When Noah began brainstorming unconventional bachelor party ideas, he instantly knew what was top of his list: a getaway with friends and family to a CMH lodge.
A stereotypical weekend in Vegas or a group golf trip just didn’t check the boxes for the type of trip he envisioned.
“I had no interest in doing a conventional bachelor party. That’s just not me,” he said.
“I wanted to do something special. Something that I knew I would enjoy. Something that would be a lasting memory for me and my friends for the rest of our lives. Something that was going to bring us together and separate us from the distractions of the rest of life.”
Having previously heli-skied at CMH many times with his family, Noah was already familiar with the overall experience.
“It’s an incredibly special place for my family and me,” he explained. “Some of my best memories are at CMH lodges with my family and the family that we’ve become part of through the years with the CMH staff and guides.”
Noah was drawn to the idea of being able to share one of his favourite places with his loved ones, some of whom hadn’t yet been. Not everyone in his group was a natural fit for heli-skiing, so he turned his thoughts to CMH’s summer trips—something he also hadn’t done.
“Until this summer, I’d only experienced CMH heli-skiing; I’d never gone on a heli-hiking trip. It was the first thing I thought of,” he said. “I knew everyone was physically capable of doing it, and it was a way I’d be able to share this incredibly special experience with my friends and family. There’s no better place to disconnect from the rest of the world and enjoy each other’s presence than a CMH lodge.”
Noah enlisted the expertise of trusted CMH travel advisor Barb Follett, and began planning the details.
How to give your friends and family a trip they won’t forget
A dream trip became reality this summer, when Noah and 11 of his friends and family touched down at CMH Bobbie Burns. The luxury, remote hiking lodge is one of three summer destinations CMH operates from June to September.
Along for the adventure of a lifetime were Noah’s dad and brother, soon-to-be father-in-law and two brothers-in-law, plus six good friends.
The group spent three days together, going on guided hikes and Via Ferrata climbs during the day, and sharing meals and drinks together at the lodge each evening. As an added surprise, Noah kitted out his crew with hiking apparel from the CMH shop.
Some of Noah’s group were experiencing CMH—and riding in a helicopter—for the very first time.
“They’d all heard the stories, seen the pictures, and followed CMH on Instagram, so there was a lot of hype leading up to the trip. Expectations were set very high,” Noah said.
“But reality far surpassed expectations. Everyone was blown away. As with every CMH tour, everything just got better and better. From the staff on the bus ride, the first helicopter ride, the first time seeing the lodge, meeting the staff, the first lunch, the first hike, après-hike snack and drink, the pond, dinner…each day topped the previous.”
Standout moments
One of the highlights was when everyone roped up to traverse the Mt. Nimbus Via Ferrata, a clipped-in route that passes beside glaciers, above gushing creeks and culminates in a suspension bridge nearly 2,000 feet in the sky.
Laughing, Noah recalled a particular moment when he knew he’d taken his friends somewhere they’d never expected.
“Crossing the Mt. Nimbus bridge, one of my friends screamed at me, ‘NOAH! There’s a script for these bachelor parties. Why are we deviating from the script?! I could be drinking a Corona on the golf course right now.’”
“In all seriousness, though, what brings people to CMH, winter or summer, are the amazing experiences you just can’t have on your own,” Noah reflected. “We got to summit Mt. Nimbus, fly in a helicopter above glaciers that are millions of years old, cross waterfalls on Conrad, view the beautiful Purcell mountains, take a dip every morning in the pond at Bobbie Burns.”
“What brings people back to CMH aren’t just those things, though,” he continued. “It’s the feeling you have spending time with your friends and family, be it the people you came with or the people you meet during your trip. It’s sitting around the dinner table, laughing at funny memories from the day, sharing a drink with someone at the bar, hanging around the lodge with the worldly staff, chatting about wild tours with the guides. That’s what brings people back and it’s an indescribable feeling.”
Post-trip reflections
Having successfully pulled off the bachelor party of the century (stag party or stag do, if you’re from Europe), Noah’s advice to anyone else considering doing a similar trip is simple.
“Stop thinking about it. Do it. You’ll never have an experience like this. It’s you, your friends and family in one of the most special places on earth. You won’t regret a second of it. In fact, you’ll wish you had more time.”
Noah will marry his fiancée, Abby, in October. She hasn’t yet been able to join him on a CMH trip, but he said he can’t wait for her to join his extended CMH family soon.
“The first chance we get to do a trip, we will. I so badly want to share this experience with her so she understands why we love it so much.”
WOULD YOU DO IT?
If you’re curious about bringing your group of friends and family for a bachelor or bachelorette party, or to celebrate any other special occasion, contact our team to ask questions and talk logistics.
If winter is what you’re after, don’t miss this story about a different group of friends who went on a heli-skiing bachelor party at CMH Kootenay to celebrate their buddy’s upcoming nuptials.
Keep reading > Not in Vegas anymore: The best bachelor party, ever