TLH HeliskiingView Comments

Last March, a remarkable opportunity presented itself, the chance to go heliskiing in British Columbia.  Not just anywhere in British Columbia either, this heli trip was to the remote Chilcotin range.  The operation was TLH Heliskiing, a place I’ve been dying to check out for quite some time now.

TLH operates from the Tyax Wilderness Resort which is situated right on shores of the beautiful Tyaughton Lake, about a four hour drive northeast of Whistler. For those impatient types, TLH also offers helicopter transfers from either Vancouver or Whistler for an additional fee.  We chose to drive ourselves in order to check out some of the legendary BC scenery.  As expected, we were not disappointed.

We arrived at the lodge around five p.m. and were told to help ourselves to beers from the fridge and that dinner would be at seven.  Then we meet the other guests at the lodge and immediately knew they had just finished a great day of heli skiing, a fact that was obvious from their permagrins, the type only a perfect day of skiing can provide.   That night we experienced the first class accommodations of TLH.  The lodge is beautiful, the food memorable, and the staff hospitable.   However, we were not just visiting for the beautiful accommodations, we were there to ski.   On this trip, we were booked for two days of heliskiing with unlimited vertical each day.  With that to look forward to, morning seemed like it never would arrive.

Despite my fears that time was going to slow down so much that it might actually stop, morning finally did arrive, and with the help of Benedryl, I was even able to overcome my excitement and get a few hours of sleep.   That morning the weather looked perfect for flying, bluebird skies and low wind. After breakfast and a quick peeps training session in morning, we were in the air by 9:45.  Besides the promise of unlimited vertical, TLH is also one of the few operators to only fly one group per helicopter.  This equates to no waiting and as much skiing as your legs can handle.  Our group for the day consisted of seven guests, two guides, and one pilot.  So as the ten of us headed out to share eight hundred ninety five thousand acres of high alpine bowls, chutes, and trees, I had a sneaky feeling I would probably get a few fresh turns.  This day was guaranteed to be little less crowded than the Summit County resorts of Colorado that I had been skiing most of the winter.

We had arrived at TLH two days after a big storm cycle came through which normally would be perfect timing.  However, this particular storm left in its wake a very unstable snowpack which really limited the types of slopes we could ride.  The entire day, we flew over terrain that would definitely make for some epic lines had the snowpack been better.  But when our lust for those lines started to cloud our thinking and become unbearable, Mother Nature would bring us back to reality with a big whumpf or the view of a fresh slide.  Despite the limitations due to the avi danger, the guides at TLH were experienced enough to find us soft, fresh, and most importantly safe, untracked turns all day long.  The average runs at TLH are twenty-five hundred vertical feet, but due to the conditions ours were a little less than that.  Despite this, we still got in plenty of vertical to make our legs feel like jell-o by the end of the day.  Typical runs began from the top of some remote Chilcotin peak.  After a couple minutes to clip into our gear and take in the scenery, we were off arcing massive powder turns down a wide open alpine bowl.  Then, we would arrive at tree line and start weaving through perfectly spaced pine trees over gentle rolling terrain.   Finally, we would ski right back to the helicopter which, because of the one group per heli policy at TLH, was always there waiting for us at the bottom; and usually with the blades turning, ready to bring us back to some other peak where we would repeat the seamless process all over again.

After an amazing day of skiing, we returned to the lodge to soak our aching muscles in the hot tub, eat another gourmet dinner, and rest up for the next day.  While the location of TLH is definitely remote, if desired, guests can stay connected to the outside world with use of the lodge’s WiFi and satellite television, or leave it all behind and just enjoy quiet peaceful nights and deep powder turn filled days.  Unfortunately, on our visit we were only able ski the first day.   The second day was a down day due to cloud cover and rain to elevations at or above tree line.  That is always a risk you take on a heli trip, especially in March.  On a positive note, the day we did fly was fantastic.  Even with the limitations due to the Avi danger, TLH had enough terrain variety to provide us some great untracked powder all day long.

All in all, the friendly staff at TLH provided us with fantastic food, good times, and some incredible turns.   It was one of those once in a lifetime ski experiences, but I’m dying to get back up there and make it at least a twice in a lifetime thing.  TLH definitely provides a first class heli ski vacation and if timed right, their expansive terrain showed serious potential to provide any skier or border with best day of their lives.