Every winter, social media is filled with skiers and snowboarders conquering insane fall lines, hucking cliffs, and blowing cold smoke through untracked, waist-high powder.
In 1965, CMH pioneered helicopter-assisted backcountry adventures in North America. Today, the company offers numerous multi-day itineraries anchored in eleven lodges across British Columbia.
CMH Purcell, located in Golden in southeastern B.C., is the first one-day operation in the company's portfolio. “Heli-skiing is perfect if you are a confident skier looking for a new and exhilarating experience,” says Jesse Seguin, Area Manager for CMH Purcell, who has guided thousands of days over the course of two decades.
“Our trips here are as much about immersing yourself in the epic beauty of Western Canada as they are about the skiing,” he adds. CMH Purcell accesses 250 identified runs across 495,000 acres. But what skiing it is.
I’d felt serious trepidation after I had signed on to do the one-day trip. In the decade since I last embarked on a heli-assisted backcountry ski touring adventure in B.C.’s rugged Kootenay Rockies, I'd lost some of my edge (and knee cartilage), and during the weeks leading up to the trip, my anxiety manifested itself in worse-case scenarios.
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Unlike resort skiing, where most descents feature adjacent bailout options should the pitch prove too much or leg strength too weak, my nightmare scenario starred precipice perches with nowhere to go but down cliff-collared chutes. But I soon learned heli-skiing is far from dropping into the abyss.
There may be no ropes or signage marking cliffs, or unmarked obstacles the way there are at resorts, but Seguin and his guides know each “run” intimately and, more importantly, are keenly aware of what lies below.
“CMH has been in this business for 60 years now,” says Seguin. “Over the decades, we’ve developed many standard operating procedures. We establish landings and ski runs well ahead of bringing guests to them. Each day, our experienced professionals go through a rigorous hazard assessment process specific to the ski destination and flight program.”
To Seguin’s point, our Bell 212 chopper consistently settled in wide, flat landing areas with plenty of room for our party to gather together. Our guides described every ski route by pitch, character, and challenge.
Most of the day’s lines were, in ski resort parlance, double-blue (advanced intermediate). We always regrouped before every new feature, be it a gladed run through a stand of narrow-trunked pines or a ski-out alongside a creek bed.
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The terrain never overwhelmed or confused me or any of the other seven members of our party. Our guides instructed us when to shadow their tracks or spread out.
When I cut too far right on a broad but steep pitch, Seguin beckoned me to turn back, though I was far from any danger. “It works best when you find fresh lines outside our tracks but maintain our same trajectory,” he instructed me when I stopped beside him at the bottom of the pitch.
Once predominantly the playground for deep-pocketed buddy trips, many heli-ski operators now include programs designed specifically for families (the minimum age is typically 12 years old) and mixed-ability groups. This is in part due to ski technology, fat skis have eliminated the need to make challenging jump turns in powder.
Better snow assessment tools, terrain familiarity, and consumer demand have also increased heli-sking accessibility to include confident intermediate skiers and snowboarders.
“It’s impossible to convey this experience to those that haven’t tried it,” says Seguin. “Nothing brings a smile to my face more than seeing friends or family members staring at each other at the bottom of a run in a blissful state of stunned silence.”
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Unlike at most ski resorts, where spring sees snow conditions turn slushy, March and April are considered prime times for heli-skiing in B.C.’s high alpine backcountry.
Struggling with exhaustion, I attempted to hoist myself up out of deep snow after a fall. Beads of sweat dripped down my face as I spotted my guide, Kris Robinson, waiting patiently below. Unable to muster more strength, I sank down and took a moment to absorb the vastness of Canada’s Columbia Mountains.
Then I radioed Kris for help. “Cross your poles on your inside ski,” he said. This felt like a once-in-a-lifetime trip for me. I’d never backcountry skied in British Columbia before; usually my time outdoors means cycling, hiking, or skiing near Boulder, Colorado, where I live.
I’d been invited to join a group of other outdoor-industry people for a four-day heli-skiing experience. For a backcountry destination, the lodge is relatively easy to reach.
“The Gothics is one of the CMH’s most approachable and welcoming destinations,” Jared Smith, president and CEO of Alterra Mountain Company-which owns CMH-told us. “Like all our lodge staff, the Gothics team makes you feel completely comfortable, by guiding you from the moment you arrive to the day you depart.”
Jared said this trip would be a combination of training and incredible skiing that would lead to impactful experiences. Our group counted just over 30 people, including athletes and innovators, some familiar faces, and others I was meeting for the first time.
The first thing I noticed upon arrival was a fleet of fat bikes and cross-country skis, a hint of the adventures ahead. Shaun White carves perfect S turns in pristine B.C. powder. That afternoon, in thick fog and stormy conditions, our guides led us through tree runs and gladed slopes.
After a few falls and unclipped skis hidden under the snow, I began to find my balance and remembered that powder is soft. Justin Clarke was my patient tail guide. The Gothics Lodge sits in the northern Selkirk and Monashee Mountains.
One of the things that can make or break a trip is the team in place. At Gothics, we were looked after by the best in the business, including longtime CMH guide and assistant area manager Pete Murray and his group of skilled guides. The terrain the group covered the morning of day two.
Evenings at the lodge were a mix of relaxation, camaraderie, and delicious food-and a nice respite for my burning quads. One night, CMH president and COO Rob Rohn told us about his start as an apprentice ski guide in 1984, working alongside CMH founder Hans Gmoser.
Rohn has been with CMH for 37 years, and the company now offers trips in ten other B.C. locations in addition to the Gothic Lodge, as well as heli-hiking in summer. After a snowy night, on day two we stayed on lower slopes and within the trees to mitigate avalanche risk.
Helicopter pilots Blaze Oliver, Rich Fries, and Michael Beran took us to remote locations with spectacular views. On board, we were encouraged to drink “heli juice”-an electrolyte concoction to keep us hydrated. On day three we went up higher to the Liberty plateau.
If you want to share the thrill of helicopters and high alpine adventures with your non-ski friends, try heli hiking with CMH.
My mom is crying-no, sobbing-happy tears but I can’t hear her over the chop-chop-chop of the helicopter’s rotor blades. We’re just lifting off from the parking area where our tour bus dropped us off and headed to CMH Bugaboos lodge for some hiking.
The heli-hiking operation has opened the door so a whole new non-skiing audience-like my mom-can connect with the mountains of British Columbia. CMH Bugaboos Lodge is nestled in British Columbia’s dreamy Purcell mountain range.
The first time I visited CMH at their Kootenay lodge in Nakusp, B.C., I had an out-of-body experience while skiing. I literally could not understand how this swath of perfect terrain and snow had resided just to my north for my entire life, and no one had considered explaining the sheer perfection of it until now.
My first thought was that I needed to share this with everyone and anyone I could, even strangers. I considered standing in the center of Vail Village on a Saturday and shouting from the top of my lungs, “You guys are doing it wrong!
What I really wanted though, even more than preaching the heli-skiing gospel to strangers, was for my friends and family to experience the same level of bliss.
For some people it was an easy sell: They’re skiers who love chasing pow and have the means to put together a trip to Canada. For other people in my life-whether it was because heli-skiing is just straight-up expensive, or the minor detail that they weren’t actually skiers-it wasn’t a reality. But I still dreamed about sharing the experience with all of them.
Which is how I found myself on a Bell 212 helicopter headed to CMH Bugaboos lodge with my mom, in August. After years of preaching about the Great White North, we found a compromise in heli-hiking.
My mom, Connie, is already totally overwhelmed by the excitement of what we are doing. She’s crying on the helicopter because she can’t believe it’s really happening. After watching me adventure all over the world for years as a writer and photographer, she was finally getting a chance to share one of these amazing experiences.
After getting settled at the lodge we jump back into the helicopter for a bump to the alpine, where we’ll begin our first hike of the trip. The hiking isn’t hard, or fast (in our group at least), but it’s utterly beautiful.
Alpine flowers are thick in waves that wind through a landscape carved by eons of wind and water. If I’m being honest, hiking isn’t my first pick of activities. I much prefer faster-paced options laced with a hint of adrenaline.
Trail running, in this case, would have fallen far above hiking on my preferences list- but mom doesn’t run and this trip isn’t about me. My goal is to give her the same kind of once-in-a-lifetime experience I’d had at my first CMH lodge. So, we hike.
Mom lives in Chicago, and to say she is experiencing a kind of culture shock would be accurate. Or maybe nature shock is a better way to put it. At dinner, we sit next to Annie and Art, a couple who were in our hiking group, who instantly strike up a conversation with mom.
I realize halfway through my glass of wine that they are really, really, connecting. After spending the day filling your cup so full, the shared experience creates a sense of bonding between the people you spent that time with. Connie fills her cup with a CMH Heli-Hiking guide.
In fact, every time I’ve been on a heli-skiing trip or big mountain adventure I’ve had this same experience. It feels like you’re walking away with ten new best friends from all over the world.
I didn’t expect this to happen here because hiking, for me, falls nowhere near the level of skiing on my internal excitement meter. But I didn’t consider that mom’s threshold for adventure is much lower than mine.
It hasn’t even been 24-hours since we arrived, but I can already float off to sleep knowing that my mom is going to bed completely blissed out. And exhausted. And having the same amazing experience I’d longed to share with her.
CMH Heli-Skiing: Key Highlights
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Pioneering History | CMH pioneered helicopter-assisted backcountry adventures in North America since 1965. |
| Locations | Eleven lodges across British Columbia, including CMH Purcell in Golden. |
| Terrain | CMH Purcell accesses 250 identified runs across 495,000 acres. |
| Safety | Rigorous hazard assessment processes and experienced guides ensure safety. |
| Accessibility | Programs for families and mixed-ability groups, with minimum age typically 12 years old. |
| Best Time | March and April are considered prime times for heli-skiing in B.C.’s high alpine backcountry. |
| Other Activities | Heli-hiking is available for non-skiers. |