Dare to Heliskii for a Holiday
With skiing constantly gaining popularity over the last several decades, it has become harder and harder for hardcore skiers to gain access to runs that aren’t over crowded and over groomed. The advent of heliskiing however has opened up a whole new world of untouched and unspoiled ski runs for the most ambitious of skiers to tackle. Heliskiing runs are carefully selected by the tour groups and resorts that offer them in order to ensure skier safety; however, they still offer some of the longest runs around in open, untouched powder, which is a skier’s paradise.
There is heliskiing offered all over the world now, including Canada, Alaska, the continental United States, the Himalayas and central Europe, including the Swiss Alps. Heliskiing is all about getting to ski runs that are off the beaten path, without having to equip oneself with a full setup for mountain adventure ski hiking, which can be quite a bit more than the average skier is ready to tackle.
In most areas that offer heliskiing, it is required to hire a guide to accompany your party. This is because of the inherent dangers of back country skiing. The mountains can be a dangerous place and it is vital to know where you are going. This helps skiers avoid any cliffs or crevasses that can be present on the mountains, as well as avoiding potential avalanche zones.
For many, the appeal of heliskiing is all about the challenge. You can find extremely challenging tree runs, as well as snow that is much more difficult to tackle than the finely groomed snow that is probably present on the lower portions of the mountain. This challenge is a large part of what appeals to people, as well as a much longer run in proportion to the time it takes you to reach the summit.
Whistler Blackcomb resort in British Columbia, Canada, is one of the largest ski resorts in the world and has a popular heliski touring component. This is a great location to go to if you’re looking to break into or try heliskiing for the first time. Spend a few days getting your ski legs back underneath you on any of Whistler’s 200 or more ski runs and, once you’re comfortable, try for something a bit more exciting and a bit more challenging - go on a heliskiing adventure!
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This entry was posted on Friday, August 1st, 2008 at 1:44 am and is filed under Fun. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
August 13th, 2008 at 12:56 am
Very cool pictures! I went skiing in Colorado this year and it was amazing. I would love to heliski.
December 1st, 2008 at 3:02 am
I have taken a full city tour of Helsinki and was just amazing. If you get tired of skiing, one can hop onto a city tour bus and take in the sites. The building architecture and harbor view are spectacular. This is a beautiful and old city that does not get a thunder of tourists. The Helsinki airport is also a hub for many international flights so convenient.
February 11th, 2009 at 11:36 pm
This looks pretty darn fun, never knew they did heliskiing. I suppose you can do the same for snowboarders as well.
March 16th, 2009 at 9:57 am
Helisking sounds like the way to ski. My skiing has often been overcrowded not unlike flyfishing has becoming so popular it’s difficult to locate streams without the crowds. Informative post, thanks.
May 5th, 2009 at 2:12 am
Great pictures and nicely written articles! Will be sure to return for more! Well done!
May 26th, 2009 at 2:23 am
seeing all that snow reminds me of the southern half of New Zealand from which i come. heliskiing looks like fun, but i imagine it is not for paupers like me
June 4th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
I went skiing in Feb, slows were for beginners though. Maybe one day I could take on that slope…hmmmm…yea right.
June 4th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
I went skiing in Feb, slopes were for beginners though. Maybe one day I could take on that slope…hmmmm…yea right.