Operator
About
Whistler Heli Skiing is a heliskiing Operator based in Whistler, British Columbia, and part of Vail Resorts. Adventures depart from the heart of Whistler Village, and after a safety briefing guests are out in the Coast Range, skiing and riding terrain that includes glaciers, wide open bowls, and ridges at treeline. Their season runs from early December to mid-April. The terrain is the headline. Whistler Heli Skiing holds an exclusive heliskiing tenure of 432,000 acres, roughly 87 kilometres (54 miles) long and 54 kilometres (33 miles) wide, which they describe as more than 50 times the size of Whistler Blackcomb. It includes access to 173 glaciers, with an average run of 550-600 metres (1,800-2,000 feet) of vertical. The longest run, on Ripsaw Glacier, drops 1,530 metres, and the highest landing, Overseer, sits at 2,749 metres (9,010 feet). The Coast Range averages 11.63 metres (38.2 feet) of snowfall a year, and with an average of just 50 skiers a day, there's plenty of room to find untracked lines. Whistler Heli Skiing runs single-day Adventures built around a set number of runs. The 3-Run Package is an introduction to heliskiing at a casual pace, the 4-Run Package steps up to advanced skiing and riding at a moderate pace, and the 5-Run Package is a fast-paced day for advanced to expert skiers and riders. All three fly in a Bell 412 in groups of 7 to 10, with two guides per group. For expert skiers and riders, the A-Star Ultimate flies an A-Star B3 with groups of 4 and a fast pace, guarantees 6 runs, and includes any additional runs at no extra charge. The average group skis or rides 8 to 11 runs. Private group Adventures are also available. Every guide is certified through the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides, the Canadian Ski Guide Association, or the International Mountain Guides Association, and is trained and certified by the Canadian Avalanche Association with extensive first aid skills. More than half of the guides have been with the company for 10 or more years, and the team trains together each pre-season and throughout the winter. For guests who need gear, their rental shop, The Powder Hut, stocks powder skis and snowboards built for heliskiing conditions.
Locations
Where Whistler Heli Skiing runs trips from — open any pin in Google Maps.
Whistler Heli-Skiing Store — Carleton Lodge
The Whistler Heli-Skiing store in the Carleton Lodge, in Whistler Village, is where every heliskiing Adventure begins. Guests check in here at least 24 hours before their ski day, ideally as soon as they arrive in Whistler, to confirm their digital waiver is signed, share any special requests, and arrange rentals. Seats may be forfeited if a guest hasn't checked in by 4:00 pm the day before. On the morning of the trip, guests check in at the office at 8:15 am if they need rentals or 8:30 am if they don't, after checking a weather link released at 6:40 am that shows whether the day is a go. From the office, it's a five-minute walk to The Powder Hut to meet the guide and get ready for the helicopter.
Unit 104 - 4280 Mountain Square, Whistler, BC V8E 1B9, Canada
Open in Google Maps ↗The Powder Hut — Whistler Village
The Powder Hut is Whistler Heli Skiing's own rental shop and the starting point for each heliskiing day, a five-minute walk from the Carleton Lodge office and right where the bus picks guests up on the morning of their Adventure. It's described as the only dedicated heliskiing and heliboarding rental shop in Whistler Village, and one of two places in the village with powder-specific snowboards for rent. The technicians are also Whistler Heli Skiing guides, so gear is matched to the package, the guest's ability, and the day's snow conditions. Guests pick up rental skis or a board at The Powder Hut the afternoon before their ski day (the shop is open from 3:00 to 5:00 pm), and bring their own ski or snowboard boots to be set up. The Powder Hut doesn't rent boots or poles. On the morning of the trip, guests meet their guide here, change into their boots, and leave personal belongings behind before heading to the heliport together for the helicopter and transceiver briefing.
Open in Google Maps ↗
