Explore Whistler | By Air

Imagine flying thousands of feet above the ground and seeing the Peak 2 Peak Gondola from above or being so close to Black Tusk you could touch it. These are the types of things guests experience when taking a helicopter tour in Whistler with Blackcomb Helicopters.

Whether you’re looking for a tour that will take you into the sky without breaking the bank or organizing a luxury Whistler excursion, Blackcomb Helicopters has a tour for you.

Top 5 Reasons to See Whistler by Air

Take your holiday to new heights and book a helicopter tour with Blackcomb Helicopters. Not only will you have an incredible time, but you’ll leave with a phone full of memories in the form of photos and videos!

Here are the top 5 reasons why you should add a helicopter tour to your itinerary during your visit to Whistler.

• Stunning Views

After taking off from Blackcomb Helicopter’s base just North of Whistler, you’ll soon be flying high above the resort and looking down on the hotels, ski runs, golf courses, and the mass of trees and nature that surround it. Beyond that, you’ll fly into Garibaldi Provincial Park over mountain peaks and the infamous Black Tusk where glaciers, crevasses, and turquoise blue lakes will keep your eyes occupied. 

• No Crowds 
  

  There is more than one way to land in Whistler in style.

The helicopter fits a maximum of five people so you definitely won’t be struggling to get a good view of all the spectacular scenery around you. If you choose a tour with a glacier landing, you’ll feel like a VIP as you step out onto the 12,000-year-old glacier and see only your footprints in the snow. After jostling for a photo op in front of other Whistler sights, you’ll be grateful for the space and freedom a helicopter tour in Whistler has to offer. But hey you can always visit in the low season.

• Remote Locations

View and visit places that most locals haven’t even seen before! You’ll truly feel away from it all while exploring beyond the resort borders and into pristine wilderness. Most of the areas you’ll fly over can only be accessed via helicopter (or a really, really long hike!) so what you’ll be seeing is some truly unique, extraordinary areas you’d otherwise never see before.

• Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience

Knock the desire to fly in a helicopter off your bucket list during your trip to Whistler with Blackcomb Helicopters. It could be to celebrate a special occasion, surprise a loved one, or just for the heck of it. The area surrounding Whistler is truly remarkable and is worth going the extra mile to explore what makes this area of Canada so sought after by nature lovers from the comfort of the helicopter. It’ll be a tour you’ll talk about for years to come, and many past guests expressed that it was the highlight of their trip to Whistler.

• Different Perspective

Navigating your way around Whistler Village may seem like a challenge, but from the sky, you’ll see that the town is tiny compared to the mountains that surround it. Spot your hotel, the iconic Inukshuks, and your favourite ski runs all from a thousand feet in the air. Wow your friends and family with images and angles of Whistler that they’ve never witnessed before – a unique perspective on this mountain town.

Need more convincing about how awesome Whistler is? We’ve got 365 days of adventure for you.

What to Expect on Your Whistler Helicopter Tour 

No other experience like it – Blackcomb Helicopters

Your experience begins by being picked up in their courtesy shuttle and dropped at Blackcomb Helicopter’s base just North of Whistler where you’ll be checked in and given waivers by their friendly customer service staff.

From there, you’ll watch a safety video before being taken out onto the tarmac to board the aircraft. Once in the helicopter, the pilot will distribute headsets to help dull the noise and allow communication between yourself and the pilot who will provide commentary throughout the flight. Another safety check then it’ll be time to start the engines.

Time for take off! Sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. Depending on the tour you’re picked and the weather, the tour may be entirely in the sky or you may touch down on Rainbow Glacier for around twenty minutes of exploration before it’s back to the helicopters to return to the base.

Back at the base, you’ll high five your pilot and hop back on the shuttle to Whistler Village. Most tours conclude in about an hour from when you began, but the experience you’ve had will feel monumental. Here are some other reasons why taking a helicopter tour in Whistler with Blackcomb Helicopters should be taken into consideration.

• Top-Tier Professional Staff

The staff at Blackcomb Helicopters will make you feel extremely welcome during your helicopter tour in Whistler. From the shuttle driver to the office staff and the pilot, you’ll be greeted with a smile and feel incredibly comfortable under their wing. Many of the staff at Blackcomb Helicopters have been with the company for years thanks to an inspiring community culture and passion to give back through their carbon offset program and to many causes throughout the community.

• Safety First

Blackcomb Helicopters has been running helicopter tours in Whistler for almost thirty years and has an outstanding safety record. Upon arrival to the helicopter base, you will be required to watch a safety video prior to entering the aircraft and another thorough safety spiel once in the helicopter. Safety is their number one concern, and they want to ensure all guests have a comfortable, relaxing ride. Blackcomb Helicopters will not fly in adverse weather conditions so while there is the risk the tour may be cancelled due to weather, you’ll know it was for safety reasons and they’ll work with you to reschedule.

• Always a Smooth Ride

Blackcomb Helicopter’s extremely skilled pilots are experts in navigating the skies that provide a ride so smooth you’ll forget you’re even in a helicopter! If you’ve never flown in a helicopter before you’ll find it much different than flying in an airplane – it’s a feeling of “hovering” rather than propelling forwards and you have the ability to get very close to features for a better look. There could be some bumps or swooping of the aircraft but at that point, you’ll be so distracted by the beautiful scenery around you that you won’t even notice.

• A Year-Round Experience

Helicopter tours in Whistler run year-round and each season provides a different scenic experience. In the fall, witness a burst of colour as leaves start to change or in the winter watch skiers and snowboarders fly down the mountain. All tours are subject to weather, daylight hours, and civil duties (they assist search and rescue and wildfire management) but otherwise they’ll do their best to get you up in the air safely.

What are Helicopter Tour Options in Whistler? 

See the glaciers, mountains, and water ways around Whistler by air

Blackcomb Helicopters offers three sightseeing tour options to choose from. Whether you’re tight on cash or looking to splurge, Blackcomb Helicopters will get you flying through the air in no time.

Whistler Explorer

A spectacular aerial introduction to Whistler! The Whistler Explorer tour is twelve minutes long and flies you over old growth forests, the town of Whistler, and Whistler Blackcomb ski resort. Spot your hotel from the sky, follow along the Valley Trail connecting Whistler’s five shimmering lakes, and see your favourite ski run from a whole new angle. Your experienced pilot will provide informative commentary about Whistler and the surrounding area leaving you with a whole new appreciation for this special mountain community.

• Price: $179 + GST per person (children under age two fly free)
• Duration: 12 minutes in the air
• Group Size: helicopter seats five people max.

BC Experience

Want to take it up a notch? This twenty-four minute tour gives you an extraordinary bird’s eye view of the Whistler Blackcomb resort followed by the magnificent beauty of the Cheakamus Glacier and a unique immersion in the famous Garibaldi Provincial Park.

After this stunning adventure, the helicopter will land for you to experience the once in a lifetime chance of stepping out onto a 12,000-year-old glacier on Rainbow Mountain.

• Price: $294 + GST per person (children under age two fly free)
• Duration: 24 minutes in the air + glacier landing
• Group Size: helicopter seats five people max.

The Ultimate Experience

Treat yourself with this luxury Whistler excursion – a private helicopter tour that has everything included in the BC Experience tour plus extra air time. Experience all of Whistler’s iconic landmarks – Black Tusk is so close that you can almost touch it, Garibaldi Lake shimmering in the sunlight, and more mountains than you can count.

This tour also gives you an extraordinary bird’s eye view of the Whistler Blackcomb resort followed by the magnificent beauty of the Cheakamus Glacier and a unique immersion in the famous Garibaldi Provincial Park.

After this stunning adventure, the helicopter will land for you to experience the once in a lifetime chance of stepping out onto a 12,000-year-old glacier on Rainbow Mountain.

• Price: $1850 + GST for a group of up to five
• Duration: 30 minutes + 15 minute glacier landing
• Group Size: helicopter seats five people max.

Have something else in mind? Blackcomb Helicopters also offer unique luxury Whistler excursions such as Heli Hiking, Heli Yoga, Heli Biking, and Heli Picnics that get you away from it all. The trips can include a guide, lunch, and gear (for yoga and fishing tours) and may be the most epic experience you’ve ever done. They also specialize in weddings and proposals so if you’re looking to pop the question, doing it while on a helicopter tour is a guaranteed ‘yes’!

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Past guests who have taken a helicopter tour win Whistler with Blackcomb Helicopters have described their experience as breath-taking, jaw-dropping, and the highlight of their trip to Whistler. Don’t miss out – book your helicopter tour today!