 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi folks
I need to action my bucket list!
Does anyone have experience of heli skiing in Iceland or Greenland?
Tips...when...which country is better, which heli operator...etc
Thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I went to Iceland at the end of last season, because they have extended seasons there and I needed to squeeze in a late trip. It was a fun trip, but it costs the same as over-the-head powder in BC, so it's hard to justify the cost unless you know the snow's good. You can pretty much book and go, flights are easy to get, the island's small and rental cars cheap. There were a lot of Brits around, probably because Iceland's so close. The local ski hill (useful for down days) closes late season, so it's worth checking that. Down-days were a little more frequent than BC in deep winter, but the day-length meant it was still easy to reach the vertical. Possibly because of the easy-access they had quite a few of short-trip people which isn't always a good thing.
I'll probably go to Greenland sometime. I do not know which country is better, or which heli operator, having sampled only one of each.
In my opinion with heli, you'll not find an operator who's not good, the issue is more if their product offering is what you want.
If it's a "bucket list" thing, then I'd think fairly carefully about precisely what you want as that implies you only get one shot.
Here's a short video from that trip which shows the conditions in May this year.
Snowboarding Siglufjörður May 2019 from phil 45464 https://vimeo.com/334895759
Irrespective of how steep that is, it's not going to slide, which (see thread on air bags) is why I didn't bother arming that one, in case the safety police get annoyed.
It's a lot of money for very bad snow.
Here's a clip from earlier the same season of the BC equivalent. The price is about the same, but the snow's a little different.
Snowboarding in Blue River 2018-2019 from phil 45464 https://vimeo.com/308223350
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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'I'll have a B please Bob'
Skiing in sight of the sea is very cool though tbf
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@ibendzeeknees,can recommend this guy http://www.bergmenn.com
meet up with him in whistler last year seemed very knowledgeable and professional . I spent a week ski touring last spring in Iceland and thought it was an amazing place saw plenty of heli activity , and although the descents aren't massive im sure you'd have loads of fun , as @philwig states probably better places for snow quality and depth , but for a destination trip Iceland ticked a lot of boxes and was very easy to organise from the uk
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Just a shame that the Troll Peninsula heli-ops seem to fly an awful lot to peaks that are easily accessible/tourable from the road rather than the peaks more in the interior but hey ho... At least they don't land on top of people who are on the summit, unlike the Swiss!!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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It probably depends somewhat on the snow. The stuff we had, "fresh tracks" weren't really an issue, so they may as well use the stuff at the edge of their tenure. If you had better snow, that would be tracked out (by tourers, as well as heli people), so they'd be forced to fly further. More flying time increases the operator's costs. I didn't "dump into" any touring people, so although you could actually walk up there in training shoes in that snow, there was never anyone about. It's a big place.
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@ibendzeeknees, in Iceland you won't get eaten by a bear.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Greenland.
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At risk of being controversial on this thread (and not helpful for the OP - sorry!) personally I feel heli-skiing has no place in Greenland. Keep the wilderness wild...
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I can recommend Piruk for guiding in Greenland (https://www.expeditiongreenland.com/) but I don't know if they offer heliskiing.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@offpisteskiing, agreed , going to Svalbard this spring and really hoping no buzzing interruptions
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Arctic Heliskiing was the first operation in Iceland, good team and they have the the most knowledge and access a lot more terrain then the other operators. They also do trips to Greenland, looks amazing and is quite spectacular judging by the photos.
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You know it makes sense.
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| offpisteskiing wrote: |
| At risk of being controversial on this thread (and not helpful for the OP - sorry!) personally I feel heli-skiing has no place in Greenland. Keep the wilderness wild... |
Totally agree- I have been to Greenland with Pirhuk- It is the most stunningly wild place and is spoilt by the presence of (thankfully very few) helicopters .
I would recommend Matt and Helen Spencely and their team if you are planning heading that way.
cheers,Bob
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