I previously introduced China’s third heliskiing tour, but only mentioned their ascent before dropping the story. Many were waiting for the sequel, and I said it all depended on how diligent my correspondent was—though in truth, “unexpected weather” prevented any continuation. Now, the story has finally reached a relatively satisfying conclusion, allowing me to share the full sequence of events:
The third Chinese group consisted ofsix people: Shen Lang, Lao Shi, Lao Yin, Maomao, Shenyang’s Lao Li, and New Zealander Lingzi (a snowboarder). All were seasoned veterans who had skied at resorts across Japan, Europe, South America, and Australia, and had participated in heliskiing in Canada, the U.S., Chile, and New Zealand. Maomao was even the former captain of China’s paragliding team, while Lao Shi had climbed Mount Everest and Muztagh Ata. This time, they joined Mica Heliskiing for a four-day trip, full of ambition and eager to have an unforgettable experience. Shen Lang even secured a commission from China’s renowned outdoor magazine *OutDoors*, which promised to feature his account of the four-day heliskiing adventure.
Mica Heliskiing is a highly reputed company located near Revelstoke in BC’s interior. Its operated Percell Mountain receives an average annual snowfall of 16 meters, with summit snow often reaching around three meters deep at an elevation of 3,000 meters. It’s known for its high peaks, steep slopes, thick, high-quality snow. For over 20 years, it has been consistently packed, and in recent years, it has been ranked as the best heliskiing operation by Canadian skiing magazines, making it even harder to secure a spot. Its reputation spread among Chinese skiers through the Banff Mountain Film Festival and its participation in the film *All I Can*. Its website and DVD promotions of “Cold Smoke” have become iconic representations of BC’s powder snow.
With such a strong team arriving at this prime location, the conditions seemed perfect, and many were eagerly anticipating sharing the joy of skiing pristine powder.
Due to booking constraints,Mica only had availability at the end of March. Thus, Shen Lang and the other five arrived on March 30 for a four-day trip from March 31 to April 3. After them, another 16-person four-day group would conclude Mica’s season. The cost for the four-day trip was 7,260 CAD plus 6% tax, with a 5% discount. The package included helicopter transfers to mountaintop campsites, four days of meals and lodging, a guide and three other skiers per group, powder ski equipment, avalanche transceivers, and airbags.
However, unexpected weather struck. InMarch of this year, the average temperature across North America was two degrees higher than usual. Especially after March 20, southern BC experienced several days of unseasonably high temperatures, with rain below 1,800 meters and wet snow around 2,000 meters. At around 2,200 meters, temperatures hovered around 5°C under constant sunlight. The result of this unusually warm early spring was that snow below 1,800 meters became heavy and difficult to ski, while the upper mountain saw daytime melting followed by nighttime refreezing, forming a nearly one-inch-thick ice crust.
Shen Lang and the othersarrived in Revelstoke on March 23 and first skied at a local resort known for having the largest vertical drop in North America to warm up. But they quickly found the snow quality subpar, raising concerns about the heliskiing conditions. Since I had handled most of the arrangements, I also contacted Mica’s representative to inquire about the snow conditions on the heliskiing mountain, but received no direct answers—just a suggestion to check their website (which offered no snow reports). When they arrived at Mica’s office around noon on March 30, staff assured them the snow was fine (“Snow is good”). However, upon flying to the 1,500-meter base, they found the snow wet and sticky, leaving them with a faint hope that higher elevations might still have powder.
But the next day, their first run revealed disastrous snow conditions—the summit was covered in an extremely hard ice crust, the mid and lower sections were wet and sticky, and there was no powder whatsoever. Skiing was simply impossible. Even the guide remarked,“I haven’t seen snow this bad in 18 years.” They managed a perilous day of skiing, with some nearly injuring themselves. After returning to camp in the afternoon, the group unanimously agreed that the conditions were unskiable. But since they were already committed, they sought a reasonable solution from Mica.
The Mica representative at the base was a woman named Barbara. When the Chinese group asked if they could reschedule for the following year, she flatly refused. When they compromised and asked about the year after, she alternated between claiming all spots were booked, dodging the question, ignoring them outright, or abruptly rejecting them with no room for negotiation. Sometimes, she would even walk away mid-conversation without a word, often propping her bare feet on the coffee table in front of everyone, towering arrogantly and treating them with utter disrespect. There was no semblance of equality. With no other options, the Chinese group decided they would rather cut their losses than endure further humiliation. To uphold their dignity, they resolved to descend the mountain the next day.
However,Barbara knew the snow conditions were unsatisfactory. As soon as the Chinese group left, she decided to cancel the next group’s heliskiing trip (a 16-person four-day group scheduled after April 4). While informing the next group of the postponement to the following year, she also postponed an American group that was on the mountain with the Chinese group.
The Chinese groupdescended on April 1. Immediately after, Barbara sent me an email stating that such snow conditions were normal for late March and that no one had ever left early before. Therefore, she placed full blame on the Chinese group for their departure, claiming refunds or rescheduling were out of the question. I replied that I hadn’t yet spoken with our team and needed to investigate further, but hoped we could find a mutually acceptable resolution. Otherwise, it would be utterly disappointing for the Chinese group to have traveled so far and spent so much money for nothing.
On April 4, I met the group in Vancouver. They unanimously agreed to seek justice from Mica, as it was a matter of protecting consumer rights. Moreover, granting extensions to other groups while denying the same to the Chinese group reeked of racial discrimination.
(To be continued)
This post has been synced to Old Chen from Whistler’s Weibo.