Haute Cuisine

CMH Heli-Skiing & Summer Adventures

A chef’s job can be hectic enough in a kitchen, now add prep and delivery via helicopter – on a mountaintop no less.

For Chef Randy Luft, it’s just another day at the office as culinary program manager of CMH Heli-Skiing & Summer Adventures.

You could say the chefs selected to create and cook for the company’s Alpine Appétit weekends during the May-to-September heli-hiking season have just as much fun as the guests. “It’s something outside of the box for us,” says Luft of Alpine Appetit, now in its third year.

While the chefs get a charge out of creating dishes, the guests come for the thrill of being transported by helicopter to hike untouched alpine passes and glaciers in B.C.’s Purcell Mountain range. The added benefit is three days of elevated dining.

Alpine Apetit is intended to be a weekend of lofty dining for guests to show off the bounty of proteins, produce and spirits from Alberta and British Columbia and it’s as far from standard backcountry food as you can get.

“We try to do as much farm to table as we can,” Luft says. The chefs — most with at least 15 years of experience — get to create their own menus “and we just let them play.” Another perk of the job is when a chef or kitchen staff have a few spare hours they get to join the guests for heli-hiking.

Here’s a taste of what the three-day Alpine Appetit is like from my experience last summer, a journey that included 12 guests from all over the world.

The excitement starts at the helipad where we wait for our chopper to arrive and whisk us in just 10 minutes over the mountains to the legendary Bobbie Burns Lodge, surrounded by pine trees and mountain peaks. There’s a swimming hole next to the lodge for anyone who wants a brisk dip or a hot tub on a lower deck to relax after a day of hiking with a beverage from the lodge’s extensive selection of drinks. Or, you can book a massage over the next 72 hours.

Upon arrival, lunch is served and then we’re off for a helicopter safety briefing, followed by another helicopter ride deep into the mountains for a hike led by engaging and knowledgeable guides. We spot two playful marmots, breathe in the mountain air, follow a stream through a forest and marvel at the rocky spires all around us.

By 5 p.m. we are back at the lodge, hungry for the evening’s food. On the menu are platter upon platter of hearty tapas. Think seared scallops and octopus, elk tartar and roasted figs with goat cheese among the many choices. The delicious mouthfuls are all paired with cocktails from Wild Life Distillery (WLD) in Canmore. We get to sip and savour specially crafted shaken and stirred cocktails. It’s tough to decide which of the four drinks to try first: the cheeky twist on a WLD rye-based Manhattan called the Wild Man or the Pinata, a gin-based riff on a margarita.

Matthew Widmer, one of the owners of WLD was in his element. “Our whole premise is the adventure lifestyle and its connection to the mountains and bringing our spirits and beverages along when you’re in the wilderness.”

By the end of the evening, the heady mountain air and our full bellies have us more than ready for our comfy beds. Over the next two days the hiking is as epic as the food.

While some of us hike all day with a robust bag lunch, others challenge themselves to the Via Ferrata, (“iron bridge” in Italian), a series of climbing and scrambling courses. The whole day sets us up for dinner number two, a casual barbecue held on the rooftop deck with perfectly prepared elk, beef and venison, local corn, salads and desserts to die for. (see recipes below)

It’s day three, and the best is yet to come. After a morning of hiking, we are whisked mid-day to an out-of-this world scene. The chefs are barbecuing lamb chops amid a postcard-perfect scene above an impossibly blue lake. Blankets are spread out on the rocks around the lake and we take in the scene while eating the tender chops alongside mixed berries and a serving of the best farro salad I’ve tasted. It’s paired with zippy non-alcoholic beverages from WLD. We feel like we’ve been dropped into a culinary TV show in a dream location.

“I like when you can give (guests) food that complements their mountain experience,” says James Pringle, a chef for CMH since 2019.

Another gorgeous afternoon of hiking on a glacier, then it’s back to the lodge for the final night’s dinner. A four-course meal with five wine pairings from Phantom Creek Estates of Osoyoos, B.C. The chefs outdo themselves with an exquisite meal and fine wine, including a sparkling brut aged for four years.

The guests wear Cheshire cat smiles all evening. Scott Freeman, a guest along with his wife Laura from San Jose, CA, summed it up best. “It is just phenomenal. You wouldn’t get this anywhere else.”