White Wilderness Heliski Terrain
White Wilderness Heliskiing Canada has a massive tenure of 3,200 square kilometres (about 800,000 acres), offering a seemingly endless number of untracked powder runs. The lodge is centrally located within the tenure, so the abundant lines are readily accessed. The central location is also key, as there are some protected zones close to the lodge for days when it’s snowing.
The terrain includes long glaciers, a diversity of other alpine areas, and glades and tree skiing for low visibility days. The terrain includes runs for strong intermediates as well as experts-only runs.
The maximum elevation is 2,800 metres and run length varies from about 650 metres of vertical up to 1,000m. Each package includes unlimited vertical. Typically the first heli lift is about 0815 and you’ll ski until 1600 or 1630, depending on conditions and the state of your thighs.
Snow
Aptly named, the wilderness is a mass of white during the ski season, with lots of peaks coated in deep layers of snow.
A major pro of this region is the abundance of snow, and the region is cited to score 15 to 30 metres (50 to 100 feet) of snow annually. Moisture-saturated air rises from the Pacific and together with the drier, colder, high-altitude location in the heart of the Nass and Hazelton Ranges, great snow conditions are created. The snowpack is more stable than various heli ski operators that are further to the east in the Interior of British Columbia.
No Fly Days
Naturally all that snow doesn’t fall from blue skies and heli skiing companies have “no-fly” days when big snowstorms roll in. White Wilderness Heliskiing is no exception and down days occasionally happen. Options for alternative activities include skiing at
Shames Mountain, cross country skiing, ocean boat adventures, and the potential for fishing for spring steelhead. There are also nearby opportunities for curling, ice skating and a shooting range.
Or you can relax about the lodge in front of the fire, sit in the hot tub or one of the saunas, and rest the body in readiness for the following day.