Powder Snow
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Located near the coast, the mountains get absolutely dumped on and being a very coastal snowpack, the stability is not as fickle as that found in Interior BC. Yet being so coastal, the snow is also not as light and dry as in the Interior, although due to the northerly position the temperatures are reasonably low and the snow quality is generally well maintained.
Just before we visited, the temperatures had uncharacteristically risen across all of BC, so the snow quality wasn’t good enough for tree skiing. On the first day, the snow was boot deep up in the alpine and pretty nice, whilst by the 2nd day howling winds had turned the snow into a pretty disgusting crust. Sometimes the weather gods are not kind, but as a general rule the snow conditions at LFH range from very good to epic.
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Overall Terrain
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| LFH scores points for the massive amount of terrain on offer. And more points because the combo of the quick helis and organised guides means that you can ski or snowboard lots of vertical efficiently. And for those that don’t want to max out the vertical (due to energy or financial concerns), they do a really good job at coordinating with fuel runs to get any guests out of the field early. |
| Alpine Terrain |
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| It goes without saying that there’s lots of it; hence the big score. However the little of it that we saw was very repetitive and lacked variety; big long runs on moderately pitched wide-open bowls that didn’t have many features.
However to be my own devil’s advocate, this is some people’s nirvana, and if I could only ski runs like this for the rest of my life I probably wouldn’t complain.
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| Tree Skiing |
not rated |
| The snow conditions did not enable us to check out the tree skiing. |
Strong Intermediate Terrain
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We skied an abundance of terrain that was ideal for strong intermediate riders: not too steep; wide open; and limited camber challenges. However like most multi-day heli ski operators, LFH tends to attract advanced to expert riders so unless you organised your own group of others of a similar ability, you may feel pressured to ride at a speed you’re not comfortable with (or have difficulty in steeper terrain or if the weather dictates below tree line terrain).
The ability for tired skiers to easily return to the lodge in line with a fuel run is a major bonus.
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Advanced Terrain
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not rated |
| As we didn’t ski the trees, and pretty much skied the same type of run, I don’t feel we’re able to rate this.
By all accounts from other guests, the terrain for advanced riders is supreme.
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Expert & Extreme Terrain
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not rated |
| The jury is still out on whether Bell 2 is the place to go if you really want to ski Alaska-esque steeps (Ripley Creek has a rep for more steep terrain). We certainly didn’t ski any terrain that was steep or technical and the snow conditions were likely a major factor in this. Like any heli ski operation, the ability to ski/snowboard this sort of terrain is dependent on snow stability (which is often good at LFH) and the ability and desire of the other guests in the group. BYO group and your own team cohesion and then obviously the odds of skiing challenging terrain is heightened. And if you want to ski steeps, head to Last Frontier Heliskiing during April when odds increase again. |
| Guiding |
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| The guides were all incredibly well qualified and experienced and had great leadership to coordinate their efforts. They rotate the guides around so you’ll potentially have a different guide each day, which has its pros and cons. Both guides we had found the ideal balance of tight versus loose guiding considering the conditions, and provided very clear instructions. One of the guides was socially awkward which made us feel equally awkward but all the other guides were amazingly charismatic and contributed to the really really fun experience. During meals, all the staff mingled with the guests, which was also great. Even the heli pilots were incredibly social (which is somewhat rare in the heliski industry!). |
| Heli |
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Wow these were amazing machines! Powerful and agile, the A-Star B2/B3s were the perfect helicopters to get the job done, and to allow plenty of vertical to be skied in a short space of time. As with most choppers it’s a bit squeezy when 4 big people pile in the back, but little things like colour coding the seat belts made all the difference to the potential frenzy of getting into the heli.
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Avalanche Mitigation Strategies
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| Avalanches are inevitable with heli skiing as are other safety concerns, yet it was evident that safety was a major priority. LFH has very comprehensive systems to mitigate the risks which are somewhat typical of most Canadian heli and cat skiing operations. And of particular note, safety officers head out to dig pits and assess snow stability, rather than the guides rushing to do this whilst guests are waiting. All guests carry ABS airbag backpacks with a shovel and probe, and one guest at the rear of the group has a radio. |
Safety Briefing
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| The safety briefing was fantastic. It was very comprehensive, well organised and also efficient. And all guests practised beacon searching, probing and shoveling multiple times. |
Frills
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Last Frontier Heli covers most of the necessary trimmings you’d ever want. Transport from the Smithers/Terrace airport is provided so you don’t need to rent a car. In addition to the safety gear, a large range of powder skis and poles are on offer as well as a small range of snowboards. As is the case with various small group heli operators, a photography or videography service is not provided.
Lunch was pretty good (without being amazing) and basic snacks such as muesli bars were available for guests to carry, and small water bottles were available in the heli.
The level of service from the majority of staff was exceptional, and despite there being 36 guests in the lodge, the service was rather personalised.
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| Accommodation |
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The setting at Bell 2 was really nice. Even though it’s located on the highway, the lodging was far enough away from the road which didn’t have much traffic anyhow, so we still felt like we were staying out in the wilderness.
Our room was spacious and the décor was very nice (albeit a bit old in places) without being luxurious. The beds were very nicely made up with quality linens and were incredibly comfortable. One minor limitation was that we could hear our neighbours walking around upstairs very early in the mornings (possibly why the repeat customers get upper rooms as part of a loyalty program).
The little combustion fireplace was a really nice touch and the staff provided lots of firewood as well as kindling so it was easy to light. And there were slippers, bathrobe and beach towel for the hot tub.
The food was first-rate for gastopub fare without being OTT gourmet.
As Bell 2 is out in the middle of nowhere and there are satellite communications it was no great surprise that there was no cell service (but phones in each room) and the internet was painfully slow (and expensive). The upside for many is the chance to really get away from the world.
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Value for Money
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Firstly LFH scores points for heli skiing with only 4 guests and a guide in the bird, unlike a handful of operators that are still offering large group or large heli formats.
The package rates are pretty much middle of the road for most of the Canadian multi-day heli operators (with the exception of CMH operations that charge a fortune!). With LFH you have to pay extra for additional vertical past the “guarantee” which adds to the cost for those that want max vertical, and this package style makes sense for an operator where there’s a good probability you won’t get full days of heli skiing every day.
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