As outdoor sports, heliskiing and heliboarding are subject to external influences. If the weather doesn't cooperate, the helicopter stays on the ground. Fortunately, this is rare, but it does happen from time to time. At Northern Escape, however, you don't have to miss out on freeriding in the Yellow Cedar and in the new Mountain Lodge. The alternative is on chains.
Hooray, it's snowing! And it's snowing. And it's still snowing. What often sounds like a blessing sometimes becomes a problem in powder-accustomed heli-skiing areas like that of Northern Escape Heli-Skiing (NE). This is when, for example, low-hanging clouds prevent the helicopters from flying. Elsewhere, the downdays dreaded by heliskiers and boarders usually mean one game of billiards or darts after another or spending time in the pool. At Northern Escape, they have other plans. They want to get their guests on the boards every day - if not by helicopter, then by cat.
For bad weather days, NE owner John Forrest has installed a real Catski backup. Of course, it's "only" catskiing and doesn't quite feel like heliskiing. But anyone who dismisses a powder day with a snowcat as a lame downday activity is very much mistaken. At Northern Escape Heli-Skiing, around 50 kilometers of trails have been created for the tracked vehicles. They cover an area of almost 30 square kilometers - almost the size of Whistler, North America's largest ski resort. The runs then offer good tree skiing and lots of fun, especially at the top. On average, the runs cover a decent 600 vertical meters.
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If you book a heliski package with Northern Escape, you are guaranteed a place in the Cat just in case. Experience has shown that you switch to the snowcat for half a day per heliskiing week. If the weather conditions improve during cat skiing, you simply switch to the helicopter. Conversely, it is also possible to fly from heliskiing to the cat skiing area if a bad weather front threatens during the day.
Only in absolutely exceptional cases is the weather so bad that the "Catland" remains closed from the NE. But this happens very rarely. Under the protection of the trees, wonderful runs through the deep powder snow of the Skeena Mountains are the rule. And at the latest when you burst a thick powder pillow under your skis or board, only very few guests of Northern Escape Heli-Skiing will really mourn the helicopter.