How can I have someone contact me in Bella Coola?
All the rooms at the lodge have their own phones. The phone number Is 250-799-5618. The Bella Coola Valley Inn staff are happy to take messages for you from 7am to 12midnight (MST).
Can I access my email or the internet from your location?
Yes and it's high-speed too! There is an internet cafe in the hotel with three stand-alone terminals, two network plug-ins and a wireless network throughout the hotel.
Can I use my own personal VHF handheld radio?
Yes, you can bring along and use your own VHF radios to monitor the operational frequency. In each group we will ask that one group member carry a small safety pack, and this skier will have a radio supplied by Dream Catcher Heliskiing. Our frequencies are for emergency USE only by guests. You must have an alternate frequency programmed into your radio to "chat" with other guests.
Can I use an ABS system?
The airbag avalanche safety systems are not permitted inside the helicopter, and depending on weight of the group, may or may not be permitted. Please talk to our operations team before any use of ABS systems.
Does Dream Catcher Heliskiing offer any credit for organizing a group or introducing a new skier? We offer a commission to any skier that brings along groups of 10-15 skiers Dream Catcher Heliskiing Tours. We appreciate referrals to your skiing riends and you will receive a $350 credit toward any future trip that you book. Please contact our office for details.
What is there to see and do in Bella Coola?
The Bella Coola Valley has all the amenities, but it is not cosmopolitan like Whistler or Banff. This is place to really relax when you're not skiing, make your own fun with your skiing partners and get to know the friendly locals. Our packages really take you away from it all, in a wilderness setting unlike any other ... with the convenience of small grocery stores, galleries, satellite TV's.
Is the terrain in your action photos just for use by film crews?
The photos you see on our website are the real thing. This is terrain accessible to our heliskiing clients on any given day. Remember that the pro athletes are real people too, and they like to have fun skiing or riding (and being safe) as much as you!
Where are you located?
Our base of operations is located in beautiful Bella Coola - approximately 450 km northwest of Vancouver, BC. Dream Catcher heliskiing exclusive terrain is comprised of 3,300 square km of high mountain terrain in four pods that encompasses a total area of 5,200 square km in the Coast Mountains. Our northern terrain is located in the Kitimat Range, south of Tweedsmuir Park and Kitlope Heritage Conservancy Area near the Dean River (famous for steelhead fishing). Our southern area is located in the Pacific Ranges just west of South Bentinck Arm. Generally we are located between 75 and 250 km east of the outer coast, in the highest mountain ranges above the inlets that host our Boat Tours, pods of killer whales and natural hot springs available for your use.
How do I get to Bella Coola?
We have included the transfer from Vancouver to Bella Coola (return). Pacific Coastal Airlines leaves from the SOUTH TERMINAL of the Vancouver Airport. You will need to clear customs in Vancouver, BC and then board a smaller aircraft for the 1.25 hour flight to Bella Coola. All of the options for your travel to/from Bella Coola are outlined in the travel section.
Alternatively, yes, there is a road into Bella Coola. An adventurous, experienced winter driver could make their way from Williams Lake, BC to Bella Coola on Highway #20 (approximately 4.5 hours). Four-wheel drive vehicles are recommended, as is travel in daylight hours.
How does your terrain and location compare to Whistler or Blackcomb?
More dramatic, further north, more plentiful snowfall, more extensive glaciation and colder. Quite frankly: steeper and deeper and colder overall. Our operating elevations are similar to Blackcomb Mountain (we can ski 200 metres higher) but we are almost 350 km northwest and in an area that receives the largest snowpack in British Columbia. Temperatures of -17 degC have been recorded in Bella Coola at 22 metres elevation (above sea level). The colder temperatures are a result of our proximity to the Chilcotin Plateau. This also means that clear weather pushes in from the east, and while the big storms lumbering off the Pacific can produce similar weather for a few days for both Whistler and Bella Coola, mostly the local weather patterns are very unique to the region.
What is the best month to book a Dream Catcher Heliskiing Tour?
Every tour planned and offered has a 90% chance of providing the guaranteed vertical we advertise. Most weeks will provide the opportunity extra vertical. We offer heliskiing in an area in some of the most glaciated mountains in Western Canada. Our winter starts earlier and lasts longer than in the continental US. At the 52nd parallel winter lingers. Powder snow can be encountered well into May, but generally we hang up the boards in mid-April.
What is the skiing and snowboarding like?
Dream Catcher Heliskiing offers wilderness, helicopter skiing and snowboarding in a remote, extremely scenic mountain setting. The area encompasses more than 3,376 square km (834,366 acres) with more than 300 runs identified (not all have been skied yet!). Runs vary from 500 to 1750 metres, with many of our runs a consistent 1,100 vertical metres (3,300 feet). Skiing is done on open snowfields, glaciers and in sparsely spaced trees or in natural openings, and in the most beautiful mountain range we've ever known.
What make/model of skis do you offer for rentals?
We offer a variety of high-performance fat and mid-fat mountain skis for the intermediate to advanced powder skier. Our skis come in 150, 165, 177 cm and 184 cm lengths.
The Atomic Heli-Daddy is our widest ski and is specifically designed for powder skiing. It provides maximum flotation and is the easiest to turn. Lengths are 160 cm, 170 cm and 180 cm lengths. Recommended for intermediate skiers or for the first few days of your program if you are trying to maximize your vertical.
Do you rent snowboards?
We do not rent snowboards. You will want to bring a medium length board suitable for powder conditions and skiing in treed terrain. We offer free use of our equipment room where you can mount bindings, wax or prepare your boards.
How do you extrapolate our mountain weather conditions from valley-bottom temperatures and forecasts?
Our ski terrain lies between the 2,000 and 9,000 feet above the valley floor. For every 1,000 vertical feet elevation gain the temperature drops approximately 1degC. One millimetre of rain translates to one centimetre of snow (1 inch = 2.54 centimetre).
