Canadian Mountain Holidays (CMH) brought Revelstoke councillors up to speed on the organization’s activities and operations at the April 9 council meeting.
Hahn Vincent CMH manager of community collaborations noted the heli-skiing company has 11 lodges throughout B.C. Interior, from the Kootenays in the south to Valemont in the north and the 43-year relationship with the City of Revelstoke.
The company employs 43 staff members in Revelstoke, seven year-round and 36 who are seasonal. Some 96 staff members call Revelstoke home and each earns about $93,000 annually. A total of 29 work year-round while another 67 are seasonal employees.
The company injects some $4 million into the Revelstoke economy annually through support for businesses such as Stoke Coffee, Mt. Begay Brewery, Home Hardware, Stoke Hotel, RMR, local construction/contracts, Selkirk Mountain Helicopters, Big Eddy Fuels and car wash.
Support goes beyond business to include several community organizations – annual high school scholarship, sponsor of Revelstoke Ski Club’s wine festival and donations to the local food bank and women’s shelter.
Through CMH and Alpine Helicopters, the Kingsbury Foundation funded the Mark Kingsbury Memorial pedestrian bridge across the Illecillewaet River. The bridge was named after the former president of Canadian Mountain Holidays, who died in a motorcycle crash around 2001.
CMH is also a proud investor of the hospital held-pad and many employees are involved in clubs and organizations, volunteer in trail work and donate their time to teach youths avalanche awareness skills,
Vincent explained that CMH is the largest employer of mountain and ski guides in the world and works well with other helicopter outfits to support public safety. Guides meet daily and input snowpack data into a website that is available to the public.
As well, with access to helicopters that provide aviation support, fuel caches are important not just in winter but during wildfire season as well.
CMH has a global sales team that advertises Revelstoke as a home base that pairs world-renowned skiing and riding with an in-town location, affording patrons lively nights out, extra dining options and walkable shopping. CMH helicopters fly skiers into the nearby backcountry each morning to access incredible terrain and a notoriously high-volume snowpack.
“The style of skiing at CMH Revelstoke is easily matched to group ability and interest, from first-time heli-skiers to strong and expert guests looking to step up their free ride game,” noted Vincent in her report to council. “We work hard to support tourism and attract people to this town.”
Calling it a huge pull on socials, Canadian Mountain Holidays’ main Facebook page has 71,000 followers while the Revelstoke Facebook page boasts three thousand followers. The company’s main Instagram handle has 75,500 followers and 2,500 on the Revelstoke handle. There are another 4,000 followers on Linked In.
Vincent said the company is proud of the relationships the company has with local Indigenous partners and forest companies.
Like all tourism companies, CMH is having to adapt to climate change, Vincent said that as a company that is part of the problem, CMH has to be part of the solution. One way the company is doing that is by tracking, reducing and off-setting their emissions. The company earns offsets by investing in the Indigenous Great Bear Rainforest.
CMH works to upgrade all field systems to make sure there is no leaking or spills. As well, each lodge follows strict protocols to prevent wildlife displacement through a program called Snow Base. If a guide spots an animal, it is marked on a mapping program and the area is avoided for a certain amount of time.
“Our guides meet twice a day and are constantly adapting to where animals are and always trying to make the right choices, and that’s part of the integrity of our company and what we’re trying to do,” she said.
Following the presentation, Mayor Gary Sulz expressed his appreciation for the company’s efforts to adapt to climate change.
Coun. Tim Palmer said that the city sometimes fields complaints about the helicopters breaking rules and asked for comment.
Dave Butler, VP of Sustainability acknowledged that some people dislike the helicopters but said CMH pilots are the best mountain pilots in the world and follow all aviation rules.
In response to a question about CMH getting carbon offsets through the Grea Bear Rainforest rather than working to protect local caribou, Butler pointed out there is no closer carbon offset program for caribou. But, he pointed out, the company works hard to protect them. He said the Great Bear is an internationally verified and certified carbon offset program.
“We spend huge amounts of effort and time around caribou conservation,” he said, noting he personally has been involved in caribou conservation since the early 2000s. “I think we have the most sophisticated systems in place, bar none, to deal with caribou issues.”
Looking ahead, Butler said climate change will challenge the company but one of their biggest challenges will be land tenures.
READ MORE: 2024 Wraps up for Revelstoke Mountain Resort