Issue link: https://bluemagazine.uberflip.com/i/25232
TEXT: ROBERT LONGNECKER Whether you have chattered across one too many sheets of New England hard pack, been cut off one too many times by powder hounds in the bowls of Colorado or just had one too many dreams about face shots, perhaps the time has come to check out the world of heli-skiing. Heli-skiing is an activity so magically distinct that to even speak of it in the same breath as resort skiing does it an injustice. The terrain is, for all practical purposes, infinite. Weather and snowpack conditions permitting, most heli-ski- ing operations can take you to bowls, glades, chutes, glaciers, couloirs and everything in between. The conditions often approach perfection- light and fluffy untracked powder. Of course, there are times when the snow will be wet or mashed potatoes or crud but you can be certain that the helicopter- accessed snow is always better than what you can find at a resort. The best news about heli-skiing is that it is accessible to almost any intermediate/advanced skier or snowboarder with a fat wallet, a pair of boots and an insatiable appetite for the white smoke. Since your guides are familiar with the area and the snowpack, you don't need backcountry experience or spe- cial equipment. Most operations even provide skis / boards appropriate to their specific conditions. All you need to do is learn to use their avalanche transceivers (a 3D-minute lesson emphasizing mountain safety) and LISTEN to the guide. Costs can range from [a few hundred bucks] for a single shot to thousands of dollars for a fully catered, first-class lOO,OOO-vertical foot dream week. Some major resorts also have cat-ski operations (where snow cats carry you out of the lift-ser- viced area) and it is worth taking a trial run or two before book- ing a weeklong trip. If you do catch the bug-and, trust us, you will-look into a weeklong trip. These are more cost-effective on a per day basis and usually come with vertical footage guarantees (an issue if inclement weather causes repeated helicopter ground- ings). A full week also increases your chances of getting those epic blue sky and powder days. Read on to learn a little more about your options. But be careful. Once you've heli-skied, it can be hard to go back to the world inside the boundaries. 28 If you're dreaming of powder while everyone else is heading to the beach, the time has come to cross the equator. New Zealand has the most helicopter-serviced terrain in the southern hemi- sphere and the town of Wanaka lies right smack in the middle of the jagged, glacier-choked McKerrow and Harris Mountains. With hundreds of peaks and vertical drops ranging from 2,000 to I=============:::!.I 4,000 feet, there is terrain for everyone. Not to mention an awful lot of cool, fluffy powder to ride while the folks back home are sWE'.ating their way through summer. Backcountry Heli, 011-64-3-443-1054, www.heliski.net.nz. Since packages are tailor-made, pricing varies widely. One four- run day costs $585 per person. If all you know about India is curry powder, think again. The sub- continent has its share of another type of powder and, in case you haven't heard, there is a pretty decent mountain chain called the Himalayas. Since you are skiing from the roof of the world, it is no surprise that the runs are big. Average descents are 3,000 to 4,000 feet dropping from an altitude of 15,000 to 9,000 feet. When conditions are right (and clients are up to it), runs can start from as high as 16,000 feet. The snow is deep, the runs sublime and. let's be honest, wouldn't you like to be the only person you know to have skied the Himalayas? Himachal Helicopter Skiing, 011-61-3-9593-9853, www.himachal.com. Seven-day packages range from $5,750 to $7,250 (depending on location and number of skiers). including fiights from Delhi to Manali, double occupancy accommodation and meals. They anticipate 100,000 vertical feet on this trip and guar- antee 70,000 feet. $3,500 to $4,245, 9-10 members per group,