Back to overview

Matador Network: For the Truly Dedicated, Northern British Columbia Is the Best Place in the World To Heli-Ski

Northern BC is an enchanting place, remote and far-removed from anything that could be described as a big city. This is the land of the Kitselas and Kitsumkalum peoples; to the north, the Nisga’a and Kitseguecla Nations. The expansive, mountainous region — the Coast Range has 2,806 named peaks — has been inhabited for more than 10,000 years. Only recently has outdoor recreation become a major economic driver, and now, heli-ski operators are a major force during the region’s long winter season.

Here, the mountains rise like a fortress from the Pacific. Rocky, white-capped peaks stretch 2,000 feet above treeline, their contoured faces lined with cliffs, couloirs, and open bowls of snow. The jagged peaks, turtlenecked by dense evergreen forest, are defined by steep avalanche chutes that create ribbons of white through the trees. On skis or a snowboard, the terrain is fast. We made 16 laps in the helicopter and measured just slightly more than 28,000 feet of vertical descent on our first day.

With two lodges, two choppers, and snowcats to serve as a backup option when the weather moves in and the helicopters can’t fly, Northern Escape Heli-Skiing has established itself as one of the outfitters that, rather than targeting the poodle-at-the-lodge luxury crowd, caters to skiers and riders looking to hit it hard. And that’s what drew me. Though I traveled to Terrace solo, I knew that my fellow riders would be a group of people passionate about reaching the best skiing terrain available — and as much of it is possible. And that’s exactly what happened when I reached the Yellow Cedar Lodge.

“Our perk here is that we’re able to fly almost every day,” our guide, Troy Grant, told us as we strapped in atop “Durango Nell,” a low-angled run we lapped a few times on the first day. “In Alaska, tours get socked in for days at a time, but we usually don’t have that type of weather here.”

Instead, they have bluebird powder. It’s not uncommon, Grant said, for guests to wake up to three feet of snow. The “classic” package I had joined, which runs from about $3,000 to more than $10,000 depending on when you go and how long you stay, included unlimited vertical. Over four days we took only two snowcat runs below treeline during a brief period of thick morning mist. The rest of the time was spent exploring the vastness of Northern Escape Heli-Skiing’s dedicated terrain by helicopter, which stretches across more than 2,100 square miles of high-alpine peaks. It’s a space nearly the size of Delaware.

To read more and find out in-depth details of what you can expect at Northern Escape's unmatched Heli-Skiing operation, check out the full feature on Matador Network.