Late March & April Heli-Skiing
Our favourite time to heliski. This photo was taken on April 4th!
Our favourite time to heliski. This photo was taken on April 4th!
One of the most frequently asked questions we get is "when's the best time to heliski?". We've outlined what conditions are generally like each month on the page Best Time to Go Heli-Skiing. However, most of our guiding team enjoy skiing in April. Here's why:
1. More Sun – Skiing in a storm is pretty cool, but nothing beats skiing powder under a cloudless blue sky! During March and April we see a lot more sun than in early winter. Snowfall regularly happens during the cooler night hours, therefore daytime snowfall is much less common while “bluebird” days are much more common (but of course, the reverse can still happen, it's the mountains after all!).
2. Longer Ski Days – In addition to seeing more of the sun, there is much more daylight. This means you can ski longer if your legs can handle it! While other operations might finish around 4pm, we can ski until 6pm.
3. Let’s Go Even Deeper – let's explore! Thanks to longer days and more stable weather, we can get deeper into our humongous tenure. One of the great things about our guides and management is that they like to explore. We prefer to jump around, rather than ski a certain face over and over. We think it’s fun to explore our vast tenure. So vast in fact, it’s the world’s largest ski area at 3.55 million acres (14,370 km2)! That’s 614 times bigger than Vail and the size of the entire Swiss Alps just for our guests!
4. Winter Powder Skiing – YESSSSSSSS we can ski mid-winter like POWDER in March and early April! In fact, many of the powder photos on our website were taken in April! It’s not uncommon for it to dump snow overnight, and then clear in the morning for a picture-perfect bluebird powder day!
5. Corn Snow - While powder is most people’s favourite type of snow, another favourite is “corn snow” which appears during the spring. Corn snow is basically semi-loose granules that freeze together at night and loosens during the day. It’s when these granules “release” that the snow becomes fun to ski. The best way to describe the sensation is that it’s like your edges are red hot and you’re skiing on butter! It is fast and very smooth!
6. Steep Skiing – In our neck of the woods, we can receive between 65-100ft each winter! The great advantage of our snow compared to places in the Alps, Utah, Japan or the interior of BC is that the layers bond so much better leading to a generally more stable snowpack. This is especially true in the spring. Because of this, springtime allows us to ski some of the steepest terrain all season (don't worry, if you are after something more mellow, we've got you covered!). If you really, really want to push the envelope, we offer the Classic XL package which includes 120,000ft of vertical and is aimed at aggressive skiers who want to charge HARD. Alternatively, if you prefer to "earn your turns", we offer a Heli-Assisted Ski Touring program.
7. The Sun Deck – Our sun decks ROCK! The decks at most of our lodges are perfectly positioned to capture the sun’s rays at the end of the ski day. Guests love reminiscing about the day’s powder turns, sipping on a cold beer, and enjoying tasty canapés and hors d'œuvres with the afternoon sun beating down!
8. Cheaper Rates - What a bonus! Tons of great skiing and at a price that is less than high season. Gotta like that.