in Western Canada. The
Prairie's proximity to town,
and the services available
through Resort and Outrider
Contracting, make it an easy
sale and buy.
We began our tour with a
short flight from Vancouver
International to Smithers
Regional Airport and settled
at Prestige Hotels' Hudson
Bay Lodge.
At Smithers Brewing Co.,
we met Gary Mathiesen,
who owns the local ski
hill. This serves as the
base and launch point for
filming on Hudson Bay
Mountain (key settings on
The Grey and Eight Below).
We then connected with
Mayor Gladys Atrill for an
informative dinner and chat
about Smithers and location
filming.
The following morning
started with a quick flight
around Hudson Bay
Mountain with Silver King
Helicopters. One of the
things that makes Smithers
and Hudson Bay Mountain
so special is you are right
on the edge of town. Flight
time from Silver King's base
to the alpine and The Prairie
is about five minutes. This
makes it easy to service
cast and crew quickly
and efficiently. Working in
partnership with Outrider
Contracting, Silver King
and Outrider provide the
transportation and logistical
expertise to move production
to and from the mountain
and film in all weather
conditions, at any elevation,
any time of year. Both outfits
are equipped to handle any
size shoot.
After a brief stop on a flat
precipice where you get the
impression you are high in
the alpine, we circled Hudson
Bay Mountain overfly to
what's known as The Prairie.
This is a large, flat section
of the mountain covered
to the horizon in snow with
views some 50 miles away.
For many alpinists, this is
the route to the summit. It's
accessible from the top of
the ski resort's chairlift, or by
CAT or snowmobile.
We transitioned from
helicopter to snowmobiles
and made our way through
the many chalets and cabins
at the base of the resort,
Ken Brooker/LMGI, Smithers
Dan Kuzmenko/LMGI, Old Hazelton
