Bighorn: 1 of the 9 best things this ski season

Amuse – the premium travel and experiences destination publication for the global explorer boasts inspiring the adventurous mind with the world less travelled.

Last season, they included Bighorn in their list of the 9 best things of the 2017/18 ski season:

“British brothers, Michael and Chris Kirkland, created a whirlwind when they built Bighorn Lodge in British Columbia.  Revelstoke already boasted the longest vertical drip of any lift-served resort in North America, as well as globally envied snow-cat and heli-skiing operations. What it missed was a palatial chalet, with it’s own helipad, so guests could be whisked direct from breakfast to bountiful powder.  As well as that, Bighorn Lodge has an indoor pool, outdoor hot tub, sauna, steam room, massage, cinema suite and first-rate chef.”

Well, what more can we say… here’s hoping that this coming season is as epic as 2017/18!

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.”

Snow Magazine votes Revelstoke in Top 10 Ski Resorts in the World

Revelstoke has once again been voted Top of the Top 10 Ski Resorts in the World by Snow Magazine.  Hotly contested by some readers that it is above Whistler in the ratings, but Snow Magazine stand by their choice – “we still love Reve, as it has the lot: steeps, trees, perfectly maintained pistes – all covered in tons of the legendary Powder Highway snow”.

Listed amongst other fabulous resorts such as St Anton, Telluride and Niseko, which all have their plus points, we of course, agree that Revelstoke has it all and here are some of the reasons why:

  • Powder – and not just any powder, the best champagne powder you can find anywhere in the World.
  • Bighorn – of course!    The award winning best ski chalet in Canada with it’s own private helipad.  What’s not to like?  Fly in and out of Bighorn in style.
  • Countless ski options:
    • Heliskiing:  Take advantage of your own private Helipad at Bighorn to discover the heliski mecca of the Monashees and Selkirk mountains.
    • Revelstoke Mountain Resort: With the highest Vertical Descent in North America and a plethora of offpiste skiing in diverse terrain, you won’t find it hard to get those fresh tracks.
    • CAT skiing:  Discover further exceptional  ski adventures in fresh powder backcountry.

Safe to say – we love Reve too!

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!

‘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

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.