ski with certified mountain guides, and return each evening to gourmet meals, roaring fireplaces, and hot tubs with views of glaciers. It is a pure, uncompromised mountain experience that has defined the gold standard of heli-skiing for over half a century.