A week of skiing at Panorama Mountain Village can be fun enough for any group that heads into the Purcell mountains.  But, if you’re looking to spice it up a bit and get your powder legs out, head just across the narrow valley to RK Heli and ask them about making some turns outside the resort boundaries.  Most groups that ski with RK book for either one-day or three-day packages with a three runs being standard for the day.  There is an option to upgrade to five runs if you’re up to the challenge, and I think most guests find themselves wanting those extra runs.  I mean, more powder, and please!

After a very cordial conversation over the phone, Sandra from RK Heli lined me up with a group of Germans who had already been skiing with RK heli for a couple of days.  She warned me that they were a fast group of skiers, and being the ski bum I am, I took her up on the challenge.  I arrived the next morning at 8:30am to sign the release forms and enjoy the complimentary breakfast served in Choppers Landing Restaraunt & Lounge.  A plateful of bacon, eggs, toast, and yogurt with granola later, and my belly was stuffed; good thing though, as those extra calories came in handy after a few runs in the heli!

The requisite safety briefing, including avalanche transceiver training and heli etiquette, took place just outside the log and granite heli-plex.  Our guides for the day, Rod and Graham, went over everything we needed to know for getting in and out of the helicopter, as well as what do do in case of any emergency.  For most of the guests on this day, it was a refresher course, but for anyone who is new to backcountry style skiing, there is some really good information to hear.

RK Heli’s terrain is located right smack in the middle of the Purcells and Bugaboos mountain ranges.  This means, that even if the snow hasn’t quite made its way to Panorama, there is a good bet that powder, and lots of it, is just waiting a few km away.  Our pilot, Bruce, flew the Bell 212 helicopter smoothly to the top of our first ridge, leaving the 10 of us in our group and the two guides way up in the high alpine.  The skies were brilliantly blue and there were only a few clouds off in the distance, leaving the sun to sparkle brightly on the snow’s surface.  Avalanche danger at the time was pretty moderate, so Rod and Graham opted for some 25-30 degree slopes that wound our way through some spectacular couloirs around some massive cliffs.  There was one glacier we stopped below that had to be hanging 400 ft (ok, 120 metres!) above the bottom of the cliff band…insane!

Graham, on one of our runs, pointed out a cross placed right at the tip of a rocky peak.  He explained to us that they filmed part of the movie “Alive” right there; luckily, we weren’t dealing with a felled plane and were just about to rip some smooth pow turns all the way to the valley floor.  A much better deal than those poor Chilean soccer athletes who had to turn to cannibalism back in 1972 just to survive.

I couldn’t believe how much good snow we came across, even a few weeks after the last reported storm on the Eastern side of the Kootenays.  It seemed like Rod and Graham were able to find some really fun lines without having to cross any old tracks.  And, after three long runs from the high alpine all the way to the gladed trees near the valley floor, everyone was amped up enough to go for the extra runs.  High fives were tossed all around, and we loaded up the heli for what we called victory laps before heading back to the heli-plex for some apres beers.

A big thanks to the fine staff at RK Heli, and to all the great skiers/riders I had the chance to rip around with.  The day in the heli definitely added to my experience at Panorama, and I’d suggest it to anyone who finds themselves inclined to get inclined.

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If you’re looking for a place to stay, contact High Country Properties to see what they have to offer.  They have everything you need from on-mountain accomodations to great condos down in the town of Invermere, only a 15 minute drive away.  Pick up your gear at Backcountry.com…this ski bum has some suggestions too, if you need.

Tags: Backcountry.com, Bell 212 Helicopter, Choppers Landing Restaraunt & Lounge, Christatsuno.com, High Country Properties, Panorama Mountain Village, RK Heli Skiing