Heli-skiing

Never done it before, but I think this is a good resource for information on it. 

http://www.tetongravity.com/

TGR gave a great presentation on their safety practices at a school I went to in the Marine Corps.  I highly recommend them as a source of info because they really seem to take their safety seriously. 

Mike Wiegele's in B.C. is awesome.  I spent a week up there a few years ago and they are a class outfit all around.  Great guides, huge selection of places to go up each day.  Each chopper manages a couple groups and they sometimes have you meet up for lunch, where they fly food and hot soup up to you on the hill.  It was a lot of fun and challenging.

http://www.wiegele.com/

I've done heli day trips a couple times in Utah - but we feel we'd rather get two days of cat riding for the price of one heli.  But that is our annual snowboard vacation.  For a 50th, Id want the resort trip and not just a day in the bird which is what I think you are looking for.  

We've looked into a couple of the heli/cat resorts and there are a bunch in the canadian rockies.  Two that we were interested in is Mica and Snowwater - because they also have a cat available on no fly days.  Some friends of mine did Chugash in Alaska and 1/2 the time they were there they were grounded b/c of weather.  Thats why having the cat backup is key - when its snowing, you can still go out.  So when youre researching - ask what they do for no fly days.  

x2  Wiegele has been the standard in the Heli-skiing world for some time (20+ years?)

There is some great skiing in the deep, dry powder of the Bugaboo mountains.

Thanks, all.  Looking into all of the links.

Now, holy frijoles.  I can ski pretty much any run at any resort I've been to.....but it isn't always fun.  I enjoy the hard blues and the easy blacks.  Am I going to kill myself out there trying to keep up with hubby?!?

Phew.  This making dreams come true stuff isn't easy. 

I can speak from my experience at Wiegele's.  On the first day they have everyone self-rate their ability and then they try to group you up with people similar to you before they move on to the safety training.  They also have demo gear if you need it or want to swap yours out for something that works better in the conditions.

My group was very strong with several ski instructors and experienced snowboarders.  But that mostly affects the number of flights up you make each day (we usually did 7-8).  Our guides said, though, that some years they've even taken on raw beginners and basically taught them as they went.

The camp in Blue River is small and cozy, good to relax.  I had a good spill on day 2 w/ a dislocated shoulder so I took a day off midweek.  They had music going on, big barbecue, mountain bikes you can borrow, things like that.  My friends thought I was crazy for "wasting" a day but it was exactly what I needed.  Sat in the hot tub for awhile later on and it really boosted my energy for the remainder of the week.

I sound like I'm affiliated with them but no -- it's just a great place and something I'd recommend to anyone.

If you go a full week, you will be TIRED when you get done, so you might plan a few more days off to recharge

Sorry - I was rereading this thread and you said "other than Banff"  Have you been to Whistler/Blackcombe?  It is a great resort - lots to do besides skiing.  They also have some helicopter companies that will take you on day trips.  http://www.whistlerheliskiing.com/

(My wife and I split our time between Whister and Mt Baker for our Honeymoon - talk about opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to resort services.. Baker is awesome, but the closest hotel/town is 19 miles a ways and 3,000 vertical feet lower - but we like old school resorts like that where they dont worry about slope side, but whats on the slope)

If you want to stay in the US - we're big fans of Utah.  About an hour north of Salt Lake is Powder Mt and SnowBasin.  It doesnt have the slope side nightlife like Park City or Whistler (Ogden is nearby with a lot of restaurants and such but its not a ski town) but the conditions are great and the lift lines are practicably nonexistent. At Powder (most ridable acres in the lower 48 - yes, more than Vail), you'll find untracked powder lines days after a storm where as the SLC resorts loose their stashes by noon.  As far as heliskiing - there is some great stuff to be found in the northern Wasatch range.  http://www.diamondpeaks.com/ is the company we used for our trip and would recommend them without hesitation