Phantom Heli

About

Phantom Heli is a small-group heliskiing and snowboarding Operator based in Squamish, British Columbia, flying the Coast Mountains of the Sea to Sky corridor between Vancouver and Whistler. The operation is owned and run by local mountain guides, and flies in partnership with Black Tusk Helicopter Inc, which provides the aircraft and holds the Crown land tenure. Their main base is about a 25-minute drive from Whistler Village, with Adventures also departing from Whistler and, for private groups, downtown Vancouver. The tenure covers 247,000 acres of skiable terrain, which Phantom Heli says is more than 33 times the size of Whistler Blackcomb, with over 200 named runs and new ones skied with guests regularly. Many runs drop more than 1,000 meters, the longest top 1,500 meters, and the area averages around 12 meters (40 feet) of snowfall a year. Expect massive coastal glaciers, alpine bowls, old-growth tree skiing, Coast Mountain steeps, and pillows, drops, and spines. Phantom Heli runs its Adventures as single days. The Private package gives one group of up to 4 guests a guide and a helicopter to themselves, while Semi-private days put two groups in one helicopter. Six Run and Freeride 4-run days share a helicopter between three groups. For skiers who want to earn some of their turns, the Heli-Assisted Ski Touring day starts with a helicopter drop and a first descent, then spends the day touring before an afternoon pickup. Every group is capped at 4 guests per guide. A typical heli day starts with an 8:00 AM pickup at your accommodation, safety briefings, and liftoff around 9:00, with a picnic lunch in the mountains. Guides are certified through the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG) or the AMGA, and daily guiding operations run in conjunction with Altus Mountain Guides. Guides and pilots work together on a risk management program built around weather and snow conditions, and the head guide makes the fly or no-fly call by 4:30 PM the day before or by 7:30 AM on the day. Black Tusk flies modern A-Star AS350 helicopters seating 4 guests and 1 guide per group, and emergency helicopter evacuation is included for every guest.