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Add Heli-Skiing to Your Whistler Vacation and Say You Tried to Ski Half a Million Acres
Whistler Blackcomb acquired Whistler Heli-Skiing in a transaction this fall, making it beyond simple to add heli-skiing to your Whistler vacation. The purchase adds Whistler Heli-Skiing's tenure of 494,000 acres throughout the Whistler backcountry to Whistler Blackcomb's 8,171 acres of inbounds skiing, creating a ski area of 502,171 acres or 785 square miles (we know you'll never ski all that in one vacation, but it sure sounds pretty awesome, doesn't it?).
The four previous owners of Whistler Heli-Skiing—Doug O'Mara, John Hetherington, Andrew Wilkins and Ken Hardy—are still actively involved in the business. They provide management and expert guiding for Whistler Heli-Skiing while Whistler Blackcomb will provide added sales, marketing and operational support.
"Whistler Blackcomb is very excited with the new opportunity to grow the Whistler Heli-Skiing business," says Dave Brownlie, Whistler Blackcomb's Chief Operating Officer. "There are huge opportunities for us to market heli-skiing alongside our current inbounds experiences."
Whistler Heli-Skiing has terrain for intermediate, advanced and expert skiers and riders. They can tailor a trip for first-time powder skiers, so this is a great way to be introduced to heli-skiing. You can opt for a one-day trip or as many days as your legs can stand it. Professional photographers and videographers accompany your helicopter group, making it pretty hard to pass up buying a memento...or two...or three.
"There are very few places in the world where a world-class ski resort can provide its guests with a heli-ski experience on glaciers within a five-minute flight from the village," says Doug O'Mara from Whistler Heli-Skiing.
Another major benefit of the two companies joining forces is the incredible wealth of shared snow science knowledge that's now available to both companies. Some of the most experienced mountain guides and ski patrollers in the business will now share years of snow data collection and snow study. In a business that relies daily on the predictability of its forecasting and reporting, this shared intelligence will be a significant asset.
The 25 year-old heli-ski company, the only one based in Whistler Resort, will still operate as Whistler Heli-Skiing, and will be a wholly owned subsidiary company of Whistler Blackcomb. For more information and to book trips, visit www.whistlerblackcomb.com or www.whistlerheliskiing.com.