About Coast Range Heli-Skiing
In the heart of British Columbia’s Coast Mountains, Coast Range Heli-Skiing was born in 2002. From its base at Pemberton Airport, it offered intimate, small-group heli-skiing adventures, carving fresh tracks across diverse terrain. From Mt. Currie to the peaks of Birkenhead and Duffy, Coast Range Heli-Skiing provided runs suited for everyone—from those new to heli-skiing to seasoned experts.
For years, skiers and riders were whisked into the mountains, their days filled with untouched powder and their evenings spent recounting epic descents. When the owners decided to sell in 2016, Blackcomb Helicopters, the local helicopter operator, acquired Coast Range Heli-Skiing along with its vast tenure.
In 2024, Blackcomb Helicopters reignited the vision, reviving Coast Range Heli-Skiing with the same commitment to small-group excellence, this time based out of the tourism mecca of Whistler. The very pilots who flew for Coast Range Heli-Skiing in 2002 returned, bringing their deep knowledge of the terrain to deliver superior service. With expert ACMG-certified guides, incredible tenure, and a passion for delivering unforgettable heli experiences, the team at Coast Range Heli-Skiing is ready to provide a stellar heli-skiing adventure in Whistler.
Some stories are too good to end. Coast Range Heli-Skiing is back—ready to write the next chapter, one powder turn at a time.
Meet the team
The local legends of the skies and slopes. Our team of ACMG/IFMGA Guides and Blackcomb Helicopters pilots have spent decades in the Coast Mountains as locals.
legends of Coast Range Heli-skiing
rich prohaska
In a deep narrow valley in the Coast Mountains, 50km NE of Whistler lies the small settlement of Poole Creek. Here, Rich Prohaska, a self-employed metal fabricator in summer and IFMGA Mountain Guide in winter built a house and raised a family, along with wife Heather. On both sides of the valley, rise mountains with names such as Birkenhead Peak, home to the Birkenhead Glacier and Mt. Oleg perched above the iconic Place Glacier. These ski runs and many more are Coast Range Heli-Skiing tenure, and this was Rich’s “backyard.”
Along with the many guests that followed him around these mountains, so did guides new to the terrain. It was Rich who hosted us, showing us the back bowls of Mt. Currie, which towers above the town of Pemberton, Saxifrage Mountain and the Duffy Lake runs further east.
When spring came, Rich would often head up to the St. Elias Mountain Range in the Yukon Territory to lead climbing expeditions on Mount Logan. This is Canada’s highest mountain at 19,551ft/5,959m, extremely remote and cold, its bulk more than any other mountain in the Western Hemisphere. Rich climbed it a record seven times and had the honour of showing his daughter Naomi, the top in 2017, when she became the youngest person to summit Canada’s highest mountain at age 15.
Rich Prohaska left us in December 2023, but to this day remains a “Legend of Coast Range Heli-Skiing'“. - Mike Sadan
