Love for nature and adventure is at the core of why a group of friends and outdoor enthusiasts decided to open Northern Escape Heli-Skiing 20 years ago. Preserving treasured pockets of nature while mitigating our environmental impact is among our top priorities.
Today, we are proud to announce that we have become one of the select few carbon-neutral certified heli-skiing operators in the world. We have partnered with Synergy Enterprises and Offsetters, Canada’s leading carbon-management agency, to help address the global issue of climate change. We took a deep, hard look at our operations to see how we can bring our environmental impact to a minimum and take action on climate change. Our long-term plan focuses on energy efficiency, with the help of renewable energy sources, and the reduction of carbon emissions through the limiting use of fossil fuels. We want to see this planet flourish and keep connecting our guests to pristine wilderness and deep powder skiing.
Offsetting our Carbon Footprint
We are proud to be contributing to the economic prosperity of Northern BC, as well as bringing our guests closer to the natural beauty of the region. We recognize that a major part of our operation directly depends on the burning of fossil fuels. Until there is an alternative, more environmentally friendly way to accommodate heli-skiing, it is our utmost priority to make sure that we are offsetting our carbon footprint.
We decided to partner up with Synergy and Offsetters to understand our contribution to greenhouse gas emissions and to reduce them as much as possible. At Northern Escape, we strive to offset this difference by contributing to a project that prevents the equivalent amount of emissions elsewhere. We are proud to say that we are supporting The Great Bear Forest Carbon Project. Financing the offsets not only helps to reduce harvest levels in the forest but also directly benefits the lives of First Nations’ communities living in the region.
Another project we support is the Lara Ceramic Fuel Switching Project based in Brazil. These offsets have collectively made it possible for the local ceramic plant to substitute the use of local firewood with biomass and to reduce their yearly operating emissions by approx. 10,000 tCO2e. Offsetters’ projects are verified and validated by third parties to ensure that the emission reductions are real, additional and permanent.
The next step is a company-wide reduction plan (certification requires both offsetting and year-over-year reductions). Working with Synergy, we are developing a comprehensive Reduction Plan. Each department is tasked with reviewing its operations and preparing potential ways to reduce our Carbon Footprint. Operationally, small items such as eliminating single use plastics, LED lighting and sourcing local foods can make a large difference. Future projects include a Solar Array to replace much of the requirement for our generators at the Mountain Lodge, as well as replacing our vehicles and over-snow machines with Electric models as they become available.
How to Offset Your Flights?
At Northern Escape, we have a passion for preserving the environment, and many of our guests do as well! It is hard to come to terms with enjoying the wonderful activities nature offers and the impact on nature we cause at the same time, but there’s a way to create balance! Northern Escape already has the immense advantage of being one of the easiest accessible heli-skiing operators in BC. Offsetters offers our guests the option of offsetting the carbon footprint from travel to and from your Northern Escape adventure. With their quick and airline efficient tool, you simply enter your flight information, make a payment, and Offsetters takes it from there!
Offset my Flights to Terrace
Heli-Skiing – Not as Bad as You Think
Yes, heli-skiing indisputably contributes to the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions, however not nearly as much as some other activities people practice regularly. Our Classic heli-ski package uses the same helicopter for three groups of six skiers (the industry standard is 3 groups per machine), which means that 18 skiers in total typically all share the same machine. Thanks to our skilled pilots and the power of the Koala helicopters, the group of 18 skiers can ski fresh powder non-stop, all day, with the total engine running time of only 3 hours. Our Elite package, which accommodates only two groups of five skiers, also requires the engine to run only for a small fraction of the day.
For Comparison:
Northern Escape Heli-Skiing 0.62 tCO2e/ skier day
One-way Flight, New York – LA (economy) 0.64 tCO2e/ passenger
One-way Flight, New York – LA (business) 1.87 tCO2e/ passenger
Wildlife Mitigation
Helicopters can have an impact on the local wildlife as well. Mountain goats are especially vulnerable to helicopters flying too close to their winter range. In cooperation with the BC Ministry of Environment, we have developed a comprehensive Wildlife Mitigation Strategy to protect the wildlife values living within our licensed ski area.
Our Guides and Pilots receive specific training with year recurrent training to meet the requirements of our Wildlife Mitigation Strategy. Our flight paths are recorded and reviewed daily to ensure we are meeting the industry guidelines. All flight data is reviewed annually to ensure compliance, and it is submitted to the Ministry of Environment for verification.
We take great pride care to ensure that we do not harm the wildlife of the mountains we enjoy and ski!
