In 1996, founding partners George Rosset, Franz Fux, Mike Watling and Geoff Straight set out to explore uncharted mountain ranges in Northern BC, Canada and make first descents in what would become Last Frontier Heliskiing.
That passion for exploration and adventure lives on in our DNA. Everything we do at Last Frontier revolves around the mountains and the journey of chasing snow.
In this wild place up in the mountains, far away from four walls, routine and repetition, our family is dedicated to the craft of producing one-of-a-kind heli skiing experiences for our guests.
Bell 2 Lodge is discovered in the heart of the Skeena Mountains in Northern British Columbia. Founding partners George Rosset, Franz Fux, Mike Watling and Geoff Straight are in awe of the potential for heli skiing and began exploring the area.
Last Frontier initiates an exploratory eight week heliski season using a single A-Star helicopter based out of Bell 2 Lodge. Teton Gravity Research (TGR) take the opportunity to visit this undiscovered * part of the world. Featured in their movie Re:Session.
A full re-construction is started to transform Bell 2 Lodge into a heliski village.
Ripley Creek is born in the small community of Stewart, opposite of Hyder, Alaska. Lead guides George Feitzinger and Andre Ike explore the zone establishing a whole new heliskiing area, probing deep into the coast mountains.
Last Frontier becomes one of the first operators in the heliski industry to adopt the use of mandatory avalanche airbags for all guests.
A third helicopter is added at Bell 2 Lodge, enabling more flexibility for private groups. Capacity rises to 35 guests.
Renovations are completed to modernize common facilities at Bell 2 Lodge. The dining room and lobby/gift shop see a big face lift.
Founding partners George Rosset and Franz Fux divest of their stake in Last Frontier Heliskiing. Franz remains on as Director of Operations and George is succeeded by Mike Watling in the role of Managing Partner.
Last Frontier Heliskiing celebrates it’s 20th birthday.
Groups of 5 were great, but groups of 4 are even better. We carry more fuel in the helicopter and thus travel deeper into our massive heliski area. Now 1 guide to every four guests instead of five - also better.
Bar, entertainment area and media room see a full renovation at Bell 2 Lodge. The bar at Ripley Creek also gets a facelift.
For existing bookings, please contact our head office. For new booking enquiries, try starting with our trip builder here.
** Skype is free Internet telephony that just works.
PO Box 1237, Vernon,
BC V1T 6N6 CANADA
James Morland
[email protected]UK: +44 (0) 203 059 8787
France: +33 620 43 65 88
Love powder and have a passion for skiing or riding? Last Frontier is always on the lookout for positive, energetic and talented people to join our team. On top of the seasonal positions at our lodges, occasionally we also have openings in our Vernon head office. Check back periodically to see the latest job opportunities.
Use the contact form below to express your interest in working with us.
Please use the form below to make a general employment enquiry. If you are from outside Canada, we require that you have a valid working visa in place before we are able to hire.
Environmental Stewardship
We depend on the pristeness of the wilderness in order to do what we do. Naturally we are therefore keen to protect it. There are multiple tiers to this stewardship and below are just a few examples of the areas in which we concentrate our efforts. We work together with government, industry best practices and our First Nation Neighbours.
Wildlife
Whilst most of the helicopter time is spent taking skiers out on their next adventure, guides are also constantly monitoring the locations and quantity of various animal species. Mountain goats are prevalent and some of the biggest herds in the world are to be found within our ski area. The animal movements are plotted and reported to government biologists providing them with critical information used to protect the herds. Without us flying this information would either simply not be available or it would have to be gathered by flying there anyhow. In areas of dense population, flight exclusion zones have been developed. The goat mitigation strategy is part of our program on a daily basis. Similar lengths are taken for the wolverine populations and any grizzly bears.
Fuel
Operating helicopters is not a positive carbon footprint headline. However, the way we store and handle the fuel is. While some of our fuel is stored in locations that are considered more environmentally sensitive than others, we consider all storage locations to be equally important. Double walled enviro tanks are utilized with anti-syphon valves to prevent spillage or leaks. Most fuel that is unused at the end of every ski season is removed from the tanks to further eliminate any risk of contamination in the off-season. All our fuelling locations are inspected and serviced on a regular basis, both on and off season.
Waste
Not only do we operate in an economically responsible manner but we also try to produce as little waste as possible. We have a state-of-the-art sewage treatment plant which requires the use of only gentle detergents and little or no bleach. Any leftover food scraps are fed to the staff so they can be fattened up for slaughter in the spring. … actually they go into a giant composting machine and are used as fertilizer for our summer veggie and herb gardens. We take every opportunity to recycle in any way we can.
Heat & Energy
We are off the grid and despite the fact that a large electricity line runs within kilometres of the lodge, the powers that be (no pun intended) have made it cost prohibitive for us to connect to it. We desperately hope that this will change so we can remove our dependence on diesel. To date the government offers no assistance or subsidy to help make this shift. We lobby regularly. Excess energy not consumed for the core running of the lodge is used to supplement the heating of outbuildings in the winter. The main source of heat for us is wood – a renewable resource.
The Big Environmental Picture:
Our guests visit a very special part of our planet. It’s a place where, while there is very little there, a great richness exists. A richness, a rawness and a sheer beauty that leaves people in awe. It affects them immediately, but the effect lingers and lasts. We believe it endures and influences the way they make decisions in their everyday worlds, and that is with an eye on preserving places like this. We don’t just believe this, in fact we know it and we know it because our best customers who have been feeling it for years have told us so.
