Mandi Blewett had been operating an angling lodge on British Columbia’s Dean River for a decade when the flood came. In 2010, record rains deluged the region, and the river spilled over its banks. The torrent was so violent that it altered the course of the river, which slithered toward their home and business.
“It was running right in front of our lodge. And it just ate away,” Blewett told GearJunkie. “We knew we had to move.”
When the water had receded, Blewett, her then-husband, and their two girls, Dylan and Zoe, relocated their lives and livelihood a kilometer downstream. It was a tremendous effort, she said, but it opened up a world of possibilities for her business and family. Chief among them was the potential to become a heli-skiing operation.
So when construction finally came to an end, the family applied for a heli tenure — essentially a permit to operate a heli-skiing business in an exclusive area of Canada’s “Crown land” (i.e., public land).
“We asked for the world and expected we’d get some tiny little piece,” Mandi said. “And instead, we kind of got a huge tenure.”
They got 6,250 square kilometers, to be exact (3,883 square miles). Suddenly, the once-small, three-season angling lodge had become a full-scale four-season heli-skiing operation. The family named it Great Bear Heli Skiing and opened its doors in 2022.
Then, in 2023, Mandi and her husband separated. Her two now-grown daughters, Mandi and Zoe, became her business partners, and in doing so, Great Bear Heli Skiing became the only heli-skiing operation in North America owned and operated by women.
It might also be the most boutique, all-inclusive heli-skiing experience money can buy — for those who can afford the five- and six-figure price tags.
Great Bear Heli Skiing: A Family Operation
The Blewett family loved skiing, long before owning a heli-ski operation was even a dream.
“Mom and Dad were skiing in and around Bella Coola when we were really young. And I remember we’d go to a tiny little toe hill there that we learned on,” Mandi recalled. “I just remember being like two or three and trying to ski and just getting stuck in powder all the time.”
As the years went on, their love for skiing and connection to the sport grew exponentially. Zoe has become a sponsored athlete with K2 and Dakine and has appeared in several ski films, including K2’s Rikka and Laura Obermeyer’s film Jyosi.
Today, Mandi is the CEO of Great Bear Heli Skiing. Dylan, the eldest daughter, serves as the general manager. Zoe, the youngest, is on the business’s marketing team and also works as a pastry chef. All three Blewetts co-own the business together.
“It’s all a blur, man,” Dylan said. “We’ve been working our butts off. And every time you turn around, something’s happening.”
Asked what it meant to be the only female-owned and -operated heli skiing operation in North America, they shrugged nonchalantly.
“Gender-specific roles have just never been a thing here,” Mandi said. “To be honest, we hadn’t really even thought about it until it started getting pointed out to us.”
They didn’t plan to make Great Bear a women-owned and operated business — it just happened that way, they said. Still, it’s a badge they seem honored to wear.
“If we can empower other women to pursue their dreams and not be restrained by being female in a lot of these really male-dominated worlds … that’s pretty cool,” Mandi said.
All Inclusive, Unlimited Vertical, All to Yourself
Surrounded by much larger heli skiing operations like Bella Coola Heli Skiing and Canadian Mountain Holidays (CMH), Great Bear Heli Skiing is unique among its neighboring competition. This is about as far from a generic heli-skiing experience as you can get, the Blewetts said.
For one, it’s so remote that guests actually take a helicopter shuttle straight from the Vancouver Airport to the Great Bear Lodge. There are no buses, Ubers, or van rides to reach them.
Once there, it’s totally hands-free. Gourmet meals are home-prepared for guests, using fresh, locally sourced ingredients. There’s a wood-fired sauna, a cold plunge shower, and a cocktail bar. The guest lodges all have their own fireplaces, cast iron stoves, and bathrooms with heated floors. Ski equipment and avalanche safety gear are provided. There’s even massage therapy available.
Of course, the skiing is the main attraction. According to the Blewetts, it’s downright world-class. Their 6,250-square-kilometer tenure is a quarter of the size of the European Alps.
The terrain is situated between the Central Coast and the eastern edge of the Great Bear Rainforest. Average snowfall in the alpine areas of this region often exceeds 120 inches a year.
For the price (we’ll get there in a minute), your trip includes unlimited vertical. So you can heli ski until your legs give out. And because it’s exclusive to Great Bear, you’ll only ever have to share that terrain with — at most — 12 other people. Sometimes less.
Their operation is also highly reliable. Thanks to a smooth local climate, Great Bear reports seeing less than one day per week when the helicopters can’t fly.
Most of Great Bear’s runs are within a short helicopter ride from the lodge. And Zoe pointed out that they cater to every type of skier — not just experts. While they recommend that clients have at least some intermediate skiing experience, the lodge also offers suitable terrain for beginners.
“Anyone can heli ski, and that’s something that a lot of people just don’t realize,” Zoe said.
What It Will Cost You
If an all-inclusive, unlimited vertical heli skiing experience sounds like an expensive vacation, that’s because it is. Great Bear’s cheapest option is the 4-Day Premium Package, which is only offered in April and costs $20,000 CAD ($14,531) per person. The Standard Program, which runs all season, is $25,720 CAD ($18,688) per head.
Then, you have the private program for one group of up to four, which costs $158,650 CAD ($115,273), and the Semi Private Program, for two groups of up to eight, which is $239,920 CAD ($174,322).
The final price tier is the Exclusive Booking, which reserves use of the entire Great Bear Heli Skiing lodge for a single group for $308,604 CAD ($224,227).
Even compared to some of Bella Coola’s most expensive trips, those are impressive price tags. However, Zoe emphasized that what they offer is more than just simple heli laps. It’s a personalized experience that no other operation duplicates, they said. The Blewetts cater to their guests, make sure everyone is having a good time, and add that special touch, they told GearJunkie.
There are other reasons for the high prices as well, according to the business’s fine print. Examples include the preparatory costs involved with running a remote operation and employment commitments made to the staff.
The operation may be new, but it’s got plenty of return customers who have experienced Great Bear — and already want to relive it.
If you want to learn more about Great Bear’s operation or book your trip, visit the Great Bear Heli Skiing website. For videos and more photos of the skiing, visit the operation’s Instagram.
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