heliski destination Archives

The 10 best ski resorts in Canada

The 10 Greatest Ski Resorts in Canada

Renowned Ski Journalist Peter Hardy reveals his top 10. Here’s what he says about:

Revelstoke, BC

Best for powder

Until 2008, Revelstoke attracted only a contrasting clientele of wealthy international heli-skiers and a scattering of locals, who frequented slopes served by one short lift. But then a world-class gondola and two fast chairlifts transformed it into a 1,214 hectares (3,000 acre) resort with the biggest vertical in North America (1,713m).

Revelstoke attracts huge amounts of powder snow – around 12m a year on average – and much of the terrain is steep and ungroomed. There are wonderful glades of trees and a big open bowl accessed through a cliff band – it’s essential to know the best ways in. The ski school offers half- and full-day private guiding – a must for any keen skier or snowboarder. The Steller quad chairlift accesses some beginner and intermediate terrain, giving the resort a family appeal that it previously lacked before.

The resort also has its own snowcat and heliskiing operations for accessing untracked snow. For committed powder hounds, the great beauty of Revelstoke is that there’s no need to book a full heli package and risk expensive ‘down days’ when weather conditions prevent helicopters flying. Instead, the decision on whether to heliski, snowcat ski or simply ride the gondola to explore the ample terrain can be made each morning after looking out of the window.

A new slopeside 154-room hotel is currently nearing completion, across from the existing Sutton Place Hotel. It has three helipads outside the door and will become the new home of resort-owned Selkirk Tangiers Heli Skiing.

There’s also a choice of hotels including the new Basecamp Suites in the heart of unpretentious Revelstoke town, a five-minute drive away, served by a daytime bus service and with a fair choice of restaurants and bars.

Where to stay

British-owned Chalet Bighorn at the resort village has eight extremely large bedroom suites and consistently wins awards as the top luxury chalet in North America – the quality of service and cuisine is extraordinary. There is a spa with pool, gym, sauna and massage rooms, cinema, outdoor hot tub and private helipad. From C$90,000 (£49,700), booked direct. A less exotic alternative is to stay in the historic old town at the Basecamp Suites, from C$326 (£119) per night in a one-bedroom suite, booked direct. Both exclude travel.

Read the full article here

The 10 Ultimate Heliski trips from Japan to Patagonia

Go Big(horn) or go home

Gabriella Le Breton explains why Bighorn is in the top 10:

“The pioneer of fully serviced chalets in North America, Bighorn is set in the Revelstoke Mountain Resort, which combines big mountain resort skiing with heli-skiing and cat-skiing. The sumptuous eight-bedroom lodge has a helipad in its garden, placing the sprawling tenures of three leading heli-ski operators almost literally on the doorstep. Guests choosing to pass on the heli-skiing can explore the expansive pistes and back-country terrain of the resort of “Revy”, which claims North America’s greatest vertical drop (5,620ft), go cross-country skiing or watch the world’s best riders compete in big mountain competitions like the Yeti Natural Selection Tour, in which snowboarders compete on heli-ski terrain, as well as in the main resort.”

For the full article: click here

World’s 12 best places for heli-skiing

Revelstoke Mountain features in CNN’s list of the World’s top 12 heliski destinations.

Why Revy? Because it is “The epicenter of BC backcountry”.

“What happens when moist Pacific air meets cold, dry air from the Rockies? “Revy” cops the mother lode, that’s what — 40 to 60 feet a year of powder so light and fluffy it could be used to stuff a comforter.

If that isn’t enough, there’s Bighorn Lodge. This ultra-luxe alpine-style chalet for 16 overlooking the Columbia River at the foot of Revelstoke Mountain Resort has its own helipad out front.

Guests can choose from one of three heli operators — Canadian Mountain Holidays, Selkirk-Tangiers, Eagle Pass — and soar up to the Selkirk and Monashee mountain ranges.

They’ll need pockets as deep as the snow, but floating down open bowls gulping in white champagne, or whooping and hollering through old growth forests with just three pals and a guide is priceless.

Almost.”

To read the full article, please click here.

Taking the Piste: The Best Alpine Escapes

Bighorn features in The Rake’s pick of The Best Alpine Escapes:

AOBH O’BRIEN-MOODY reports: “With ski season in full force, we present you with some of the best snowy weather retreats, guaranteed to take luxury to the next level”.

“There’s no questioning why Bighorn in Revelstoke, British Columbia is consistently lauded as the world’s best ski chalet. Designed to house a maximum of 16 guests, it represents the pinnacle of luxury, with eight ensuite bedrooms, a spa and indoor pool, two massage rooms, a games room, an outdoor hot tub and a state-of-the-art cinema. Perhaps the primary drawcard to Bighorn, however, is the heliskiing: fitted with its own private helipad, it brings the exhilarating sport to your doorstep. Experience miles of pristine powder free of other skiiers and lift lines before your pilot delivers you back in time for cocktail hour”.

To read the article in full, please click here.

Forbes – 3 Dream Villas for a 2019 getaway

Forbes has listed Bighorn as one of three dream villas for a 2019 getaway, particularly in January.

We believe January is a great time of year to get away from it all for a few days, after the busy holiday season. With shorter stay options available at Bighorn, there’s no reason not to start the new year as you mean to go on.

Forbes describes “Heli-skiing in British Columbia is the apex of sport and there’s no better place to base yourself for January powder than Bighorn”….. “A helicopter like an A 6 can deliver you to virgin snows free of other skiers, lift lines, rules, regulations, and subdivisions of trophy homes. You ski 1,500 or 2,000 vertical feet and the chopper is waiting for you at the bottom of the run. Repeat eight or nine times in a day. On a given day, a pilot can choose between hundreds of potential landing places, over an area of several hundred square miles. In terms of snow, nothing but nothing beats BC powder”.

To read the full article, click here

Elite Traveler Magazine

Bighorn has been featured as one of World’s most breathtaking ski suites in the Elite Traveler magazine. This luxury magazine is a global luxury lifestyle guide to the best hotels, restaurants, travel, fashion, watches, jewellery, jets, yachts and motoring in the World. Since its launch in 2001, Elite Traveler has been a market-leading guide and curator of the global luxury lifestyle of ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) individuals. delivering expert perspectives, meaningful analysis and advice.

“As Canada is the birthplace of heli-skiing, you’ll need a lodge with its own helipad to explore all that gloriously fluffy powder. Bighorn has just that, in its backyard no less, as well as snowcat, backcountry and lift skiing. It’s been named as the best chalet in the world four times by the World Ski Awards, and it’s easy to see why. Located near the base of Revelstoke Mountain Resort, its views of the Monashee Mountains and mighty Columbia River are epic, and each of the eight bedrooms has a balcony for you to enjoy the scenery across the valley…”

To read the full article, click here.

The Matador Network features Revelstoke as one of the 12 best places to ski in Canada

The Matador Network, a travel industry collective of travel writers, editors, photographers and filmmakers features Revelstoke as one of the 12 best places to ski in Canada.

“Revelstoke is for serious powder-seekers. You can burn your thighs down the longest lift-serviced vertical in North America, but heli-skiing is probably the first thing that should come to mind when you think of this resort. Skiers from around the world consider Revelstoke the Holy Grail of this extreme sport and make the journey to breathe in this purest of mountain air and slide down these purest of untouched lines”.

Read the full article here

Unabashed Luxury & Pristine Powder in Harrods Travel Magazine

Bighorn was featured in Harrod’s Travel Magazine’s latest issue. As a featured destination, the article describes what makes Bighorn and Revelstoke unique; “half a million acres of the world’s finest and most accessible heliski terrain…guests at Bighorn skip the passes and fly straight into the backcountry”. Guests stay in “unabashed luxury” at Bighorn, “the only lodge in Revelstoke with a helipad”. “Ease into your warmed boots, step out the door into your sleek A Star helicopter and before long, with your dedicated guide, you’ll be revelling in the deep feather-light virgin snow, interrupted only by lunch in a pristine forest clearing or remote glacial valley”.

Read the full article here

The Irish Times: “Bighorn: one of the best splurges of the Winter”

The Irish Times have listed Bighorn as one of the best in terms of splurges you can take in Ski Holidays.

They said “Nothing says luxury like your own helipad and five-star chalet with private spa, cinema and gourmet food. And if you are spending this much, adding flights to Canada probably isn’t a big deal. Bighorn Lodge sits in the backwoods of British Columbia, at the base of the Revelstoke lifts. There are eight guest suites and a spa area with a pool, gym, sauna, massage rooms and an outdoor hot tub. Expect top-class service at a price of $65,000 (€43,425) for up to 16 people, excluding air travel. Add heliskiing with Selkirk Tangiers from $14,480 (€9,600) for a day with a private helicopter for eight.”

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!