It was a cold February morning as Jeff Jeltema and I prepared to fly into the backcountry lodge, we crossed paths with a group that was just finishing their stay at Mica Heli Guides. The first guest off the heli said the trip was, “fucking amazing!” The next guest explained, “this was the best experience of my life!” Finally the last guest let us know, “it was chest deep everyday!” From the looks on everyone’s faces, we knew this was going to be one hell of a trip.
In the realm of heli-ski operators, Mica is pretty new, but they are truly a world-class operation. There is a reason why you can find an image of their terrain in almost every issue of any ski magazine. The location is also a favorite of visiting film crews, with runs named by Matchstick Productions and Teton Gravity Research.
When you go to Mica, it feels like you are stepping into a ski movie. There is a ton of excellent alpine skiing, plus the best trees you will ever ski. You don’t have to be a pro to ski here, but with over a million acres of terrain, they have the goods to challenge the world’s best.
In addition to the massive terrain and beautiful fly-in lodge, the groups are small. There are no more than twelve skiers at a time, with 4 per helicopter. This means that you are not going to experience the cattle call that you do at bigger operators. There is no farming of snow, as there is an unlimited supply of powder in this eternal playground.
The accommodations at Mica Heli Lodge are top-notch. The lodge is a beautiful, heli-accessed log cabin with big windows and panoramic views. The meals were excellent, as guests are bound to grow a heli belly during their stay. We spent our evenings watching movies, sending emails, drinking beers, enjoying good conversation, and relaxing in the outdoor hot tub.
Our three days with Mica Heli Guides were all bluebird days, giving us the ultimate ski trip. While staying at Mica, guests don’t have to stress about the possibility of down days. Down days at Mica are very rare, with less than 1 per year. This is possible because the lodge sits at a higher elevation than other operators. When other operators are grounded, guest at Mica are enjoying face shots in the trees!
We were able to log 23,200 meters of vertical in our 3 days of skiing with Mica Heli Guides. When looking through the various operators in British Columbia, Mica Heli Guides definitely falls at the top of the list. Every run that I experienced at Mica was the best run of my life. I truly believe that every skier needs to go to Mica at least once and they will find that once isn’t nearly enough!
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