The quiet B.C.village of Bella Coola is becoming one of the most sought-after heli-skiing destinations on the planet, writes MITCHELL SCOTT

By MITCHELL SCOTT
Special to The Globe and Mail
Saturday, November 15, 2003 - Page T1

BELLA COOLA, B.C.-- On a crisp, clear morning, our group of four skiers waits patiently on the porch of Tweedsmuir Lodge, 60 kilometres east of the small coastal village of Bella Coola, B.C.We stare in silence at the peaks of the Coast Range rising above massive granite cliffs.Lower down, eagles cruise above the ancient forests.A fresh coating of snow on the 2,500-metre peaks glistens invitingly.

"I think we'll go south today," says Peter (Swede) Mattson, our guide and one of the owners of Bella Coola Heli Sports (BCHS), his gaze fixed on mountains that extend for 400 kilometres south to Vancouver.

An A-Star B2 helicopter swoops in to land on the front lawn of the lodge, and it's time to join the eagles for breakfast.

Hidden at the end of an ocean fiord in the heart of the Coast Mountain Range, Bella Coola is a quiet village of 2,094 residents that is fast becoming one of the most sought-after big-mountain skiing destinations on the planet.With Whistler, B.C.-based cinematographers Christian Begin and Beat Steiner as co-principals, Mattson's BCHS flew reconnaissance over its 570,000-hectare tenure -- one of the province's largest heli-ski tenures -- for nearly four years, preparing runs and exploring vast tracks of mountain range for commercial operations that began last season.

We lift off from the renovated 1930s fishing lodge, which serves as the operation's base and accommodations, ascending into icy blue skies, with free rein to ski long, steep faces and deep, powder-filled couloirs.Excitement swells among our group each time our pilot drops us above another perfect run.

While we stand gazing over glacier-scarred peaks spreading to the horizon in every direction, and with our helicopter waiting on the flats far below, Mattson says, "Want to go for a soak?"

At any other time, his question would have been considered on the fair side of normal, but on this cool morning in early April, high among the ice caps of B.C.'s central coast, going for a soak seems as improbable as going to a Wal-Mart.

"Well, what do you think?" Mattson asks again."Should we go to the hot springs for lunch, or what?"

Our incredulous silence is taken for a yes, and before we can ask about our destination, Mattson is calling the helicopter for a pickup.

We are about to find out why BCHS's operation differs from many of the nearly 20 other heli-skiing companies operating in B.C.There's no question that they also provide access for skiers and snowboarders to glaciers, glades and spectacular alpine bowls.But when the storms that supply the much-touted B.C.powder move in, many operators' options are drastically diminished.As a result, clients are often left stranded in opulent lodges, playing volleyball in stuffy gymnasiums or propping up the bar.It is not the adventure they had come for.

Because of its location, however, BCHS can offer richer alternatives if the weather deteriorates.In the Bella Coola Valley, one of the most scenic, pristine and least-known regions in B.C., the adventure -- whether you fly or not -- never stops.

Located in the heart of what is unofficially known as the Great Bear Rain Forest -- a tract of wilderness that extends 500 kilometres south down the coast of B.C., from the tip of the Alaska Panhandle to Knight Inlet -- Bella Coola and its surrounding backcountry are home to some of the least-explored and most dramatic mountains in North America.

Colossal glaciers, peaks that regularly reach heights of more than 3,000 metres (4,019-metre Mt.Waddington, the third-highest peak in B.C., lies only 70 kilometres to the south) and frequent, moisture-laden Pacific storms blanket the area in a deep, stable snow pack that regularly exceeds six metres.Countless 2,000-metre slopes that bend anywhere from 40 to 60 degrees make the area prime terrain for advanced and expert skiers and boarders.

But there's more to do here than ski.The Bella Coola Valley stretches 80 kilometres west to east, and offers its own unique set of attractions and adventures.This is the valley where, in 1793, Sir Alexander Mackenzie completed the first crossing of North America by a European.And there are 6,000-year-old petroglyphs to be found here that have attracted the likes of explorer Thor Heyerdahl, who used the well-preserved carvings to investigate possible links between Polynesian peoples and B.C.'s coastal aboriginals.

Natural wonders -- such as massive, millennia-old trees and Hunlen Falls, at 305 metres, the fourth-largest waterfall in the world -- abound.

For anglers, the pristine Bella Coola and Atnarko Rivers experience incredible runs of salmon and trout, and the Dean River boasts some of the best steelhead fishing in the world.

All around are opportunities for activities such as rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking, river rafting, horseback riding, ocean fishing, sea kayaking and sailing.Here, where differences in elevation between snowy slopes and the coastal valley can be as much as 2,500 metres, it can be winter up high and spring at sea level.And if weather socks in the mountains, there's plenty to do down below.

Which brings us back to "the soak."

After skiing a 45-degree alpine face framed by blue icefall, bouncing through ankle-deep powder, losing elevation as easily as it was won, we gather our gear and load one of the operation's two helicopters.Within seconds, we're airborne, destined for a lunch I'm sure no other heli-ski operators in the world can offer.

We fly over a corniced ridge, swoop down to the waters of South Bentinck Channel 3,000 metres below and land on a remote stretch of beach about 80 kilometres inland from the Pacific coast.Stands of old-growth cedar, hemlock and spruce line the long, narrow fiord as it bends into some of the most pristine wilderness on the planet.

Our ski boots crunch on mussel and barnacle shells as we walk toward a line of driftwood logs and a small shack kept by the Nuxalk First Nation, whose territorial lands these have been since time immemorial.

Shedding our winter wear, we follow a fern- and cedar-lined path to a small cave in the rock, just above the high-tide line.Here, the Nuxalk have built a small wall to hold back the waters of a natural hot spring as it trickles toward the ocean.Salal vine clings to steep granite walls as we soak in hot, crystal waters, taking frequent dips in the frigid waters of the fiord.

While au natural heli-accessed hot-tubbing can be considered fairly cool, it is the skiing we have come for.One quick gaze out of the helicopter reveals seemingly infinite lines -- everything from knife-edge ridgelines and long, undulating faces to bowls big enough to house a small village.

After gathering at the helicopter and getting airborne once again, a whole other set of options is presented."It would take a few lifetimes to ski this place," says Mattson in his friendly, exuberant accent."I think I'm going to make a go of it in one."

Tagging along for the ride, our group humbly enjoys four more life-altering runs that afternoon.They are long, thigh-burning events, some more than 1,500 vertical metres long.The faces we ski are steep, and the snow sloughs beside us as we descend one by one, each person carving their own interpretations into the terrain.

With crevasses and cliffs as ubiquitous as deep chutes and pencil couloirs, the coast range is a landscape that demands respect.As our highly skilled pilot, Richard Lapointe, is quick to remark, "This land is on steroids."

"Just another day in Bella Coola," bellows Mattson.

With his partners, he has a long-term vision to carve out a niche as a heli-skiing operation that varies from the norm.

"Our dream is to move up to 20 guests per week and do lots of different things," Mattson says."We want to have a boat on the ocean and ski from it, and have 10 guests there and 10 skiing from the lodge.People want private, unique adventures, and we want to be able to give that to them."

It is a scenario that taps into the growth in demand for high-end adventure tourism.It is also a bet on a future in a rugged area accessible only by air, where guests from around the world can descend massive mountain faces, explore the thriving aboriginal culture and gain easy access to a wilderness that teems with legend and beauty.

Bella Coola is a place that, once experienced, is impossible to forget.