$4300 for 5 days of heliskiing, 6 nights of lodging, meals, powder heliskis/boards, 72000 vertical feet of heliskiing and a New Year’s Eve Party!
I know, you hate to miss Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest on New Years, but this is worth it…..
We will throw in a lift ticket for resort skiing on the other day, too.
This special deal has to be booked directly with HELISKIcom, so give us a email or call 866-HELISKI (866-435-4754)
It is the ultimate cocktail party trump card. Like having a jet!
What’s it really like? Who are these lucky pro leisure tour heliski gods?
Many helicopter skiing operators are former guides. The trick is to put together investors, usually former clients. They continue as lead guide, saving cash (and making turns.) Somebody’s gotta do it.
Actually, as John Forrest of Northern Escape Heli-Skiing puts it, “Heli Ski guiding is really a very difficult job. The hours are long, the remuneration is minimal and it’s certainly not in line with the risk taken each day. That said, I wouldn’t trade it for any other vocation. There is nothing like seeing the faces of your new group at the top of their first run. It’s a combination of utter amazement and absolute awe combined with a twinge of angst.”
Some heliski operators are very wealthy heliskiing enthusiasts. They like the psychological income and the carte blanche availability.
No matter how it begins, owning and operating a heliskiing company is a complicated undertaking. First, you need permits for everything you do. After you get the permits, there are more permits needed… You need a food service permit for your restaurant, a liquor license for your bar, a water and septic license for your lodge, a taxi type permit for your vans and so on… Imagine owning and running this many separate businesses all at once: a lodge, a restaurant, a bar, a retail outlet, a transportation company and a guiding company. Crying yet?
Do they have the ultimate toy AND make money. Some do, most don’t. A few of the well established heliskiing companies make money, but for many it’s only a labor of love. CMH (Canadian Mountain Holidays) and Mike Wiegele Helicopter Skiing run like small corporations. Volume = economies of scale = profit potential.
For the boutique operators, expenses and risk combine to make it a challenge.
The big expenses, in order:
1. Helicopters, per hour and minimum commitments. This is generally a company’s single largest expense. Most helicopters cost about $0.50 per SECOND
2. Personnel – guides, chefs, cooks, lodge staff. Most companies having well over a 1:1 Guest to staff ratio.
3. Food – You can never spend too much on food! Where do you think “helly belly” comes from?
4. The Lodge – Many are leased. If you own the lodge, you must use it in the summer. If you lease it, you only need to fill it for the winter.
5. Ground transportation – Heliskiing generally requires the company to have several vans, trucks and other equipment. That includes vehicles, gas and drivers.
6. Other equipment includes required environmentally safe fuel tanks as well as all the other safety equipment to operate. Additionally, there are a select few companies that are investing in ensuring their guests will ski everyday by buying snowcats as back-up to their heliskiing program. That’s roughly the equivalent of having a complete catskiing company on stand-by, just in case you need it and that is really not cheap.
7. Insurance – Definitely more than the insurance on your Porsche.
8. Fuel – about 10% of the cost of running the helicopter. Some purchase futures to hedge against a sudden increase.
There you have it. That’s what it’s like own a heli-skiing company.
How Much Does Heli Skiing Cost? It’s not a simple answer, but a good rule of thumb is heli-skiing cost is $1,500/day/person US. A week of Canada heli skiing cost ranges from $8,000 – $20,000 US, per person. Heliski cost varies depending on many factors.
Give us a call or email and we can help you find the best heli ski cost for the trip that suits your group. 866-HELISKI. or EMAIL
Here is an example of options we put together for a group of 8 looking for 4-5 days next January:
| Operator | January Dates | # Days | Group Size | Groups Per Heli | Ski Together | Vertical Feet | Heliski Cost Per Person | Heliski Cost Per Day | Travel |
| (US) | |||||||||
| Silvertip | 21-25 | 4 | 8 | 2 | Yes | Unlimited | $6,902 | $1,726 | Van-Williams Lake, Heli to Lodge (all included) |
| 29- Feb 2 | 4 | 8 | 2 | Yes | Unlimited | $7,672 | $1,918 | ||
| Ski in one group, cool lodge on lake, travel from Vancouver included. | |||||||||
| Stellar | 11-14 | 4 | 4 | 2 or 3 | No | Unlimited | $8,210 | $2,053 | Fly to Spokane, WA; rent Cars, drive 4.5 hrs |
| Crescent Spur | 1-6 | 4 | 10 | 2 | Yes | Unlimited | $5,572 | $1,393 | Fly Van-Prince George, 2 hrs in Shuttle, incl. |
| 6-12 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 80K | $8,412 | $1,682 | |||
| 6-13 | 6 | 10 | 2 | 100K | $9,095 | $1,516 | |||
| extra @ $37/K | |||||||||
| Great Canadian | 8-12 | 4 | 4 | 3 | No | Unlimited | $7,913 | $1,978 | Fly to Calgary, Van 4 hrs., $2300 US total |
| 14-17 | 4 | 8 | 3 | $9,221 | $2,305 | ||||
| Mike Wiegele | 13-20 | 5 | 10 | 3 or 4 | Yes | Unlimited | $8,640 | $1,728 | Fly to Kamloops, 2.5 hrs by rental car or shuttle |
| 20-27 | 5 | 10 | 4 or 4 | ||||||
| 27-Feb 3 | 5 | 10 | 5 or 4 | ||||||
| Here is a link to a map showing your options in red. In case the labels don’t show, they are top to bottom: Crescent Spur, Silvertip, Mike Wiegele, Great Canadian, Stellar |
The time of year (early and late season heli-skiing costs less)
The scale of the operation (large helicopters are less expensive, and boutique operations are more expensive) Even within CMH heli skiing costs vary widely.
The number of days (some weeks are 6 days of skiing, some 7). It’s best to look at what heli skiing costs per day and per vertical foot / meter to compare the cost of heli skiing.
The number of groups per helicopter (fewer is better – less waiting). Some operators ski four groups per helicopter, some two. Heli skiing costs less with more groups. Private is one group, and expensive.
The travel options (some fly you in by helicopter; some include hotel in Vancouver or Calgary). Some operators include the flight in the heli-skiing cost.
The amount of skiing, measured in vertical feet or meters. Most guarantee a minimum, typically 100K feet per week. Over that, one pays $40 to $60 US per thousand feet. Some operators charge a higher base rate, but include unlimited vertical. Ski as much as you want. Some charge by the hour of helicopter flight time aka Hobbs. This is more common in Privates and in Alaska.
Trips come in all sizes, typically 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 days.
The amenities and other add ons, including massage and alcohol (in most cases). Some packages include EVERYTHING in the heliski cost!
There are 1-day operators, usually found near a resort. It’s a taste of the real thing, and expensive for what you get. You have to be prepared to go over the safety briefing every day, and they cater to newbies, so be ready for the challenges and delays that can bring. The cost of heli skiing for one day is usually very high compared to longer trips, especially considering the vertical you ski.
Some operators combine catskiing and/or resort skiing with heliskiing. This can be a good way to warm up, and it keeps the heliski cost down. Catskiing is 40-50% of the cost of heliskiing on average.
How does one decide? Call or email me or one of the HELISKI.com team.
Holy Economic Recovery. Bookings are good, but that is amazing.
Skeena IS a great heliskiing operator. I was lucky enough to ski with them for a week and it was great. Giacum (“Jake”), the owner and lead guide, is probably the best skier I have ever had the pleasure of joining on the slopes. He raced bumps in Europe for 15 years, then coached others in that fine art. He is generous with his advice, too, which everyone appreciated.
They ski in two groups of five. No waiting, and tons of vertical. Nearly a Private, for standard pricing.
The lodge is spectacular. It may be the best heliski lodge I have stayed in.
As for Skeena Heliskiing, you will have to wait. They are now booking 2012.
But I digress. Bookings typically ramp up after Labor Day. And there are 40+ other locations with availability.
So, if you’re serious about going this season, drop me an email (tj@heliski.com) or call me at 866-HELISKI (866-435-4754) or visit HELISKI.com and Heli-skiing Review.com to check out the options.
