No lift lines. No boundary ropes. No crowds, No repeat runs. No limits. Just untrammeled snow spreading across mountainous peaks as far as the eye can see. Welcome to the world of heli-skiing. Best of all, you don’t have to be an expert skier/boarder to enjoy it.
“It’s a misconception that intermediates can’t enjoy heli-skiing,” says Paul Butler, owner of North Cascade Heli in Mazama, Wash. “More important is general fitness and group compatibility in level and temperament so people can enjoy their time and get the most out of it.”
 Ken Hardy, founder of Whistler Heli-Ski based at Whistler Resort in British Columbia, says that more than 50 percent of their business is with intermediate skiers and that half of the 1.5 million acres they lease is intermediate friendly.
When Hardy takes a group heli-skiing, the first thing he says after the helicopter deposits them on a remote peak is, “Do you hear that?” Everyone cocks an ear, but no one hears a sound. “That’s exactly the point,” he says. “We’re truly remote, engulfed in total stillness, something that’s almost impossible in the world we live in today.”
Despite the remoteness, heli-skiing is a guided experience, and you’re never on your own. Heli Ski U.S. (HKUS) Association, comprised of nine operators from seven western states, has established high standards and practices for the industry.
“Each U.S. heli-skiing member applies the same operating procedures,” explains Kevin Quinn, founder of Points North Heli-Adventures in Cordova, Alaska, and secretary of HSUS. “This assures guests the highest level of safety wherever they go.”
Although heli-ski operators can supply all the gear needed, Quinn recommends that guests have some backcountry experience with their own powder skis, avalanche beacon, and AvaLung.
“Because everything is so foreign and the adrenaline is high while heli-skiing, it helps if guests have their own gear and have taken a course in backcountry safety.”
 Preparation
“If you’re reasonably competent on skis or snowboard and are reasonably fit, you shouldn’t have trouble with heli-skiing,” says Quinn. “The guides will give pointers on how to handle the deep stuff if they’re asked.”
When heli-skiing, you should dress in layers, but be prepared for dramatic changes in temperatures. The temperature drops three or four degrees Fahrenheit for every 1,000 feet of elevation.
Loading and unloading
Before starting out, the heli-ski operator reviews safety procedures and equips everyone in the group with a transceiver for use in the event of an avalanche. Prior to take-off you’ll practice a few drills searching and locating one another until you’re familiar with the gear and can use it properly in event of an emergency. You’ll also be briefed on the special loading and unloading procedures around a helicopter.
When unloading at the top of the mountain, the guide gets out first and places his/her pack nearby in the snow. Besides being the group’s reference for loading and unloading, the pack contains everything you hope never to use — ropes, crevasse rescue gear, first-aid kit, avalanche rescue equipment, extra transceivers, extra clothing, emergency communication equipment, climbing skins, snowshoes and a snow profile kit for examining snow layers to determine stability. As an added precaution, the guide makes radio checks with the operations base, and every movement of the helicopter is logged.
 After the guide gives the OK, the group disembarks and huddles low in the snow around the pack, always facing the helicopter. Once the guide has unloaded the skis and packs, the pilot takes off, leaving the skiers in a snow-blinding, ear piercing din. But a few moments later the stillness sets in again, and you’re off for a thrilling descent down fresh, untouched powder.
After your group’s run, the guide prepares for the pickup, placing the pack and all skis near where the helicopter will land. The group huddles tightly together on their knees beside the equipment. After making its descent with a deafening roar and a downdraft of snow, the helicopter will land just a few feet away. This is the safest position. The rotor on the Eurocopter Astar, which is standard throughout the heli-skiing business, is about 10 feet above the landing gear and the tip of the blade extends 17 feet out — where you don’t want to be if the helicopter tips sideways. After the guide opens the door, you’ll scramble inside while s/he loads the gear into the carrying basket.
 North Cascades
The most glaciated peaks in the Lower 48, the North Cascades, are nicknamed “The American Alps.” North Cascade Heli is Washington state’s only heli-ski operator, based at the Freestone Inn in the Methow Valley. Within its 300,000-acre permit area in the Okanogan National Forest, North Cascade Heli, which partners with K2 skis, can access runs at altitudes of 7,500 to 9,000 feet that offer 1,500 to 4,000 vertical-foot descents.
“Guests often forget that they are getting two adventures, not just one,” says North Cascade’s Butler.
“They underestimate the heli-ride itself and how spectacular it is to just to fly over these mountains in winter.”
Heli-Ski Rates
Prices range from daily rates to weekly packages including meals and accommodations. Plan on between $700 for a daily rate to three-day weekend packages starting at $2,400.
Heli-Ski Companies
Heli-Ski U.S. Association – www.usheliskiing.com
Washington – www.heli-ski.com
Idaho – www.svheli-ski.com
Nevada – www.helicopterskiing.com
Colorado – www.helitrax.com
Utah – www.powderbird.com
Wyoming – www.heliskijackson.com
Alaska – www.chugachpowderguides.com
www.alaskaheliski.com
www.alaskahelicopterskiing.com
British Columbia – www.cmhski.com
www.lastfrontierheli.com
www.wiegele.com
www.rkheliski.com
www.selkirk-tangiers.com
www.tlhheli-skiing.com
www.heliskiwhistler.com |
