Whistler Blackcomb acquires heli-skiing business

Whistler Blackcomb acquires heli-skiing business{mosimage}Canada’s Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort has acquired Whistler Heli-Skiing, a purchase that will add 494,000 acres of backcountry terrain to the resort’s 8,171 acres of in-bounds terrain.

The 25 year-old heli-skiing company, the only one based in Whistler Resort, will still operate as Whistler Heli-Skiing, and will be a wholly owned subsidiary company of Whistler Blackcomb.

The four previous owners of Whistler Heli-Skiing — Doug O’Mara, John Hetherington, Andrew Wilkins and Ken Hardy — will continue to be actively involved in the business. They will continue to provide management and expert guiding for Whistler Heli-Skiing while Whistler Blackcomb will provide added sales, marketing and operational support.

“Whistler Blackcomb is very excited with the new opportunity to grow the Whistler Heli-Skiing business,” Whistler Blackcomb Chief Operating Officer Dave Brownlie said. “Under the continued expert management and guiding of Doug, John, Andrew and Ken, and with the valuable marketing, sales and operational infrastructure that Whistler Blackcomb can provide, the business is poised for even greater success. There are huge opportunities for us to market heli-skiing alongside our current in-bounds experiences.”

“This announcement is great news for Whistler as it presents an opportunity to package guest products that are unique in the ski resort vacation market,” O’Mara said. “There are very few places in the world where a world-class ski resort can provide its guests with a heli-ski experience on glaciers within a 5-minute flight from the village. With Whistler Blackcomb’s strong sales and marketing efforts, the opportunities to create unbelievable packages and attract new guests to the resort will be significant. My partners and I are very happy to be able to take Whistler Heli-Skiing to this next level with Whistler Blackcomb.”