Tree Glading at Last Frontier Heliskiing: Behind the Scenes

Gladed Tree Skiing in BC – Cariboo Trees Terrain Expansion 2025

Northern British Columbia offers a heli-skiing experience that is both vast and remote, with an incredible array of terrain from wide-open glaciers to intimate, challenging tree runs. Here at Last Frontier Heli, our tree skiing has always been a key advantage, allowing us to deliver great skiing even when stormy weather grounds us from the high alpine. Our focus is on improving our tree runs by glading dense forests to create better flow. This crucial work is challenged by the notoriously short Northern BC summer, which squeezes our work into just a few months. After a few September projects turned into winter survival missions in the past, we slated this year’s glading for late August.

Why We Glade Trees for Skiing

What’s “glading“? Think of it as opening up secret passages in the forest. We strategically thin trees to create buttery-smooth, flowing lines through the woods for heliskiers and heli boarders alike. Tree glading is widely employed at ski destinations around the world and over the past decade we’ve regularly invested in this approach to boost Bell 2 Lodge‘s ski terrain. Compared with Ripley Creek, where we have more natural gladed heliski terrain in old growth forest, the trees around Bell 2 Lodge are more dense and thus require a bit more massaging.

Here in British Columbia, opening up a ski glade in the forest is about more than just clearing trees—it’s about carefully shaping our natural spaces. That’s why any glading project needs a green light from the province. The province requires this permit to make sure every plan meets two key goals: it has to keep our forests healthy for generations to come, and it must include a solid plan to make sure any wildlife impact is mitigated.

Cariboo Trees: 22 New Acres of Ski Terrain

Our August mission was blessed by the sun gods. Ten consecutive days of clear skies meant the 8-person faller crew worked non-stop, adding a glorious 22 acres of fresh skiable terrain to “Cariboo Trees” – a popular heliski run near Bell 2 Lodge. Our Operations Director, Cliff Umpleby, sums it up: “The newly gladed area features more aggressive terrain, which will nicely complement the existing, mellower side of the run.” Get ready for some steeper pitches and super fun flowy terrain.

Heli Pickups & Valley Access

In addition to the tree glading, two new heli pickups were established in the valley bottoms, boosting this zone’s usable ski terrain by a considerable 45%. Plans are already drafted up for a phase two expansion to further boost the skiable terrain on Cariboo Trees in summer of 2026.

Comms Got an Upgrade Too

Not content with just carving out epic new ski lines, we also managed to sneak in some upgrades to our radio repeaters and remote cameras. Getting into these areas can be tricky, so when the weather cooperates we take full advantage.

Bell 2 Lodge Upgrades for Winter 2025

Following our recent room renovations and spa/sauna/hot tub upgrades, this year’s investments were a bit more grounded. We focused on staining our guest chalets and adding a brand-new, grass roof to the sauna/massage building. Bell 2 Lodge is in great shape, and we can’t wait to welcome our first guests this January.

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