The dreams of a young Austrian in the Canadian mountains
In the early 1950s, Hans Gmoser— a young Austrian— emigrated to Canada with very little money and big dreams of living in the Canadian mountains. Inspired by his dream and years of experience as a backcountry guide, Hans formed a small company in 1957 which later resulted in the formation of Canadian Mountain Holidays (CMH). After several years, his business prospered as he led thousands of skiers and climbers on thrilling mountain tours.
The birth of Heli-Skiing
In April 1965, Hans Gmoser was presented with an idea from his ski guests: to use a helicopter to access more remote ski runs in the Columbia Mountains. And with this idea, heli-skiing was born. It became an instant success in the remote Bugaboo Mountains, and CMH soon began providing new mountain adventures to hundreds of skiers each year. Soon after, they also began building comfortable mountain lodges to accommodate these eager guests. After over 50 years in the business, Canadian Mountain Holidays has evolved into the world’s largest heli-skiing company.
