Heli Skiing & Cat Skiing in Revelstoke, BC

Want to try something a little different to skiing and boarding? Why not try heli skiing or cat skiing? And there really is no better way to do this than in Revelstoke.

Revelstoke Mountain Resort is in British Columbia’s Kootenay Rockies. That’s a fairly dry way to start what should be a scintillating tease of a resort review, but hang on in there - things are about to get rather more frisky.

Just take a quick look at their website, and find where it reveals what is new for 2013 – 2014. Click your mouse, and you are greeted by the following sentence:

“The Ninja Traverse has been Sumo Sized!”

This is the kind of thing that Cold War spies would utter when meeting their ‘handler’ in a high stakes East Berlin rendezvous. Yet in this case, it is just another example of Revelstoke maintaining it’s reputation as the headquarters of extreme snow action.

This is perhaps best displayed by its love of cat skiing and heli-skiing. These activities were pioneered in the Kootenay Rockies, and a huge amount of terrain is accessible only by helicopter and snowcat. That, combined with massive winter snowfall, puts places like Revelstoke in a class of their own.

Although Heli Skiing has the finest ‘extreme’ credentials, it is also accessible to strong intermediate skiers or snowboarders. Don’t panic, you won’t be jumping out of helicopters – the Heli ski landing pads are carefully placed. Also, you won’t be alone, but with guides who will give instructions and tips for the upcoming terrain.

Despite having guides with you, encountering the untouched powder fields, classic lines, peaks, glaciers, pillows, alpine bowls, and old growth forests can make the rest of the world seem far away on an emotional level. Yet geographically, it is a different matter. It’s pretty easy to get here by plane, with national and international connections available in the nearby centers of Kelowna and Kamloops.

There are even daily non-stop flights from Los Angeles to Kelowna, if you fancy tackling both Disneyland & Heli Skiing in less than 24 hours!

In short, one of the local heli ski operators claims that Revelstoke offers the best skiing on the planet, and that may not be an exaggeration.

More about Revelstoke

Revelstoke Mountain Resort is due to open on November the 30^th 2013 and close on April 6^th 2014.

The resort has 9-14 metres of snow, with the peak fall generally being between December and February. (This is greater in the Selkirk Mountains where heli skiing takes place)

- Revelstoke has North America's greatest vertical at 1,713 metres

- It offers 3,121 acres of fall line skiing, high alpine bowls, gladed terrain and groomers,

- There are 65 runs and areas, with the longest being over 9.5 miles.

- 7% of the runs are for beginners 45.5% intermediate and 47.5% advanced