I went skiing to Lake Louise a few years back. Absolutely fantastic place to ski. The Chateau is beautiful, big, and superbly positioned. The problem I would guess for something of this sort, though, is that the town is very very quiet - a few Hotels and a couple of shops, fairly spread out. Some great places to eat (the old Railway Station is excellent, and the walk from our Hotel along the tracks to get to it was 'interesting'!) and a few quiet bars. Perfect for what we wanted when we went skiing, but I would think a little low-key for a get together of the Heli industry.

Having lived in both as a snow bum, I would have to vote for Whistler.
To echo DamMyNeckHurts, its so central. Once there you can get by easily without a car, and theres heaps of accom.

Ned
Again as one who has hosted a few Conferences. You must form a site selection committee of which you will be the representative and visit these places beforehand. Each of the properties will no doubt take good care of you.....
But Im sure your way ahead of me on that.....

As has been said above, no heliport or airstrip at Banff as it is was closed in late 90's by National Parks Board.
I would suggest Vancouver, nearest Intl Airport for Whistler, has better air connections from Pacific and as good as Calgary from Europe, or US. Whistler, has 7.5% BC Provincial Sales Tax on most things, whereas Banff, has no provincial sales tax. Either is good and scenery is very similiar. Whistler has more varied scenery in the area, ocean and islands immediately West.
Good choice whichever you decide.

The Banff airport is open for business ! Parks Canada attempted to close it, (and Jasper) but backed down after a legal battle with the local aircraft owners. You'll see several aircraft tied down at either site.

In saying that, the airport is definitely not for the faint-of-heart, between Elk on the runway, Gopher holes, and windsocks that tend to point at each other, and downflowing air off of Cascade Mtn...it is a challenging strip.

Question
 

What association or organization is requesting this meeting?

Rick - Its not an association or organisation requesting the conference. What it is as follows. I have spent the past two years doing some research with operators all over the globe about putting on a conference for industry people, minus all the trade show type booths, displays etc that come with any show such as Heli Expo, ALEA, AAMS etc etc.

This event will have four days of workshops, with each session chaired by a person in the industry who has experience in that field. The support we have received for this idea has been fantastic and we have secured sponsorship for it to make it all happen. It will basically be for the front line people such as pilots, mechanics, ops managers, chief pilots etc. The conference will run for three, maybe four days and will consist of morning and afternoon sessions as well as quite a few two hours sessions. There will also be roundtables for segements of the industry such as tourism, law enforcement, offshore etc.

Operators from South America, Africa, Middle East, Asia and Oceania are supporting this big time and all indications are its going to be a great success.

Keep checking back here for more info as we decide on the final location. It will either be Banff or Whistler. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions about it.

Regards

Autorotate.

I spoke to a few people from Whistler and they said road closures on the Sea to Sky hwy are quite frequent and can sometimes last for some time. Is this a concern for people travelling to the conference, in my opinion I would say it is. The road from Calgary to Banff, from what I understand is a four lane highway all the way.

Also as 407Driver said the airport at Banff is still open so there would be no problem for people who wanted to fly into the event and would be great to have some of the manufacturers put their aircrarft on display for attendees to have a look at.

Another option I am looking at is the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel which is also a very nice property. Any comments from people on this one.

Banff Springs Hotel


Looks like a nice place and is in the middle of Banff so not as far to get to as the one at Lake Louise.

Just out of curiosity how long would it take to fly from Vancouver to Banff in say a 206.

Thanks again.

Autorotate.

A word of caution on the Banff airstrip. I have received all of my info firsthand from a Private aircraft owner who was fighting with Parks Canada in the past. He and his fellow aviators are willing to take them on Legally, PC have never pursued the issue. He and his partners continue to use the strip at their convenience to this day.

It may be prudent to "check for yourself" prior to entering into this situation.

Manufacturers may not want to risk parking aircraft there, without any security, and with the high risk of Elk damage to their aircraft. Canmore Heliport, 15 minutes away, does have a more secure parking area, fuel (Jet A), phones, etc. and NO Elk.

A Bell 206 should be able to fly YVR-YBA in approx 3.5 or YYC-YBA in 0.6

407 driver, check your CFS prior to advertising CYBA open for business. "A/D to be used for emerg/diversions only."

Exactly. ...and I humbly appologise.

The problem was my source of info, the local aircraft owner.

How can the locals come and go freely, without any PC interference, given the wording in the CFS? What is published and what is actually happening are 2 different things.
In my second post, I mentioned that it would be prudent to check for yourself.......

No need to apologize 407, remember these access regs were slammed on us by the then Heritage Minister the Right Honorable Sheila "Tequila" Copps. Luckily turfed on her duff in the last federal election, unfortunately the regs remain on the books.

Your local folks must operate under special permit issued by the Parks Superintendent. The National Parks Aircraft Access Regulations currently prohibit the landing or take-off of an aircraft in a national park or a national park reserve. The permits are valid for the date, dates or period indicated in the permit.

Violations of these regs will be prosecuted under the Canada National Parks Act, which carries a maximum fine of up to $2,000 on summary conviction and up to $5,000 on indictment.

Now that the Liberal's are sitting gingerly with a minority, time for a change?

No special permits or waivers have been given to the locals......they simply operate, and PC does nothing to stop them.
That's not saying that PC might become active again if 5 helicopters arrived for this conference though.

Personally, I'd have no problem flying a F/W into Banff today. I know I'd have the support of the local pilots and owners, and their Legal arsenal which shut down PC on the last go-around.

It was wrong of me to have said it is "open", but then again...is it actually closed ??????

Basically, PC have already set a precident by allowing the Locals to operate carte-blanche.

We flew a search out of Banff using the parks office, and shortly moved our base to Canmore. While in Banff, the Parks guy told me about the strip. His attitude was that it is a private use airstrip for locally based aircraft only. He gave us permission to operate there, but without fuel or security it wasn't appropriate.

I'd be sure to ask permission before going there. For the conference, ask and we may receive.

I've flown around, worked, and been a tourist in both places. I vote Whistler. As much to do in any area, but in Whistler everything is closer, and the weather will probably be more enjoyable. Could be wet and foggy, but Banff will be cool to cold.

Matthew.

Something else for your feedback. Below are the rates I got from the Banff Springs Hotel. What are your thoughts, reasonable, or not.

Room Type: Single/Double

Fairmont $189.00
Deluxe $229.00
Signature $269.00
Junior Suite $309.00
One Bedroom Suite $409.00

Obviously these are in Canadian dollars. I think they are pretty good as normal rack rate starts at $300 Canadian per night. Thanks again for feedback guys and look forward to more of your input.

Regards
Autorotate