B.C.'s heli-ski industry under pressure from Omicron despite COVID-19 testing, precautions
CBC
B.C.'s $300-million-per-year heli-ski industry ramped up in December to meet surging foreign demand, but a surge in COVID-19 cases is bringing some operations to a halt.
While operators were confident they had a robust safety plan in place, guests began testing positive for COVID-19 within weeks.
Since December at least 12 guests and staff have tested positive for COVID-19 on heli-sports trips in B.C., CBC News has learned. At least two heli-ski operations paused business temporarily to deal with cases.
"Omicron has caught this sector a little bit by surprise," said Ross Cloutier, president of the 40-member HeliCat Canada, the trade organization representing helicopter and snowcat ski operations.
The heli-ski season runs five months every year from mid-December to the end of April and employs 3,000 staff. According to HeliCat Canada, around 44,000 heli-skiers hit B.C.'s remote mountain slopes every year.
Small groups of skiers are flown by helicopter to the starting point of their ski run on a mountaintop or transported via snowcat, a massive vehicle designed to operate on snow, which can carry up to 12 guests. A three-run day package starts at about $1,000 per person, up to about $14,000 for a more luxurious private package.
On Dec.19 Mike Wiegele Heli-Skiing Resort in Blue River, B.C., near the Cariboo, Monashee and Rocky Mountain ranges, posted on social media about how the rise in COVID-19 cases were affecting business. Wiegele closed operations until Jan. 1, 2022 after two guests and 9 staff tested positive.
Despite all being vaccinated and tested, COVID-19 infections left guests isolating under resort doctor supervision.
Earlier in December Banff-based CMH Heli-Skiing temporarily paused operations at one B.C. lodge when an undisclosed number of guests and staff tested positive.
Around the same time one ski guide at Bella Coola Heli Sports tested positive. Fearing further spread, skiing was shut down for a half-day as staff were tested but came up negative.
"Ski business is volatile even under good conditions, but the past 22 months with the pandemic are unprecedented," said Beat Steiner, CEO of Bella Coola Heli Sports.
There are now worries the fifth wave of the pandemic, driven by the fast-spreading Omicron variant, will result in another lost season for adventure tourism operators, who are often booked at least a year in advance.
According to HeliCat Canada, about 90 per cent of heli-ski customers are non-Canadian.
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