CMH Heli-Skiing and Summer Adventures

Brand overview and significance

CMH Heli-Skiing & Summer Adventures is the world’s most established heli-ski and heli-hike operator, widely credited with pioneering commercial heli-skiing in 1965 under mountain guide Hans Gmoser. Today CMH runs an integrated lodge-and-guiding model across interior British Columbia with access to roughly three million acres of tenure—an area far larger than any lift-served resort network—spanning the Purcell, Selkirk, Monashee, and Cariboo ranges. The promise is simple and powerful: small groups, professional guides, and aircraft that place you on untracked slopes all day, then back to a lodge built for recovery and community.

CMH’s significance isn’t just scale; it’s continuity and craft. Decades of snow and terrain knowledge have been distilled into a guest experience that balances exciting skiing with disciplined risk management. That combination—first tracks at meaningful pitch with strong decision-making behind the scenes—has made CMH a reference point for riders planning a “powder trip of a lifetime” and for returning guests who treat the lodges as their winter home base.

Product lines and key technologies

CMH’s winter program revolves around guided heli-skiing in small groups with dedicated aircraft. Trip formats include classic multi-day “Signature” weeks, focused freeride weeks for guests who want steeper terrain when conditions allow, and private options where your party has a helicopter and guide team to itself. CMH also operates “Exclusive” programs in select lodges that give a single group the full run of the property and a helicopter at the door. For skiers seeking a sampler or a tight schedule, CMH Purcell in Golden, BC, offers single-day heli-skiing that slots easily into a resort itinerary along the Powder Highway.

Summer is its own season at CMH. The brand’s heli-access hiking and via ferrata routes—anchored at Bobbie Burns Lodge—include the famous Mount Nimbus and Conrad Glacier lines, blending ridge walking, suspension bridges, and protected climbing with professional guiding. The lodge experience is mirrored by a lighter, long-day rhythm; helicopters provide quick access to high terrain, and the guiding teams tailor routes to the group’s ability and energy.

Operationally, CMH flies proven mountain platforms—A-Star B3, Bell 212, and Bell 407—matched to group size and objective. Avalanche transceivers, probes, shovels, radios, and an airbag-capable pack are standard-issue for every guest; briefings and practice are part of day one. On the guiding side, CMH employs internationally certified professionals who manage route selection, pacing, spacing, and regroup locations so the day stays both fluid and safe.

Ride feel: who it’s for (terrains & use-cases)

CMH is built for confident, fit skiers who want repeatable, high-quality powder turns rather than a single “hero” line. On storm days, classic interior pillows and protected tree lanes deliver soft landings and consistent visibility; when skies clear, groups step into bigger alpine features—ramps, bowls, and long fall-line faces—at pitches that read as playful for strong intermediates and properly engaging for experts. The run pacing is a hallmark: guides choose clean entrances and exits, keep regroup points intuitive, and adjust line choice to match snowpack, light, and group energy.

If you’re coming from resort laps, expect a jump in snow quality and line length but not an abandonment of fundamentals. Good habits—quiet upper body, centered stance through transitions, speed checks ahead of rollovers—translate perfectly here. Riders with slopestyle or freeride backgrounds will recognize “feature reading” in the pillows and mini-spines; all-mountain skiers will appreciate day-after-day consistency that’s hard to find through lift gates. The single-day option at CMH Purcell is ideal if you want a first heli experience before committing to a lodge week.

Team presence, competitions, and reputation

CMH is not a competition brand; its “team” is the guide corps and the alumni community that returns year after year. The company is known for employing a large roster of ACMG/IFMGA-certified guides, and for a conservative, data-driven approach to terrain management. That reputation—solid guiding, dependable snow, thoughtful hospitality—has made CMH a frequent backdrop for film segments and media trips while keeping the core product aimed squarely at guest experience rather than podiums.

In practice this means you’ll ski with professionals who read microfeatures as fluently as they read storm tracks. Groups move efficiently without feeling rushed, and the day’s story—shaded aspects first, wind-sheltered lanes during midday gusts, bigger alpine when light stabilizes—unfolds with an internal logic that riders notice and value.

Geography and hubs (heritage, testing, venues)

CMH’s lodges outline a map of interior British Columbia: Purcell and Selkirk granite, Monashee cedars, Cariboo glaciers. Names like Bugaboos and Bobbie Burns carry deep history—Bugaboo spires and icefields sit within Bugaboo Provincial Park, and Bobbie Burns provides a stone’s throw to famous summer routes and sheltered winter pillows. On the Powder Highway, Golden is a practical gateway to Purcell day heli, while Revelstoke anchors resort laps and travel links for several interior lodges.

A key detail for planners: interior BC’s snowpack tends to reward patience and timing. Midwinter favors trees and protected features; late winter into spring often opens alpine panels when the snow stabilizes and the light stretches. CMH’s lodge locations and tenure spread let operations pivot with those rhythms so guests consistently find the best available snow.

Construction, durability, and sustainability

For an operator, “construction” means fieldcraft and systems. From mandatory safety orientations to daily briefings and helicopter protocols, the program emphasizes predictable routines that leave energy for the skiing itself. Aircraft are staged to minimize idle time and hold groups to small, coherent units. Guides run beacon checks, radio comms, and spacing standards the same way every day; that consistency is part of CMH’s durability as a brand.

Sustainability shows up in route efficiency, consolidation of travel (you fly once to a lodge and ski locally all week), and ongoing investment in guide training, snow science, and partnerships with parks and communities. The company’s long history inside sensitive mountain environments has created a culture of “leave it better than you found it” practices—simple, scalable steps that matter cumulatively over decades of operation.

How to choose within the lineup

Match the trip to your goals and calendar. If you want a classic first week with a steady progression of terrain, choose a Signature lodge program during your preferred window and arrive fit enough for multiple long runs per day. If your group wants a higher tempo or complete control of pace and objectives, step up to a Private or Exclusive format. If time is tight—or you want to taste heli before booking a week—plug a day at CMH Purcell into a resort itinerary around Golden and Kicking Horse.

Season matters. Trees and pillows shine midwinter; expansive alpine comes into its own as days lengthen. Communicate honestly about ability and fitness during booking so you’re placed in the right group; it keeps days smooth and fun for everyone. In summer, choose Bobbie Burns Lodge if hiking plus via ferrata is your focus, or browse CMH’s broader summer overview to align routes and activity levels with your crew. For trip logistics, Golden’s official tourism hub at Golden is helpful for stitching together lodging, dining, and non-ski days around Purcell programs.

Why riders care

CMH blends the romance of untracked powder with professional execution. You wake to a clear plan, fly efficiently, and ski terrain that feels both exciting and manageable because the guiding and logistics work is handled by experts. Even better, the experience extends beyond the skiing: meals that refuel without slowing you down, common rooms where stories from the day turn into friendships, and lodges that feel remote yet comfortable. In summer, the same mountains become an aerial hiking playground, with ridge walks and via ferrata routes that convert helicopter minutes into hours on high ground. If your goal is to trade uncertainty for maximum time on great snow—or great stone—CMH remains the benchmark for doing so in style and with care.