Great Canadian Heli-Skiing

Intro Nice Ice Fresh Meat Bush grooming Centrefold Americans only

Intro

After many months waiting out the drudgery of golf season, we're anxious to get going with the things we enjoy most. It's snowing outside and the only thing we can think of is skiing. The glading is done, Dan is back in the kitchen, and the weeks are filling up with brand new friends and good old ones alike.
Even after celebrating 20 years of Great Canadian Heli-Skiing in 2008, we still believe that the ultimate vacation is one where you're comfortable both with the surroundings and the value. With everything laid on the line, you don't have to wonder what the final trip will look like: you already know. Unlimited vertical continues to show both ourselves and our guests that when you know exactly what to expect, you can get down to business having a good time. Our Season Pass holders are enjoying the flexibility of deciding to ski whenever they can get away, and have no concerns about any surprises before they head back home. Our anniversary year saw the inaugural YouTube Heli-Stars competition launch with 31 entries, the announcement of the first Heli-Skiing Season Pass available anywhere, and a record of zero down-days. These are just a few of our initiatives that make GCH a no-brainer ski vacation. You work hard enough everyday to know that a holiday needs to be exactly that. Choose to join us for a full week or just a few days, recharge in the mountains and be challenged by heli-skiing some of the best powder North America has to offer. If you haven't booked your getaway yet, send us a note, or give a quick call and we'd be happy to help you choose dates that work with your schedule.
To all of our friends, we wish you a very happy holiday and can't wait to see you at Heather Mountain Lodge!

Nice Ice

The results of the first annual YouTube Heli-Stars Video competition are in. Of the 31 guest videos posted on our website, “DR Ice says it's Nice”, shot at the end of January last year, was the clear winner with 1220 views in six months (can you believe it!) Congratulations to Terrence, Dave, TM, Rick, John and Mitchell, Joanne, and Dave “DR” Rutherford, you are Heli-Stars! We're quite sure that DR Ice has more vocabulary at his disposal, but it's alright with us that he seems to focus on skiing as opposed to flexing his linguistic muscle. As promised, there's a Heli-Star Prize Package heading to each of your for your award-winning performances in this highly-anticipated film. Solid performances in both Wahoo Yahoos and Bonzai deserve honourable mention from the jury. To watch epic lines, epic bailouts and more hathead than you can shake a pole at (including the winning video), log on to our new media hub for more clips. We'll be continuing to film the good the bad and TM; so keep checking in to make sure your moves are on the ballot for next year's YouTube Heli-Stars Video Competition.

Fresh Meat Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday...

After seven months in New Zealand “getting his @$% kicked in the kitchen”, Chef Dan is back. Working in award-winning kitchens and focusing on the purity of fine flavours, Dan's experiences have given him a renewed passion for the art of food preparation and delivery. Though our somewhat remote location would usually create a problem for the delivery of fresh food to Heather Mountain Lodge (HML), Dan feels that the techniques and philosophies used in the kitchens he worked in while abroad have given him the inspiration to bring only the freshest possible ingredients to you. This year GCH guests can expect to enjoy only free-range meats, all baked goods made from scratch right in our kitchen and a simple whole foods menu. Of course, I'm sure that despite his insistence that it was a working vacation, Dan probably had a pretty great time. We all know that Dan's skills in the kitchen have kept us wanting more for a few years, but this season's inspired menu might just make you want to come in early!

Bush grooming

The glading campaign of 2008 will go down as having the most beautiful weather in glading history making it also the first time that the crew ended up with a better tan than TM.
The guys managed to relocate a good number of trees on both Hunter and Buffalo Wings in the Upper and Lower Ventego zones, opening the way for big powder. Our map page online features a pdf map of the runs at GCH to give you an idea of where the campaign played out. A big thank you to Canadian Helicopters, Mike the Pilot, Rob, GG, Chris, Ian and Chef Dan (apparently he can wield a chainsaw at least as well as a kitchen knife). I'm sure that a few of our long time guests, Dave, Ian and Ted for sure, will be heading for Heli-Star fame in the trees after their trips this year!

Centrefold

If you think our 2009 calendar is missing something, namely you, please share your pictures from your GCH trip with us! Tom did. And so did Dave and Alex. But wait Sparks didn't so he isn't in it and that guy seems to be in just about everything around here! I'm sure that there are some absolutely pro-style shots out there that make each of you look like you'd missed the call from TGR. Send them our way. We're always looking for photos of happy smiling people doing what they love (these should probably be skiing photos, just in case you weren't sure what we were getting at there�). Brush up on your Warren Miller moves, break out the new toque get ready for your pin-up debut. The 2010 GCH calendar is going to be the slickest yet and we'd love to include you in it! If you didn't receive a copy of the new calendar, let us know and we'll send one out right away! What better way to get through April to December than by counting the days on a heli-skiing calendar featuring you?

Americans only

At this same time last year, the CAD/USD was sitting about 1.14. The fluctuations in the exchange rate between the USD and the Canadian dollar in 2007 made those bargain basement heli-skiing vacations seem to be a thing of the past. With the rates at around .85 now, your trip this year about could be almost 25% less than last year! So to our American powderhounds, we invite you to enjoy the strength of your dollar and join us deep in the mountains. Once the thunder of the helicopter rotors fades, leaving you with a pair of skis and three friends all you're going to wonder is just why the heck you didn't purchase the Personal Seasons Pass at these rates.