The Irish Times: “Bighorn: one of the best splurges of the Winter”

The Irish Times have listed Bighorn as one of the best in terms of splurges you can take in Ski Holidays.

 

They said “Nothing says luxury like your own helipad and five-star chalet with private spa, cinema and gourmet food. And if you are spending this much, adding flights to Canada probably isn’t a big deal. Bighorn Lodge sits in the backwoods of British Columbia, at the base of the Revelstoke lifts. There are eight guest suites and a spa area with a pool, gym, sauna, massage rooms and an outdoor hot tub. Expect top-class service at a price of $65,000 (€43,425) for up to 16 people, excluding air travel. Add heliskiing with Selkirk Tangiers from $14,480 (€9,600) for a day with a private helicopter for eight.”

Taking a GoPro Heliskiing? Our Tips for doing it like a Pro.

Skiing the Pow
Catching that shot

These days, on mountains all over the world, you can’t help noticing how many skiers and boarders have a GoPro attached to some part of their body.  We’ve become obsessed with digitally recording ourselves … and there’s nothing wrong with that as far as we’re concerned at Bighorn.  The breath taking vistas and snow conditions here at Revelstoke lend themselves perfectly to shooting incredible footage of your ski adventures.  So move over Warren Miller, here’s a few tips to ensure you actually record the memorable images you want (rather than a long bumpy video of your ski pants)!

  1. Where to mount the camera?

Helmet mounts:  a unique viewpoint from your own perspective – but make sure you mount it near the front (not on top).  Before you put it on your head, angle it down slightly.

Chest mounts:  work equally well for skiers, not so much for boarders as they are often standing sideways on, unless of course you just want to shoot your friends skiing.

Boot, board or ski mount:  provides a unique angle to show the view of the ski or board as it moves or you can invert it to show the skier.  The only issue is the adhesive doesn’t tend to last long in very snowy conditions and damage is more likely with it being so close to the ground.

Ideally to get the best varied footage, use a combination of the above.

  1. Filming your ski buddies? With the GoPro’s wide field of view, it’s best to get as close as possible to the action, ideally no more than a couple of metres away and aim the camera at the middle of the person, keeping their head to toe in shot.
  2. Which resolution? (i.e. the number of pixels). Whilst it’s tempting to go for the highest res, unless you really are planning on being the next Warren Miller, 720 is actually good enough for most computers and will save you memory space whilst making editing much easier.
  3. Anti-Fog Inserts. The conditions can be cold and humid on the BC terrain leading to a fogged lens.  GoPro has the answer with anti-fog inserts that protect your lens from fogging up.
  4. Battery Packs. Even if you fully charge your battery before you spend the day heliskiing, your charge may not last the entire day, so bring a spare battery pack or two.
  5. Get the GoPro App. It makes it really easy to control the settings and preview your amazing powpow shots from your phone.
  6. Do a test run with your trusty GoPro to check you’ve got it set up properly before your head off on one of the best powder descents you’ve ever done (speaking from experience!)
  7. Finally…sit back and relax at the end of the day with a well deserved drink in hand to watch your amazing powder adventures in HD in the Bighorn cinema.

…and cut! That’s a wrap, folks!

Which is the best month to ski in Revelstoke BC Canada?

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We often get asked which is the best month for snow and skiing in Revelstoke. Our answer is that it depends – not only on Mother Nature, but also on what kind of skiing you like. So whether you want steep and deep in the trees or cruisey pow in the high alpine glaciers, check out our guide below:

December: Its dumping. We get heaps of snow, but visibility up top can be a challenge. So if you want to fly through the trees getting face shots, a pre-Christmas break is for you.

January: On average the snowiest month of the year. A safe bet for deep powder, a good snow base and awesome conditions.

February: Typically our busiest month – a good balance of snow and sun as conditions move towards spring skiing.

March: Longer days, stability and clear skies with heliskiers getting access to the high alpine powder bowls and glaciers.

April: Excellent conditions at high altitude, sunshine and spectacular views.

* Please bear in mind these are generalisations and conditions can vary.

 

‘Out and Out Luxury’ by the Telegraph Ski and Snowboard

Bighorn was included in this month’s Telegraph feature ‘Ski Holidays to Book Now’. The definitive guide to the best holidays available this winter whatever your style or budget, Bighorn was recommended as the best for ‘Out and Out Luxury’: “Nothing says luxury quite like being whisked into the wilderness from your own helipad and returning to a five-star chalet to enjoy a private spa, cinema and gourmet food”. Read the complete 2015 guide here.Telegraph Bighorn article

Ski Trip of a Lifetime

132-cover-lowres-smallTop ski journalist Gaby Le Breton tells Fall-Line Magazine why Bighorn is her all-time favourite ski trip…

“I’m lucky enough to experience ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ ski trips more than once a season. That said, my all-time favourite trip was to Bighorn in Revelstoke, BC. This place truly has it all: heliskiing from the back garden, big mountain skiing in Revelstoke Mountain Resort and all the trappings of the ultimate party chalet from a private cinema and 16-person hot tub to a pool room and teppanyaki kitchen”.

Read the full article here.

Gaby Le Breton writes for the Financial Times, Conde Nast Traveller and Tatler amonst others.

Private or group heli skiing?

Heli landing

In Revelstoke, both private and shared group heliskiing is available. Here we explain the difference between the two, along with some pro’s and con’s.

Private heliskiing means chartering your own helicopter for the day or week, for exclusive use by your group. You’ll have your own guide(s) and they will tailor the experience to your group’s needs. So whether you want to ski hard and fast all day long, or take a more leisurely pace to enjoy the scenery, your wish is their command. Guests staying at Bighorn normally go for this option, as they can fly straight from the house helipad and do all their safety training from the comfort of the lodge.

Pros:

1) No waiting for other people

2) Dedicated service – the heli will be at your beck and call all day

3) Bespoke experience – fly when you want, ski where you want and at your pace

4) Ultimate ease – fly direct from the lodge, no transfers to staging posts

Cons:

1) Price

2) Prohibitive for individuals or groups smaller than 4 people

 

Group heliskiing means buying a seat on a helicopter for a day, or multi day program. You’ll share the heli with other people, but guides will try and match guests with similar abilities and speed. The helicopter will normally fly 3 or 4 groups each day, so there is some flying back and forth as the pilot shuttles groups out to the heliski terrain and from run to run. This may mean you are driven out to a staging post to reduce flight time.

Pro’s:

1) Cost-effective

2) Sociable

3) Sustainable pace – groups tend to ski a little slower which is a blessing if you are helsikking for several days and are less than Olympic fit!

4) A great way to try heliskiing and get a feel for the incredible snow and terrain around Revelstoke

Cons:

1) There will be some waiting around for other groups, other members of your group and at the start of the day while all the groups are taken out to the tenure.

2) You will be required to meet at a set time and ski for a certain duration (though you can sit out a run in the heli if you are tired).

3) The helicopter will fly from a central meeting point which may require a vehicle transfer from your accommodation.

4) The pace will be dictated by the slowest member of your group.

 

 

 

Physical recovery after heli skiing

Muscle recovery after heliskiing

Heli skiing is exhilarating but also requires a degree of physical fitness. What can you do if you haven’t had time to follow a ski fitness programme and you find yourself with sore legs? Here are the team at Bighorn’s five simple steps to aid recovery and reduce muscle stiffness

1) Eat some carbohydrate

Altitude leads to an increased carbohydrate requirement as you have a higher resting metabolic rate. Skiing also uses carbohydrate for fuel in both blood sugar and glycogen in your muscles. After an epic day’s heliskiing snack on ‘good’ carbohydrate like bananas, dried fruit and potatoes. The chef at Bighorn can prepare delicious banana bran muffins, honey nut granola bars and potato blinis with smoked salmon and lemon creme fraiche.

2) Hydrate

Drink lots of water to help flush out toxins and reduce muscle soreness

3) Massage and relaxation

Increases the flow of blood to tissues, which can prevent soreness. Enjoy a special apres-ski sports massage in luxurious Bighorn spa or relax in the huge outdoor hot tub.

4) Stretching

Elongating muscle fibres enhances recovery and reduces stiffness. Prolonged stretching helps muscles to have a fuller range of motion thus reducing the chance of strains. We can arrange personal stretching sessions with a qualified physiotherapist.

5) Active recovery

Gentle aerobic exercise increases the flow of oxygenated blood flow to muscles which aids the removal of lactic acid.

Revelstoke Top 10 in the World

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Snow Magazine has selected Revelstoke Mountain Resort as one of the top 10 ski resorts on the planet:

“Quite simply Revelstoke has to kick off our list, as talk to anyone who has been and they’ll tell you, not just how good it is but how truly epic it is. Revelstoke has the lot when it comes to on-mountain terrain, there’s steep and open powder faces, fantastic tree skiing, long well-maintained pistes, an adjacent cat-skiing operation and if that’s not enough then the ½ a million acres of heli-sking terrain should keep you happy”.

Read the full article here

This top ranking comes as no surprise to us. Our guests have been enjoying Revelstoke’s deep powder snow, incredible terrain and uncrowded slopes for 3 seasons now.

Bighorn is unique in offering skiing at a world-class resort, private heliskiing, cat skiing and backcountry touring all from one base. The luxury lodge offers the most indulgent accommodation imaginable with every kind of ski adventure right on the doorstep. Heliski direct from the house helipad or be on the Revelation Gondola heading up North America’s highest vertical descent in a matter of minutes.

Bluebird after the storm

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After 62cm of snow in the last 7 days we now have bluebird skies and perfect conditions to ski all the powder snow. Revelstoke is famous for its consistent and heavy snowfall, so the few sunny days after the storm are to be cherished! Check out this video of the heli coming in to land on the Bighorn helipad. It shows not only how quickly guests can be whisked into the world famous heliski terrain, but also the stunning views from Bighorn when the sun shines.

Clear skies mean guests can fly higher and access some of the alpine terrain – glaciers and powder bowls. The beauty of heliskiing in Revelstoke is that there is terrain for any weather. On snowy or cloudy days skiers can rip it up in the forest – Revelstoke has epic tree skiing that attracts ski fanatics from all over the world. There is so much fun to be had popping off terrain features and landing in pillows of soft powder snow.

Needless to say, the guests heliskiing in the video had an unforgettable day, polished off nicely with a brandy hot chocolate on the helipad when they returned!

Superb Snow Conditions for Revelstoke’s Opening Weekend

Bluebird day at Bighorn Revelstoke

Revelstoke is enjoying superb early season conditions with a solid base of snow and a dump of 40cm of fresh snow last weekend. Revelstoke Mountain Resort opened with a bang and there were queues of people who had been camping out overnight to get the first tracks of the season! Cold temperatures have ensued, keeping the powder snow light and dry.

These cold bluebird days are perfect for enjoying the views from Bighorn. They also make for some spectacular heliskiing in the backcountry, with good visibility and fun terrain features. We still have some availability in January, so contact us now to enjoy the fantastic early season snow.