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April 28, 2011 
The combination of generous snowfall, consistently cool temperatures and extensive skier-friendly terrain renders British Columbia, Canada ideal for practicing helicopter skiing and heli boarding. British Columbia also welcomes avid skiers with a wide variety of operators, scattered throughout the entire alpine region.
Essentially, all operators offer about the same experience - they all enable skiers/ boarders to access and ski vast expanses of terrain. However, every service can differ greatly in terms of coverage, costs, policy, safety, accommodation, types of helicopters and equipment used, sizes of the groups catered to, numbers of groups per helicopter, as well as the locations of the lodges (while some are secluded, others are right in the heart of towns). Some operations specialize in daily helicopter skiing from a ski resort, while others exclusively offer one-week trips from a destination lodge. Ultimately, what is important to note is that British Columbia caters to virtually all categories of winter sports enthusiasts by offering an extensive package of quality services.
When booking a trip, whether through a travel agent or a tour operator, make sure you decide based on concrete factors. As tempting as it may be, try not to give too much credit to weather forecasts. In alpine territory, such predictions are rarely reliable.
The best of helicopter skiing and heli boarding takes places in secluded mountain regions, where there is plenty of untouched skiable terrain. Still, because helicopters are expensive to operate over long distances, certain operations prefer to function within close range of paved, plowed road heads. Another reason for that is the fierce controversy over the fact that heliskiing allegedly conflicts with wilderness preservation values and overlaps with self-powered backcountry riding in the proximity of established ski areas and population centers.
A Look at Helicopter Skiing Safety
The main safety consideration of helicopter skiing operators is the risk of avalanches. To mitigate this risk, reliable heli skiing BC Canada operations only employ guides and pilots who have extensive experience in assessing snow conditions, snow stability and other factors related to such natural events. When the risk of avalanches is very high, some operations may even resort to conducting avalanche control - which is the intentional triggering of avalanches - in association with local land management agencies.
If the weather conditions are inappropriate for flying, reputable heli ski operators are equipped for alternate means of accessing the slopes, usually by snowcat. With such operators, skiers may still have the chance to ski their favorite runs, as long as the slopes aren’t too deep into alpine territory or cut from regular access ways.
Most trips require guests to undergo a short training course on skiing safety and risk management before taking to the slopes. Skiers also typically receive avalanche rescue equipment such as probes, shovels and transceivers. As of late, some operators have also started to provide additional avalanche protection, like for instance air bags or Avalungs.
Other potential hazards of helicopter skiing/ boarding include falling into tree wells or crevasses, and, of course, typical ski-related injuries. Although rare, helicopter crashes are possible, especially in extreme weather conditions. Financial hazards mostly involve losing pre-paid ski days to un-flyable weather.
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