heliski revelstoke Archives - Page 3 of 3

Epic Heliski Luxury: A Typical Day at Bighorn Revelstoke

Bighorn heli ski lodge in Revelstoke “Bighorn is a slope side Downton Abbey, a potent cocktail of extreme skiing and extreme luxury, garnished with a private helicopter pad”.

Renowned travel journalist Everett Potter shares his experience of Bighorn Revelstoke. Even the luxury at one of the world’s finest private lodges is eclipsed by the thrill of heliskiing in the Selkirk Mountains:

“Fueled up, you pad downstairs to the boot room, as everyone removes their boots from the boot heater where they are perfectly toasty for the morning. Geared up, avalanche transceivers tested, you walk outside and watch a Selkirk Tangiers helicopter fly along the Columbia River valley and then swoop in to land on the private heli pad while Ride of the Valkyries plays in your head. Buckled in, the helicopter rises and you find yourself deposited and clicking into your bindings within 15 minutes on the best powder skiing in the world. A small nimble helicopter like an A 6 can deliver you to virgin snows free of other skiers, lift lines, rules and regulations. You ski 1,500 or 2,000 vertical feet and the chopper is waiting for you at the bottom of the run. Repeat eight or nine times in a day. It’s instant gratification taken to ridiculous levels”.

Read Everett’s full account here

Revelstoke: Canada’s Best Kept Secret

Sunday Telegraph - Revelstoke: Canada's best kept secret

The Sunday Telegraph’s Gabriella Le Breton raved about Revelstoke in last weekend’s Travel supplement. Describing the resort as “Canada’s best kept secret”, she shares her incredible experience skiing “powder bowls, steep drops, extensive glades and thigh-burstingly long pistes”:

“It’s just another powder day in Revelstoke Mountain Resort, one of the world’s snowiest places, where sharing more than 3,000 acres of fall-line skiing, high-alpine bowls, gladed terrain and North America’s highest lift-serviced vertical drop with just a hundred fellow skiers is ‘normal'”.

To complement the amazing skiing, Bighorn offers unrivaled standards of accommodation: “one of the most esteemed private lodges in North America… Bighorn is unique: it offers world-class heli-skiing from a lodge with facilities and service hitherto limited to chalets in resorts like Courchevel and Zermatt”.

Read the full article here

Heli Skiing – Ski Magazine’s Number 1 Must Do

Ski Magazine recently announced their Skier’s Life List: the top 25 things a skier must do. Heli skiing was awarded the number one spot; “Being a skier means many things. But we all share the same dream, and it sounds like this: thwap-thwap-thwap”.

Heliskiing simply offers access to the best of the best skiing. Pristine powder snow, untouched terrain, stunning scenery and long vertical descents. Revelstoke is famed for having the best heli skiing in the world, a combination of huge snowfall, dry powder snow and exciting terrain features including high alpine glaciers and fun-packed tree skiing.

Bighorn is the world’s most luxurious heli ski lodge. Located in the heart of Revelstoke, it has its own helipad for private small group heliskiing. This is the way to try heliskiing! A bespoke experience to fulfill your dreams, combined with the ultimate in luxury accommodation and service.

Check out Ski Magazine’s complete life list here.

Looking Forward to Winter

Amazing early snow in Revelstoke

With weather forecasters already debating whether it will be an El Nino or La Nina winter, we are gearing up for another awesome season of snow in Revelstoke. Whatever the weather pattern, Revelstoke’s snow fall history means we can be confident of around 12 metres (39ft) of snow per season, putting it in the super-snow league way above all European resorts (Lech is the snowiest Alpine resort averagng 7m per winter). Not only does Revelstoke get a lot of snow, but its location in the interior of British Columbia means snow is light and dry – perfect for getting the most out of the exciting terrain.

Revelstoke Mountain Resort has announced a tentative opening date of 1st December 2012, with good early snow expected. Last season, when Bighorn opened on December 10th, there was already 287cm snow accumulated at RMR making for a great opening week. Check out some footage showing the awesome conditions on the opening day here. This year we’ll be ready for guests on December the 8th, with Selkirk Tangiers Heli Skiing available to whisk you into the wilderness for the best start to the season imaginable!

The Most Luxurious Heliski Lodge in the World

Last week the definitive guide to the most exclusive and indulgent chalets in the world was launched. The Luxury Chalet Collection has named Bighorn as one of the top 20 properties in the world.

The gourmet cuisine and stunning design, coupled with exceptional feedback from guests, were factors in selecting Bighorn to be part of the collection. With first class facilities such as a movie theatre, games room, indoor pool, giant outdoor hot tub, spa and cocktail bar, Bighorn truly is the ultimate ski pad. Offering dedicated service from a team including an award-winning chef and expert housekeeping staff, guests can relax in the lap of luxury.

The private helipad at Bighorn really sets it apart from the competition, providing guests with a unique opportunity. Offering both heliskiing and exciting resort skiing at Revelstoke Mountain Resort, guests have access to the best snow, terrain and scenery anywhere in the world.

Bighorn in Tatler

Bighorn features in this month’s Tatler magazine. Given that Tatler is the guide to glamour and high society, we wanted to share their thoughts.

The Wild Ones reviews the ultimate ‘grown up cribs’ for house parties. Describing Bighorn as “the king of heli lodges”, the property wins praise for “the most awesome heli-ski terrain” and “some of the best lift-accessed skiing in North America”. Many of the outstanding facilities got a mention including the “terrifically grown up dining room” and “super-charged teppanyaki grill” as well as our indoor pool, home cinema and “vast games room”.

In summary Tatler says “Come here to ski hard and play hard”. We couldn’t agree more.

view the full article

The Best New Ski Gear for Winter 2012/13

Testing the latest ski equipment in Revelstoke Each year, we look out for the big new product launches and we’re already itching to see how the latest ski products perform on the slopes. Admittedly we still have a few months to wait, but we wanted to share the insider’s guide to what will be causing a stir on the slopes next season.

1) Salomon BBR Skis

Salomon launched the BBR ski last year. With it’s novel V-shape and surf-led design it got noticed, but there were plenty of skeptics out there. If this new shape was so great, why hadn’t it been done before? It seems the haters were proved wrong as reports of amazing flotation and a great turning radius justified the radical design. Next year Salomon are expanding the BBR range to a total of 6 skis, for a full spectrum of abilities. With Revelstoke’s deep powder and awesome backcountry terrain, we’ll be skiing on the BBR 10.0, the biggest ski for advanced skiers who want the most fun. Salomon says it “uses the versatility of the V-shape and a metal backbone reinforcement to give expert skiers a single ski to tackle everything in the resort and far beyond the boundries”.

2) Zeal Optics ION Goggles

This revolutionary goggle, new for 2013, has an in-built camera and video technology. It shoots 10 megapixel photos and HD video, with an in-goggle viewfinder. No more annoying helmet mounts or missed shots. Plus it looks good and blends technology with style and function – it has a 170 degree lens for optimum visibility. We can’t wait to film our first run through the pow in Revelstoke!

3) Noronna Recon

As massive fans of Noronna’s ski jackets, pants and onesies, we are excited to see their latest offering. Blending technical excellence with fashionable colors and styles, this is perfect heliski wear that also looks cool in resort. For next season, channel your military side with the new Recon jacket and pants. Developed with Norwegian, Swedish and Danish Special Forces, it is Noronna’s most durable and weatherproof offering, suitable for all outdoor activities.

Revelstoke vs. Alaska: Which is the best heliski destination?

Revelstoke a lot of benefits over Alaska - the best tree skiing in the world is just one

Heliskiing is the ultimate thrill for any avid skier. Unsurprisingly this comes at a price, so careful consideration is required when deciding where to go for this indulgent trip of a lifetime. We asked one of our experienced guests at Bighorn to discuss the risk reward profile of two of the best heliski destinations in the world: Valdez in Alaska and Revelstoke, BC.

1) Terrain

Alaska has the best steep skiing terrain in the world. The proximity to the coast and extreme cold throughout much of the winter create a very low risk of avalanche. This allows skiers to ski terrain as steep as 60 degrees. Revelstoke has the best tree skiing in the world, and also has an abundance of excellent high alpine skiing in large glacial bowls. The terrain is extremely varied but, on average, will not be as steep as Alaska.

2) Snow

Both Alaska and Revelstoke are snowsure places to ski, the difference is the quality of the snow. As Revelstoke is located away from the coast in the interior of British Columbia, the snow has less moisture and is lighter. In Alaska, proximity to the coast means the snow can be wetter and heavier.

3) Down Days

This is the major difference. A week of heli skiing in Alaska will typically on average have 3 down days, Revelstoke will on average only have 1. In Alaska, when you cannot ski, there is very little to do as there is no lift skiing. There is only so much table tennis one can play in the mountains. In Revelstoke, guests at Bighorn can experience the all new Revelstoke Mountain Resort, which provides the perfect alternative to heli skiing. Boasting the longest vertical drop in the whole of North America, it is the perfect antidote to being told you cannot fly. In the wider Revelstoke area there are also a number of cat skiing operations which operate irrespective of the weather. In short, there is never a zero ski day in Revelstoke.

No one can argue against the fact that Alaska has excellent ski terrain. Every real skier should tackle an Alaskan spine at some point in their life. However, to travel so far, and then not to ski is unthinkable. It happens. Revelstoke provides endless options for amazing skiing whatever the weather, and with the addition of Bighorn, can boast the ultimate in luxury ski accommodation and service.