For those thrilled by a scenic tour over the majestic Rocky Mountains, and those who find the noise of helicopter traffic annoying, there is good news from the Stoney Nakoda Nation.
In July, Alpine Helicopters and Stoney Nakoda Resort and Casino announced a relationship which will see a segment of the tour company’s business moved east to the resort lands. The agreement will allow Alpine to expand its operation while becoming more of a tourism component at the casino.
Alpine’s director of business development Todd Johnson, said Alpine is currently seeing 80 to 200 customers enjoying flights daily, generally of the short 12-minute (.2 in helicopter language) variety.
While many of those flights continue to originate in Canmore from the helipad on Bow Valley Trail, Alpine has already moved flights to the casino location.
At the casino, Alpine is now operating from a 2.12-acre site leased from the Stoney Nakoda Nation, are manning a concierge desk in the resort and using a room where passengers receive a safety briefing on the helicopters, fire extinguishers, headsets and general dos and don’ts of helicopter flight.
For the future, Alpine, said Johnson, will look to build a permanent facility similar to the one in Canmore, including a hangar for the Bell 206L3s the company uses. In all, there are five 206s in Canmore, with two Bell 407s reserved for Parks and an additional three now at the casino site.
“We went through a tender process,” said Johnson, “with the Stoneys working with INAC (Indigenous and Northern Affairs), and we now have a five-year lease with them.
“The tours will revolve around a Stoney Nakoda theme. We had Lenny Wesley and Hank Snow take a flight with us and point out locations like sundance circles that we will stay away from. We also won’t be going near Yamnuska, as it’s very sacred to them.
“And we’ll respect places like Rafter 6. Eventually, we’re going to try and take all our short tours from Canmore to Stoney Nakoda.”
An upside for the company, as well as for those who don’t like helicopter noise, is that moving of short flights.
“We do get noise complaints,” said Johnson. “The helipad originated during the Olympics (1988) and since then Canmore has built up near it.
“We’ve been looking for years to expand and this will allow us to move flights out there. And this is a mitigation we’ll be able to take to Canmore council.”
In the nearer future, Johnson said in keeping with a Stoney theme, six teepees will also be set up and lit at the site.
Alpine began operations in 1961 with a base in Calgary, and today operates out of Kelowna and Golden, B.C., Canmore and Stoney Nakoda and Drumheller (flights over Horsethief and Horseshoe Canyon badlands).
The .2 tours, said Johnson, are the most popular and, although some say 12 minutes isn’t much of a tour. “It’s as the crow flies and at 100 mp/h. I’ve never once seen someone come back from a tour without a smile on their face.”
