A Different Kind of Deep

Heliskiing is different. The thwap-thwap of the rotor blades, the sting of snow crystals pelting your face, the hiss of untouched powder under your skis, a sea of mountains in every direction, the high-fives in the pickup zone. All of it makes your heart beat faster and louder. You feel every cell in your body buzzing. It’s skiing, but better.

Selecting the right place to go heliskiing doesn’t have to be a daunting task for first-timers or frequent fliers. As a small operation, Stellar Heliskiing in Kaslo, British Columbia, can deliver your group a different kind of deep.

Since 2005, Stellar has been running small-group trips out of Kaslo, and its expeditions are unlike others you may have experienced or heard of. Flexibility is Stellar’s strongest differentiator. Its commitment to small groups, with a limit of four guests per guide, maximizes everyone’s ride time. While custom, private, single-day, and multiday options unlock access to more exclusive terrain. Experts can get after it on steep slopes of old-growth trees, and advanced skiers can float through friendly, wide-open bowls. And that’s just a taste of what awaits in the vast terrain where Stellar flies in the legendary Selkirk and Purcell mountains, all of it buried by 600-plus inches of snow annually.

The guides bring it all, coaching your technique, cracking jokes, and setting up a lunch spread on a snow table with a front-row view of the lines you just skied. And with Stellar’s no-ego culture, everyone in the group feels right at home, no matter their level. And if you happen to be a pro athlete filming a pillow line? Well, they’re there for that, too.

Every trip begins and ends in Kaslo, a village that feels like a bit of magic. This remote, historic silver-mining town sits on the western shore of Kootenay Lake, in an area often called the Switzerland of the Rockies, and one look tells you why. Quaint streets, western-style storefronts, a glimmering lake, and snowcapped peaks watching over it all: Kaslo is the kind of place that looks like a movie set, except it’s real.

Stellar’s lodging is in a class of its own. You won’t be sharing rooms with randoms in a thin-walled cabin. Stellar guests stay at a historic lakeside hotel so charming, you’ll almost yearn for more time in your room. (If only you didn’t have an enormous private patch of deep, dry Kootenay powder to farm by day.) The Kaslo Hotel is a beautifully modernized Victorian, originally built in 1896 with soaring ceilings, walk-out balconies, and a European chateau vibe. After a full day of shredding, guests gather by the fire over craft cocktails and après bites, then dig into regional, seasonal dishes at the Waypoint, the hotel restaurant where half the tables are locals on their second pint. From first turn to last call, your group turns into your crew.

Despite the remote feel and vast alpine terrain, getting to Stellar doesn’t require an expedition. Fly into Spokane, Washington, and drive four hours (147 miles) north, the last stretch on British Columbia’s famed Powder Highway. Alternatively, book a flight into West Kootenay Regional Airport in Castlegar (70 miles from Kaslo), Kelowna International (208 miles), Calgary International (603 miles), or Cranbrook/Canadian Rockies International (141 miles).

At Stellar, you won’t leave with just good photos and sore quads. You’ll leave with new friends who feel like family, with a bond forged by dry powder, belly laughter, and the knowledge that you just shared something few people ever will. Fair warning: Your heart will never be the same.

Stellar Heliskiing offers the Kootenay’s top helicopter skiing and boarding powder adventure. With over 125,000 acres of skiable terrain spread across two legendary mountain ranges, the Selkirks and the Purcells, split by Kootenay Lake, you get vast high alpine, open bowls, majestic peaks, perfectly spaced trees and 600-plus inches of snow. Combine that with amazingly consistent cool temps, and it’s easy to see why Stellar is one of the best places on earth for powder skiing.