OTS Heli/Cat Guide: Northern Escape Heli-Skiing

Although Northern Escape Heli-skiing is slightly off the radar, it is well worth checking out. Tucked up under the Alaskan Panhandle, this corner of Northern British Columbia is blessed with some of the deepest snowfall in North America with a generally stable snowpack to boot.

NEH flies in the Skeena Range, and while it’s a young operation, experienced operators and guides run it. The terrain is big, in both relief and vastness, ranging from glaciated runs and spines to treed slopes. Film crews are beginning to take notice of the vast and impressive offerings under NEH ‘s tenure: Standard Productions and MSP have been spotted there recently.

The snow consistency while we visited was hero-quality, and the descents can be never-ending: in a good way. NEH has an expanded cat-ski service back-up this year, so guests never get stuck in the lodge on down days. The staff is down to earth and friendly, yet professional. NEH is a great choice for someone looking for an Alaskan-style heli ski experience, with some northern Canadian culture.

Travel: The main NEH lodge is located 20 minutes from the Terrace, BC Regional airport, a two-hour flight north from Vancouver, BC.

Basic Package: The Classic package starts at three nights and three full days of heli-skiing, with airport transfers, lodging, meals, amenities, avalanche gear, airbag, and fat skis from $3,549 CDN.

Years in Biz: 9

Size of Tenure: 1.8 million acres

Snowfall: 1200 inches per year

Size of Group: Six heli skiers/boarders per group plus guide

Guarantee: NEH has a snow cat back up, guaranteeing no down days. If you do not meet your guaranteed vertical during the trip, unused vertical will be credited to a future trip with NEH.

How they Charge: NEH has a variety of packages, including an unlimited vertical option where starting from $835 more per package you can add unlimited vertical for the trip, and increase the vertical guarantee.

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