Alpine Riding in Revelstoke - Mt. Cartier Heli Drop

Heli-Drop Mt. Cartier (Arrow Heli) - $200

Vertical Descent ~ 2100 m

Distance 17 km

If you are looking for an epic day out around Revelstoke, a heli-drop on Mt. Cartier ticks all the boxes. I mean seriously, helicopters make everything better. Combine a heli-drop with amazing alpine views, mountain summits, steep switchbacks and fast technical forest riding and you can't go wrong.

We rolled into Arrow Helicopters around 10am on Sunday morning of the long weekend. With nothing pre-booked, we were worried we might not get a chance to catch a ride to the top of Mt. Cartier but the only people in sight were a few pilots tinkering with the choppers. Waivers were signed and cash exchanged ($200 all in covers taxes and a trail maintenance fee - cash is preferred) and after a quick safety briefing we were loading the machine. 

Getting ready for our taxi

Bikes loaded and ready to fly

 It was a quick flight to the ridge below the summit. Our pilot pointed out the steep switchbacks that we would soon be riding as well as the family of marmots sunning themselves on the landing pad. We unloaded our bikes with the blades spinning and held on tight to make sure nothing blew away as the heli lifted off. Suddenly we were alone and it went quiet. It felt very surreal.

Heinz points out the trail as we fly up to Mt. Cartier

Our destination, the ridge just below the summit

Heli lifting off, leaving us alone on the ridge

And then it was quiet

The peace didn't last long. Another heli arrived shortly after us and dropped off another group of riders. They were flying with Glacier Heli, who seemed to have a lot more clients. A few groups arrived in quick succession and suddenly the landing area was quite busy, a stark contrast from only minutes earlier! 

Watching the heli landing

Heading back down to pick up another group

 We were in no rush to start heading down, so we left our bikes at the start of the trail and scrambled up to the fire lookout and summit above. From the top, we had views across the valley to the Monashee Range and into the Selkirks in the opposite direction. We could see Revelstoke Resort and pick out the new trail (5620) that we had rode the day before.

Summit views above the fire lookout

Looking out to Revelstoke Resort and town below

Selkirk vistas

Getting high with Kyle

Back down to the bikes

Epic exposure

 Finally we jumped on the bikes and started the long ride down. The first part of the trail is a steep side-hill that switch-backs down the alpine. The trail is not technical, but a mistake could result in a long tumble down the steep mountain side. We took our time, trying to pay attention to the riding and not get distracted by the views.

Get stoked

Lets ride

Too much fun

Steep side-hill and switch-backs

Bryce getting fancy

As we descended, the trail got wider and faster. We entered into the sub-alpine and ripped through small trees and meadows before dropping into full-on forest. Once we were in the trees, the riding got a more technical with roots, tight corners and loose steeps.

So much more to go

Ridge riding

Into the sub-alpine

Refueling for the rest of the descent

Cabin on the way down

  We hit the bottom of a valley and crossed a bridge that had seen better days. There was a short, steep push followed by about 100m of climbing out of the valley and into the lower Cartier trail network. We had the option of climbing a bit higher and dropping into the lower trail from the top, but by this point our arms were toast. The final flow section to the bottom was a great way to finish this huge descent. From the base, it was an 8 km pedal down the road back to the airport where we had left the truck. We had been riding for almost 3 hours, what a day!

Waterfalls