Bighorn: 1 of the 9 best things this ski season

Amuse – the premium travel and experiences destination publication for the global explorer boasts inspiring the adventurous mind with the world less travelled.

Last season, they included Bighorn in their list of the 9 best things of the 2017/18 ski season:

“British brothers, Michael and Chris Kirkland, created a whirlwind when they built Bighorn Lodge in British Columbia.  Revelstoke already boasted the longest vertical drip of any lift-served resort in North America, as well as globally envied snow-cat and heli-skiing operations. What it missed was a palatial chalet, with it’s own helipad, so guests could be whisked direct from breakfast to bountiful powder.  As well as that, Bighorn Lodge has an indoor pool, outdoor hot tub, sauna, steam room, massage, cinema suite and first-rate chef.”

Well, what more can we say… here’s hoping that this coming season is as epic as 2017/18!

Snow Magazine votes Revelstoke in Top 10 Ski Resorts in the World

Revelstoke has once again been voted Top of the Top 10 Ski Resorts in the World by Snow Magazine.  Hotly contested by some readers that it is above Whistler in the ratings, but Snow Magazine stand by their choice – “we still love Reve, as it has the lot: steeps, trees, perfectly maintained pistes – all covered in tons of the legendary Powder Highway snow”.

Listed amongst other fabulous resorts such as St Anton, Telluride and Niseko, which all have their plus points, we of course, agree that Revelstoke has it all and here are some of the reasons why:

  • Powder – and not just any powder, the best champagne powder you can find anywhere in the World.
  • Bighorn – of course!    The award winning best ski chalet in Canada with it’s own private helipad.  What’s not to like?  Fly in and out of Bighorn in style.
  • Countless ski options:
    • Heliskiing:  Take advantage of your own private Helipad at Bighorn to discover the heliski mecca of the Monashees and Selkirk mountains.
    • Revelstoke Mountain Resort: With the highest Vertical Descent in North America and a plethora of offpiste skiing in diverse terrain, you won’t find it hard to get those fresh tracks.
    • CAT skiing:  Discover further exceptional  ski adventures in fresh powder backcountry.

Safe to say – we love Reve too!

Taking a GoPro Heliskiing? Our Tips for doing it like a Pro.

Skiing the Pow
Catching that shot

These days, on mountains all over the world, you can’t help noticing how many skiers and boarders have a GoPro attached to some part of their body.  We’ve become obsessed with digitally recording ourselves … and there’s nothing wrong with that as far as we’re concerned at Bighorn.  The breath taking vistas and snow conditions here at Revelstoke lend themselves perfectly to shooting incredible footage of your ski adventures.  So move over Warren Miller, here’s a few tips to ensure you actually record the memorable images you want (rather than a long bumpy video of your ski pants)!

  1. Where to mount the camera?

Helmet mounts:  a unique viewpoint from your own perspective – but make sure you mount it near the front (not on top).  Before you put it on your head, angle it down slightly.

Chest mounts:  work equally well for skiers, not so much for boarders as they are often standing sideways on, unless of course you just want to shoot your friends skiing.

Boot, board or ski mount:  provides a unique angle to show the view of the ski or board as it moves or you can invert it to show the skier.  The only issue is the adhesive doesn’t tend to last long in very snowy conditions and damage is more likely with it being so close to the ground.

Ideally to get the best varied footage, use a combination of the above.

  1. Filming your ski buddies? With the GoPro’s wide field of view, it’s best to get as close as possible to the action, ideally no more than a couple of metres away and aim the camera at the middle of the person, keeping their head to toe in shot.
  2. Which resolution? (i.e. the number of pixels). Whilst it’s tempting to go for the highest res, unless you really are planning on being the next Warren Miller, 720 is actually good enough for most computers and will save you memory space whilst making editing much easier.
  3. Anti-Fog Inserts. The conditions can be cold and humid on the BC terrain leading to a fogged lens.  GoPro has the answer with anti-fog inserts that protect your lens from fogging up.
  4. Battery Packs. Even if you fully charge your battery before you spend the day heliskiing, your charge may not last the entire day, so bring a spare battery pack or two.
  5. Get the GoPro App. It makes it really easy to control the settings and preview your amazing powpow shots from your phone.
  6. Do a test run with your trusty GoPro to check you’ve got it set up properly before your head off on one of the best powder descents you’ve ever done (speaking from experience!)
  7. Finally…sit back and relax at the end of the day with a well deserved drink in hand to watch your amazing powder adventures in HD in the Bighorn cinema.

…and cut! That’s a wrap, folks!

Which is the best month to ski in Revelstoke BC Canada?

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We often get asked which is the best month for snow and skiing in Revelstoke. Our answer is that it depends – not only on Mother Nature, but also on what kind of skiing you like. So whether you want steep and deep in the trees or cruisey pow in the high alpine glaciers, check out our guide below:

December: Its dumping. We get heaps of snow, but visibility up top can be a challenge. So if you want to fly through the trees getting face shots, a pre-Christmas break is for you.

January: On average the snowiest month of the year. A safe bet for deep powder, a good snow base and awesome conditions.

February: Typically our busiest month – a good balance of snow and sun as conditions move towards spring skiing.

March: Longer days, stability and clear skies with heliskiers getting access to the high alpine powder bowls and glaciers.

April: Excellent conditions at high altitude, sunshine and spectacular views.

* Please bear in mind these are generalisations and conditions can vary.

 

Best snow conditions in 10 years in Revelstoke BC Canada

The best ski resort in the world

Revelstoke has had an amazing start to the season with huge snowfall and continuously cool temperatures.

Huge early season snow (more than 5 metres) and steadily cold temperatures mean Revelstoke is having the best start to the winter season for years. The snow pack is stable, meaning heliskiers are tearing down epic runs that have not been accessible for a long time. Meanwhile,

Revelstoke Mountain Resort has had 15cm of powder snow this week, keeping conditions fresh on the hill. The experts are calling it the “perfect” winter so far. With temperatures forecast to stay cold and clear skies next week, heliskiers will be hitting the high alpine and skiing the very best the Selkirk and Monashee Mountains have to offer.

Check out all the powder on our helipad this week in this clip! There has never been a better time to come to Bighorn.

Bighorn Voted World’s Best Ski Chalet for Third Year Running

Bighorn: World's Best Ski Chalet

Bighorn was named World’s Best Ski Chalet at the “Ski Oscars” last weekend in Austria. The World Ski Awards celebrate excellence in ski tourism, with the most outstanding in their field honoured with an award. Bighorn was named not only Canada’s Best Ski Chalet, but took the World award ahead of competition from luxury chalets in Lech, Zermatt and Deer Valley. Owner Michael Kirkland describes what sets Bighorn apart: “Bighorn is unique in offering an exciting mix of luxury and adventure. Heliskiing from the house helipad and world class lift skiing at Revelstoke Mountain Resort are complimented by a stunning mountain home with incredible facilities and five star service. It is an incredible honour to receive this award for the third time and it is testament to the hard work and dedication of our wonderful team that we can remain at the top of our game”.

The World Ski Awards are voted for by ski industry professionals and members of the public and over 1.4 million votes were cast this year. Other winners included Leo Trippi for World’s Best Ski Travel Agent and Kitzbuhel for World’s Best Ski Resort

Ski Trip of a Lifetime

132-cover-lowres-smallTop ski journalist Gaby Le Breton tells Fall-Line Magazine why Bighorn is her all-time favourite ski trip…

“I’m lucky enough to experience ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ ski trips more than once a season. That said, my all-time favourite trip was to Bighorn in Revelstoke, BC. This place truly has it all: heliskiing from the back garden, big mountain skiing in Revelstoke Mountain Resort and all the trappings of the ultimate party chalet from a private cinema and 16-person hot tub to a pool room and teppanyaki kitchen”.

Read the full article here.

Gaby Le Breton writes for the Financial Times, Conde Nast Traveller and Tatler amonst others.

Hot off the press

Best In Travel Magazine

Following on from Bighorn being named ‘World’s Best Ski Chalet’ at the World Ski Awards recently, Best In Travel magazine has released special ski edition profiling all the winners. Winning for the second year running, the magazine describes how Bighorn has “re-written the definition of luxury”. The only super-luxury chalet to offer world-famous heliskiing direct from its helipad, Bighorn offers adventure and decadence in equal measure.

To read more and see all the winners click here

Exciting New Menus for this Winter

Gourmet Cuisine

Our Executive Chef Peter Hughes has been busy sourcing some wonderful ingredients and designing new menus for this winter at Bighorn. With an emphasis on local provenance, Peter has even foraged chanterelle mushrooms from the grounds! He will also be using BC seafood (including smoked sablefish, Qualicum Bay scallops and Pacific halibut), Okanagan cherries, Boulder Mountain huckleberries and organic Penticton chicken.

Our menus are designed to delight the tastebuds but also fuel a day’s epic heliskiing in epic mountains around Revelstoke. Peter works hard to create healthy, balanced meals with a touch of luxury and maximum taste. After all, every night is a celebration when you have been skiing perfect powder all day long!

Check out a sample dinner menu:

Starter

Smoked sablefish Cullen Skink with leeks and parmesan

Main course

Roast ‘Tomahawk’ rib of beef steak served table side with 10 hour smoked beef brisket and shin of beef cottage pie

Dessert

Naramata peach Melba with berries and raspberry sable biscuits

 

Private or group heli skiing?

Heli landing

In Revelstoke, both private and shared group heliskiing is available. Here we explain the difference between the two, along with some pro’s and con’s.

Private heliskiing means chartering your own helicopter for the day or week, for exclusive use by your group. You’ll have your own guide(s) and they will tailor the experience to your group’s needs. So whether you want to ski hard and fast all day long, or take a more leisurely pace to enjoy the scenery, your wish is their command. Guests staying at Bighorn normally go for this option, as they can fly straight from the house helipad and do all their safety training from the comfort of the lodge.

Pros:

1) No waiting for other people

2) Dedicated service – the heli will be at your beck and call all day

3) Bespoke experience – fly when you want, ski where you want and at your pace

4) Ultimate ease – fly direct from the lodge, no transfers to staging posts

Cons:

1) Price

2) Prohibitive for individuals or groups smaller than 4 people

 

Group heliskiing means buying a seat on a helicopter for a day, or multi day program. You’ll share the heli with other people, but guides will try and match guests with similar abilities and speed. The helicopter will normally fly 3 or 4 groups each day, so there is some flying back and forth as the pilot shuttles groups out to the heliski terrain and from run to run. This may mean you are driven out to a staging post to reduce flight time.

Pro’s:

1) Cost-effective

2) Sociable

3) Sustainable pace – groups tend to ski a little slower which is a blessing if you are helsikking for several days and are less than Olympic fit!

4) A great way to try heliskiing and get a feel for the incredible snow and terrain around Revelstoke

Cons:

1) There will be some waiting around for other groups, other members of your group and at the start of the day while all the groups are taken out to the tenure.

2) You will be required to meet at a set time and ski for a certain duration (though you can sit out a run in the heli if you are tired).

3) The helicopter will fly from a central meeting point which may require a vehicle transfer from your accommodation.

4) The pace will be dictated by the slowest member of your group.