BCBusiness

56 BCBusiness November 2015 eriC berger/bella Coola Heli SportS; kHloe karDaSHiaN iNStagram competing, heli-skiing operators. HeliCat Canada worked with the province on developing a new adven- ture tourism policy, announced last March, that now governs all wilderness tourism activities and harmo- nizes policies between di"erent government agencies; it was a complex undertaking given that there are more than 600 commercial adventure tourism ten- ures on B.C. Crown land, covering everything from river rafting and jet boating to heli-skiing and hiking. "Land use and tenure is the lifeblood of our industry," says Tomm. "It requires constant attention." So, too, does hustling for guests and tapping new sources of heli-skiing clients. Over the past decade, heli- and cat-skier visits to B.C. mountains have remained ªat at roughly 100,000 per year (split roughly 70/30 between the two). The clientele of Gmoser's early days—willing to live like ski bums in a logging camp for the chance to ski fresh powder—has given way to today's more exclusive skiers, mostly from Europe and the United States, who are willing to pay in excess of $1,000 per day to ski and dine in Žve-star opulence (or pay $50,000 per week, along with 10 of their buddies, for a dedicated helicopter and guides to shuttle them around the mountains in search of powder). It's a customer base vulnerable to both shifting global economic conditions and an explosion of local competition. Gmoser sold CMH to Kelowna-based Alpine Helicopters in 1995 (which, in turn, was sold to Intrawest Resort Holdings Inc.) and passed away in 2006 at age 75. But his legacy looms large over the mountain sports industry, according to current CMH president Joe Flannery. "I don't think when Hans irst started heli-skiing that he could have imagined what this industry would become." The company Gmoser founded—headquartered in Ban", Alberta—now has sales reps around the world and a ªeet of 11 lodges throughout B.C. CMH is the titan of the industry, but with tens of millions of dollars of capital invested in lodge infrastructure, it has to remain nimble to keep beds and helicopter seats Žlled in the face of competition. Today, a lot of that competition is coming from smaller operators such as Bella Coola Heli Sports, based in the Bella Coola Valley, and Northern Escape Heli-Skiing, near Terrace, which both emerged as heli-skiing shifted to a more a"ordable, boutique-style product. "Boutique," in industry jargon, refers to smaller group skiing using aircraft like the A¯Star that seats Žve or six skiers rather than Bell 212s, which are like buses in the sky with room for 14 passengers. (Bell 212s were the bread and butter of CMH's high-vol- ume approach in the 1980s and early '90s.) CMH has also shifted some of its product to smaller groups and o"ers more four-day packages as opposed to the traditional week-long trip. Beyond economics there's the demographic challenge: Žnding a younger, more diverse clien- tele. Of particular concern is the lack of female The clientele of Gmoser's early days–willing to live like ski bums in a logging camp for the chance to ski fresh powder–has given way to today's more exclusive skiers, who are willing to pay in excess of $1,000 per day KEEPING UP WITH THE KARDASHIANS Skiing with Bella Coola Heli Sports; the Kardashians go heli-skiing; the view from above /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

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