White Wilderness Heliskiing: Premium Heliskiing

Until recently, Marcel Schneider had very little to do with heliskiing. In 2007, he built a lodge on the Skeena River to serve as a comfortable base for passionate fishermen from all over the world to catch salmon in the idyllic and wild nature of British Columbia in a way that was only known from TV reports. With a certain pride he tells that today he is the number 1 fly fishing provider in the Skeena River region. But recently he and his partner, Martin Jäger, have become owners and operators of a heliski company in Canada.

The pure nature
It is not for nothing that Canada attracts so many Swiss tourists year after year. The sight of nature is reminiscent of home, here too there are mountains, lakes, rivers and forests that meet harmoniously and merge into an almost idyllic picture of nature and freedom, and somewhere in the middle is the man who may enjoy this sight and soak up this peace and this power. But a decisive difference remains, the country is almost infinite, the region is so huge that large parts are still completely undeveloped by people, nowhere disturbs an annoying civilization, only one thing prevails here, pure nature. In a country that is almost 250 times larger than Switzerland, it seems that this is not so difficult.

From spring to autumn the region is home to wild bears, black bears and grizzlies, majestic bald eagles, these encounters alone are impressive, moving, but for any fisherman the ultimate are the rivers, which are full of fish, salmon and trout as far as the eye can see. A paradise for every fisherman. In winter, on the other hand, there is peace and quiet, the bears hibernate and the snow piles up by the meter, because no one clears it away. Wherever you look, there are snow-covered landscapes in front of you, a true winter paradise. It is obvious that this region is naturally made to offer exceptional heliskiing experiences here.

Premium heliskiing: small, fine, individual
The Swiss founders came to the heliski business almost like the virgin to the child. The area where their ancestral lodge is located was until now completely untouched by heli-skiers, because it was too far away for the existing heli-ski operators, whose flight from their heli-base took too long. Last year they got the opportunity to buy the exclusive right to use this region for themselves. They jumped at the chance and bought the heli company, so that they could operate heliskiing on the 1500 km2 area in winter. Now they start 2015/16 with their new company White Wilderness Heli- skiing in their first winter. They offer their customers a completely exclusive area for heliskiing. It is not about mass, but about high quality of experience. "Those who book with big providers usually fly in helicopters with 5-11 people who keep flying people to the same ski area and suddenly you find yourself with 40 skiers on the same slope. We don't want that," Marcel Schneider expresses in our conversation. "With us, you fly with small groups of four in the helicopter, and at the lodge you'll find a maximum of 24 guests." In addition, the lodge is also the helibase, which is more than convenient. You don't have to walk 20-30 minutes to the helibase to get into the helicopter. No, at White Wilderness the helicopter is right outside the front door, which is almost butler service. He also proudly points out their good kitchen. Their chef, Klaus Menze, is German and previously worked in a renowned star-rated kitchen. Menze ensures that the food is of exceptionally high quality. "We have a mix of Swiss qualities and Canadian preferences," Schneider says. High quality is a fundamental principle of White Wilderness Heliskiing, and the renovation of the lodge, which is resplendent in new splendor, speaks to that.