If you are a regular Great Canadian Heli-Skier, you will have experienced the benefits of our drive-in-access first-hand. Our nearest major airport is Calgary International Airport, which most of our guests fly into before renting a vehicle and driving to us.
The drive is a beautiful one, as you leave the Alberta prairies and enter the Canadian Rockies. It’s nothing but mountains from that point onwards, passing through the iconic Banff National Park and then into British Columbia. The Trans-Canada Highway then winds through the Kicking Horse Canyon right before reaching Golden, joining the Powder Highway and beginning the final stretch of the drive to our lodge.
Whether you will be welcomed back to us next winter as a seasoned guest, or joining us for the first time, you will be glad to hear that there is currently a huge construction project underway on the Kicking Horse Canyon section of the Trans-Canada Highway, the toughest section of the drive to our lodge.
This phase of the Kicking Horse Canyon Project, known as Phase 4, or the “canyon” section, is the final and most difficult phase of an ongoing project. It encompasses some of the most rugged and beautiful driving in the country, making it also some of the most challenging. The narrow road winds along the edge of a steep cliff, avoiding rockfall hazards in summer and avalanche hazards in winter. Wildlife such as bighorn sheep frequent the area, and to top it off, as part of Canada’s major commercial travel route it accommodates thousands of motorists every day.
The major project is currently implementing highway closures and re-routes, but our guests can rest assured that the project will not disrupt any future travel to Great Canadian Heli-Skiing, as highway closures are not occurring during our operating season. Closures of the highway will only occur during the off-peak months of April to May and late September to November.
This amazing upgrade on the slowest part of the route will improve safety and efficiency by realigning curves, widening the road to four lanes, further addressing rock fall and avalanche hazards with additional bridges and ditches, and adding wildlife fencing and passages.
We’re so excited that this project is underway, as it will make accessing our lodge even more enjoyable for our guests.
As always, we recommend checking DriveBC for all of the current highway closures and conditions before travelling to us.
