Heli-Hiking Adventure Course in British Columbia
Canadian Mountain Holidays Offers Zip Line, Rappelling, Via Ferrata
Feb 26, 2009
The British-Columbia based company that invented the idea of heli-hiking 30 years ago has upped the ante. Canadian Mountain Holidays, which operates six heli-hiking huts in the remote ranges of British Columbia has expanded its "High-Flying Heli Adventure" program to include glacier travel and the use of ice axes and crampons. The three-day program combines heli-hiking with a mountaineering high-adventure course, and gives people with no mountaineering experience a chance to explore the vertical world of rock and ice.
Canadian Mountain Holiday's Via Ferrata
The adventure program is centered around CMH's new Via Ferrata system, Italian for "Iron Way." Hiker-climbers in the Alps have long used fixed metal cables and ladders bolted into the rock. These help them navigate particularly treacherous or difficult terrain that would otherwise be accessible only to technical rock climbers with a full complement of climbing equipment. CMH sent some of its guides to Italy to learn how to design and install a Via Ferrata, and brought the idea back to Canada.
Heli-Hiking Adventure Courses at CMH's Bobbie Burns Lodge
The adventure program is based out of CMH's Bobbie Burns Lodge. Each day starts with a helicopter ride to a different part of the course. Some of the adventure activities available at Bobbie Burns include:
- The Canyon Trail, located along the Vowel River. This 10-kilometer course includes some high ropes challenges, several zip line crossings of the river, a via ferrata route, and rappelling.
- The Mount Syphax Via Ferrata Route: This is a fully-roped day-long course that takes guests through a variety of mountaineering challenges on the way to the summit of Mount Syphax. Typically, one guide will work with three guests. The route starts on a glacier, then includes rock scrambling, hiking along an exposed ridge, rappelling, crossing a via ferrata route, climbing up a snow dome, and finally, more rappelling back to the glacier where the guests meet the helicopter for the return to the lodge.
- The Mount Nimbus Via Ferrata Route. New in 2008, the half-day experience takes guests to the summit of Mt. Nimbus (9,000 feet). The adventure trail includes a via ferrata route, rappelling, and a high cable bridge that spans approximately 165 feet. The bridge is about 100 feet off the ground at the saddle. But because of the angle of the bridge and the way the land slopes away, the perceived drop on either side is more like 2,000 feet, giving guests the impression that they are walking across the sky.
Practicalities Of Canadian Mountain Holidays Heli-Hiking Adventure Program
Nine people at a time can be accommodated in the three-day Adventure Program, which includes all technical equipment (as well as packs, boots, and trekking poles). Also included is instruction on the use of all equipment and mountaineering techniques. Note that the particular itinerary and activities can be affected by weather considerations. The program is not suitable for people with strong fear of heights or vertigo. The days are challenging, both mentally and physically -- but they end with pampering. As in all Canadian Mountain Holiday's heli-hiking program, guests wind up back at the lodge, where they can enjoy a gourmet meal, swap stories, show off their digital photos, soak in a hot tub, enjoy a massage, or simply plan for the day ahead.
Find more suggestions for adventure travel at Resources for Adventure Travel.
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