PREV
NEXTCountless ski movies have been shot with Bella Coola Heli Sports of western British Columbia thanks to a more stable snowpack that sets up on steep faces, allowing pros like Hugo Harrison to bag big lines that, in more unstable conditions, would scare most other heli-outfits into liability rants. And don’t be fooled into thinking you’ll be battling heavy wet snow. Bella Coola’s permit stretches across 2.6 million acres of the Coast Range, which sucks moisture from the snow as storms pass over the peaks. That means you can ski drier fluff on more mellow terrain in the east while waiting for the big stuff in the west to set up. And with just 35 guests heli-skiing this area each week, you’ll never hear guides saying you have to farm the slope and set your lines right next to theirs. The lines can run 6,000-vertical-feet and with 100 feet of annual snowfall, they can be skied well into April. Sign up for the new weeklong Big Mountain Challenge and fire up the Go Pro: After some warm up runs you’ll jump onto a "proper objective", which may include some ski mountaineering skills like rappelling into a couloir. (Seven-day packages start at $8,980; Bella Coola Helisports, 604-932-3000; www.bellacoolahelisports.com)
Skiing Bella Coola
Photo: Damian Cromwell/Bella Coola Heli Sports
