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In 1953, an Austrian mountain guide known by the name of Hans Gmoser was determined to transform his lifetime dream into reality and set the foundations of his own mountain skiing company. As Gmoser was not a rich man, it wasn’t at all easy for him to accomplish his enthusiastic goals, but that never stopped him from persevering in his endeavors. Without any help from the outside, it took him many years to save the money needed to move to Banff, where he would pursue a career as a professional guide in the sumptuous and striking mountain scenery surrounding Mount Assiniboine, often nicknamed “Canada's Matterhorn” by the locals.

Within a few years’ time span, Gmoser became very familiar with the mountain and adjoining areas, and one after another, he uncovered and learned all the intimate secrets of the region. As his knowledge of Mount Assiniboine was growing, so did his urge to share the natural beauty of the mountain scenery in Western Canada with other people, and as days went by, Gmoser was getting closer and closer to fulfilling his ambitions.

The extensive backcountry experience he had accumulated as a guide over the years enabled Hans to set the grounds for a small company called Canadian Mountain Holidays (CMH), a name that he would etch in the pages of history. With Hans in charge, business was going smoothly and the company was rapidly gaining in popularity, as Hans was directly involved in attracting and leading thousands of skiers and mountain climbers on fascinating, previously untouched mountain routes.

More than five decades later, the helicopters rides and the skiing equipment have changed radically, but the dream inspired by Hans Moser is as vivid and authentic as ever. Nowadays, his mission is carried on further by a new generation of dedicated guides, whose main strive is to share the thrill and excitement of heli skiing BC Canada with the many thousands of winter sports enthusiasts who come to this place every year.

The perfect mix between bountiful snowfall and permissive weather conditions render the region of British Columbia ideal for practicing heli skiing, snowboarding and other winter sports. Helicopter skiing operations are renowned for their quality and diversity of service, and with so many dedicated companies functioning in the region, it is easy to find one that suits your exact needs and requirements.

The main differences between the helicopter skiing operations of today are in areas like lodging conditions, the types and sizes of the helicopters used, the number of skiers in a group, as well as the locations of the lodges. While some lodges are more secluded and intimate, others are situated right in the heart of towns to provide access to a larger array of entertainment options and other facilities. A number of operations have become specialized in offering daily helicopter skiing services directly from a ski resort, while others only offer multi-day packages for which you need to make bookings long in advance. Overall, British Columbia has come a long way since the 50’s, nowadays offering a broad spectrum of dedicated heli skiing services to satisfy all preferences and to meet almost any budget.

All reputable cat skiing BC Canada operators are widely renowned for offering high-standard cat skiing experiences. They all provide access by means of snowcat to untouched backcountry terrain so that skiers can enjoy skiing or snowboarding untracked powder snow. Nowadays there are plenty of enticing BC Canada cat skiing holiday offers to choose from, ranging anywhere from daily or weekend escapades organized in a valley community, and all the way to seven day packages in secluded and quiet lodge settings.

While some catskiing BC Canada operators focus on providing top notch lodging and dining, others also offer very affordable packages designed especially for budget conscious customers. As you can see, BC Canada cat skiing services are all about diversity and flexibility, but how safe are they?

Winter sports enthusiasts new to cat skiing are mainly concerned about the safety levels associated with practicing catskiing, and their biggest fears revolve around the increased risks of avalanches. And to a point, their worries are in fact well-grounded. Despite the ongoing efforts sustained by dedicated cat skiing operators to make trips as safe as possible, in truth it is virtually impossible to completely eliminate the element of danger from the equation. There’s always some room left for accidents to occur, but if (or when) these do happen, the crucial thing is that the operator be well prepared to intervene promptly and in a highly professional manner.

As for avalanches, know that they can be forecast, although to a lesser extent than other natural phenomena. In fact, avalanche prediction is more an art than a science, and it takes great skill and experience to come up with accurate and actually useful readings. Just like common activities such as driving your personal car or sailing at sea can involve a certain degree of risk, so there will always be an element of risk attached to cat skiing.

When you are a rookie to cat skiing, it is reasonable to be concerned about these risks, but as soon as you gain more experience and familiarize yourself with the surrounding scenery, you will become much more relaxed and confident about it. And with support from a group of seasoned guides, you will find it much easier to set all worries aside and concentrate instead on your skiing.

Popular, reliable cat skiing BC Canada companies only hire professional guides who have undergone lengthy and comprehensive stages of training. These people are well aware of their responsibilities and they always cater to groups according to skill and hands-on cat skiing experience levels. As guides, their main priority is to ensure safety, and only when this aspect is fully covered they can take care that their groups also have fun.

Although minor accidents do occur occasionally while cat skiing, such events are a natural part of the learning process. However, with a solid catskiing BC Canada company, you can rest assured that such risks will be kept to a minimum. By choosing to practice skiing or snowboarding with a solid Canadian operator that promotes a “safety first” policy, you have the guarantee that the best guides in the branch will cater to you in a highly responsible manner and help you stay away from trouble on the ski slopes.