Welcome to great bear Heli Skiing
Go Deeper - Luxury Redefined In The Wilds Of British Columbia’s Central Coast
BOOK NOW For 2025
After close to 60 years of guiding anglers on the wild steelhead and salmon runs of the mighty Dean River, we’ve extended our operations to the mountains and glaciers far above. After several years of preparation and planning, we are incredibly excited to have brought a long-held dream to fruition. Our first guests arrived on February 4th, 2022.
Since then, we’ve achieved a number of incredible milestones - best described by the numbers:
Number of guests since opening in 2022: 199
Number of first descents since opening in 2022: 93
Number of first descents waiting to be skied: endless…
Number of square kilometres explored: 1,250
Number of square kilometres in the tenure: 6,250
Number of runs with a spectacular view of the ocean (Dean Channel): 15
Longest run so far: 1,608m / 5,277ft (“Ursa Major”)
Percentage of days skied since 2022: 88% (average of <0.7 down days per week)
exceptional small group, private & semi-private helicopter skiing
The Highlights
Easy logistics ~ get yourself to Vancouver International Airport and the rest is up to us
Incredible alpine terrain for all skiing & riding abilities ~ with quick access to poor-weather tree skiing close to home
Small group, semi-private, private and exclusive booking packages
Unlimited vertical and all-in package pricing ~ no extra fees or charges after you arrive
More than 20 m / 65 ft of annual snowfall
35 years of superlative accommodation, cuisine & Canadian hospitality ~ a simply exceptional lodge experience
Meet The Dream Team
We’ve assembled something of a dream team comprised of industry professionals, friends and family. Our guides, pilots, lodge staff & management team bring with them decades of experience and a personal commitment to excellence in all aspects of the guest experience. You’ll see all the faces below at the lodge this winter, plus a number of others - hand-picked to help make your time with us nothing short of spectacular.
Mandi Blewett - Executive Chef & Owner
Billy Blewett - Master of BBQ & Owner
Ken Bibby - Mountain Operations Manager
Dyllan Blewett - Lodge Manager
Michael Williams - Guest Services
Sam McKoy - Guide
Peter Alex Wainwright - Supervising Guide
Fannie DuFour - Guide
Tobin Bellay-Berntsen - Guide
Brock Freathy - Guide
Lara Shea - Marketing Team; Tail Guide
Chris (and mini-Chris) - Helicopter Pilot
Ryan Madley - Helicopter Pilot
Caton Garvie - Helicopter Pilot
Matt Davis - Helicopter Pilot
Derek Thomas - Helicopter Pilot
Ryota Oki - Executive Chef
Courtney - Chef
Adrian Tongko - Chef
Zoe Blewett - Dessert Wizard; Marketing Team, Tail Guide
Stephanie Blewett - Head of House Keeping, Hostess
Maya Clarke-Doering - Hostess, Lodge House Keeper
Rachel Anderson - Hostess, Lodge House Keeper
Gregor Fair - Tail Guide & Maintenance
Kelsey Leiterman - Massage Therapist RMT, Lodge Hand
Garret - Lodge Hand & Ski Tech
Will MacKenzie - Very General Manager; Cocktail Wizard
There’s no big business here;
just a group of passionate people who have dedicated their lives to sharing experiences in places less traveled.
6,250 Km²
of Untouched Powder
…that’s a lot. 190 times larger than Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort for just you and 7 friends.
Geography
Our lodge is based on the mighty Dean River, approximately 50 km (30 miles) North of Bella Coola, British Columbia. We are ideally situated on the interior side of the Central Coast Mountain range, where we ride the divide between East and West. When the weather is fine, we head West into the snow zone ~ big glaciers, big alpine, big mountain snowpacks; when the coastal weather is doing it’s thing, we head East into the cooler and relatively drier side near the Chilcotin Plateau, where naturally treed glades allow for amazing poor weather powder skiing within a 5-minute flight from the lodge.
Seasonal Snowfall
We are lucky enough to be graced with some of the deepest snowpacks in Canada - averaging a total snowfall of 20 - 30 meters (65 - 100 ft) per year.
Located far enough inland, we enjoy ever so slightly colder weather than would ordinarily be found on the coast.
Huge seasonal snowfalls + cooler air = powder skiing Shangri-La (that’s ski math.)
Mountain life
These mountains are big. In fact, everything is big here: big glaciers, big rivers, big fish, big bears. The mountains of the Central Coast of British Columbia are known for unrivaled wilderness and our little piece of that world is no exception.
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Health & Safety
Effectively managing risk for both our guests and staff is paramount. Nothing is more important to us. To this end, our primary goal is for everyone to return home healthy and safe. Day after day; year after year.
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Lodge life
There are few settings in the world that feel truly wild and remote; this is one of those places. Hidden amongst the expansiveness of these mountains and rivers is our little oasis of rustic luxury. Welcome to our home in the Great Bear Rainforest.
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