Photo: Henry Georgi
sSier Ryan Oakden at Mica HeliLast week three deadly avalanches occurred in British Columbia claiming five lives. Triggered by snowmobiles in two cases and skiers in the third, unstable snow conditions and ignored warnings were blamed for the tragedies.

Avalanches claim an average of 32 of victims in North America each winter according to the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center, mostly occurring in remote areas accessed by helicopters or snowmobiles in places like Alaska, Montana, Utah and British Columbia.

Yet despite the danger, the backcountry business is booming. In British Columbia alone there are over 40 private cat or heli skiing operations that combine unparalleled access to world class terrain and often, 5-star accommodation in secluded mountain lodges.

With over crowding at resorts all too common, enthusiasts are increasingly lured by the solitude and deep untracked powder such backcountry operations provide.

"The terrain blows you away," says Jay Bradford a recent guest at Mica Heli in Revelstoke, BC. "Steep trees, wide open bowls, lots of powder. The helicopter lets you go to any terrain. It's incredible!"

Going to any terrain, however, requires professional guides, avalanche awareness training and safety equipment like transceivers, probes and shovels.

"Of the millions of skiing runs we do each season, the likelihood of an accident is very slim," says Eric Chevalier, lead guide for Snowwater Heli Skiing in Rossland, BC. "That said, every guest or client that comes into the field is trained so in the event of an avalanche everyone becomes a rescuer."