Nearest city Golden | Base elevation 2,736ft / 834m | |
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Location British Columbia, Canada Vertical Average of 141,000ft / 43,000m in a 6 day trip (guarantee of 100,000ft / 30,500m) Top elevation 9,744ft / 2,970m (Highest drop-off) Skiable area Vast tenure in both the Selkirk and Purcell Mountains and larger than the Portes Du Soleil ski region | ||
Great Canadian Heli-Skiing is a heliskiing operator that provides strong intermediate and advanced skiers and snowboarders access to the British Columbia backcountry. The operation is known throughout the industry as being the first operator to offer small groups and Unlimited Vertical on all trips. The company is currently the only Canadian operation that allows clients to start their trip on any day of the week for any duration. Great Canadian Heli-Skiing has access to a vast area of terrain in both the Selkirk Mountains and Purcell Mountains not far from the Canadian Rocky Mountains. The region is known throughout the world for its consistent dry and copious amounts of powder snow. The company operates in winter from Heather Mountain Lodge, located between the mountain towns of Golden and Revelstoke.
History
Great Canadian Heli-Skiing first started operation in 1986 by former owner Wayne Bingham. Bingham, previously employed at a large heli-skiing operation, was convinced that starting a heli-skiing operation that skied only in small groups instead of the large groups that was the industry norm, would instantly move the entire industry to a new level and be very popular with heliski clients. Great Canadian Heli-Skiing became the first operation to adopt the small group format on all tours. This move revolutionized the industry, leading to a demand for small group heli-skiing. Every new heliski company in Canada has used the small group format exclusively since that time.
The company once again become an industry leader in 2006, when it was the first to include "Unlimited Vertical" on all tours. Most heli-skiing operations guarantee a set amount of vertical skied. If this amount is met, many heliskiing operations will charge for extra vertical skied. Those companies that do not charge for extra vertical refer to this as "Unlimited Vertical".
The creation of the format of heli-skiing in small groups, Unlimited Vertical and with companies that are usually family or non-corporate owned, lead to the term "Boutique Heli-Skiing". This term was first coined in 2003 in the Denver Post by Greg Porter, current owner of Great Canadian Heli-Skiing.