Just thought I'd post a quick mid-trip report from the southern hemisphere. Just over half way through the trip now and I have 34 helidrops under my belt. Started off with a couple of days resort skiing at Treble Cone with video analysis and coaching from Warren. Smallish resort but with some great freeride terrain, which was ideal to get the ski legs dialled in ready for the first helitrip. Big storm on the evening of our third day here resulting in about 50cm of new snow all over the southern lakes region, making for perfect conditions. Next four days spent skiing fresh powder snow all over the Harris mountains and in the Mount Cook region. Small enough group for first tracks each time with Warren on hand for coaching as required. Yesterday we spent in Cardrona working on some technical aspects of our skiing, again with video analysis, so that the last few days of heliskiing will be even better. Remember thinking yesterday that it was the first time I'd got on a ski lift for four days that didn't have rotor blades.
The group is working out really well, even though there is a big range of abilties, ages, fitness levels and skiing backgrounds. All credit to Warren and the guides at Harris Mountain Heli for making it work so that everyone is getting the most out of it. To anyone who thought about coming on this trip, or anyone who wants to give heliskiing a go I would urge you to do it. I hesitate to say the trip of a lifetime because that suggests that I won't be doing it again but it's certainly up there - and the best bit is we've still got four days to go
Managed to put together some of the heliskiing video, Melody has also taken hundreds of stills so will post more when she has had a chance to go through them.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Tue 25-09-07 19:39; edited 2 times in total
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Green; me...........
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?
BGA, poor you, it looks awful out there. Me, I'm off to London tomorrow and I'm going early so I can get packed in really tight on the train. Can't wait. Whilst in transit I'll probably be fretting about your carbon footprint
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Quote:
I'll probably be fretting about your carbon footprint
There was a Toyota Prius parked outside the heli place today. Does this count as offsetting?
More heli-action planned tomorrow. And the day after. And the day after.
Pictures will no doubt follow.........
After all it is free
After all it is free
BGA, Many thanks for taking the time and trouble to post (especially the vid) I shall use it all in the case for my defence
brian
brian Guest
BGA, nice.
What are the skis ? Looks like you're getting maximal float there.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Nice turns. Snow looks perfect.
is that the Ben Ohau range?
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
BGA, sweeeeeeeeeeet...................... That is some summer stoke to keep us all going.....
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.
Lovely. When I watched the vid it kept stopping. Probably my rubbish connection, but made it easy to admire the skiing! Hope the rest of the trip is as good.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
brian, Volkl Sumos. 190cm and 125mm under foot Great for float but a bit of a handful to get turning round in anything less than a high speed enormous GS turn. Good practice though
Mike Pow, Harris mountains. Not sure exactly which parts though. As luck would have it I'm just off to do it all again, so I'll ask the guides.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Wow....
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Another 8 drops today, with everyone's favourite pilot, nicknamed 'Negative Gee' due to his propensity for crazy heli flying. Warren took some video on the home run, 140 Knots about 15 feet off the deck. Will try and post some footage if I get the chance. Snow holding up very well, although some minor avalanches on the lower slopes. Weather forecast to be poor tomorrow and then good on Friday, which should bring up the 50 drop total for the trip. Going to Treble Cone tomorrow for mogul training. Got used to fresh tracks so could be a bit of a shock!!
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Well I am sitting here at work.. my brain is being fried by the radiation emissions my computer screen is pumping out....reading a post like this makes me remember that there is more out there.. last winter seems like such a distant memory... but the excitment is building...can`t wait for mid-November so my soul can be resurrected from the ashes of corporate whoredom... roll on winter.. and goodbye office.. for good.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
mrtoastie, welcome to snowHeads. I think most of us are beginning to feel like you do. The weeks can't pass quick enough to get back on snow...
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?
Well, I'm now sat in the airline lounge in Auckland waiting for my flight back to the UK so I though I'd pass the time posting a fuller trip report on the NZ helicamp, along with some images to whet appetites for the season to come.
As I posted earlier, we started off the camp with a couple of days skiing at Treble Cone working with Warren on technique and exercises to give us the tools we would need when we got into the helicopter and started to shred the gnar (see - I learnt some proper skiing jargon as well. Might even be able to understand the TGR forum now). Loads of video analysis to highlight the things we needed to work on, with particular reference to how this would affect us in the more variable heliskiing terrain. Next four days were spent skiing fresh powder snow all over the Harris mountains and Mount Cook. We split into three groups with a guide each and Warren skiing between the groups coaching. Melody on hand to video and take images like these
We then spent a couple of days at Cardrona to work on technique again, now with a better understanding of what areas needed to be stronger to cope with the powder. Then back for more heliskiing!! Managed to get in another eight drops, into more challenging terrain, which some members of the group wouldn't have dreamed of being able to ski at the start of the trip. Final day of heliskiing didn't happen due to the weather so back to Treble Cone to finish off, each of us having an individual debrief with Warren on our skiing.
Thoughts on the trip? Awesome. Really good group of people who gelled really well, despite different backgrounds, nationalities and skiing levels. Edgewater Resort in Wanaka made an excellent base, superb facilities and friendly and helpful staff. Great restaurants and bars in Wanaka (and we visited most of them) and all the support staff, guides and pilots from Harris Mountain Heli did everthing they could to make the heli trips as safe and memorable as they could be.
There was a huge improvement in everyone's skiing, and it was great to be able to relate the piste based exercises directly to how you have to ski to get the most out of backcountry skiing. For me personally, I managed 42 drops, and skiied about 90000 vertical feet of mostly untracked powder snow, which I reckon is more than you would get in many years of 'normal' resort based skiing. To anyone who is thinking about skiing in NZ or who wants to give heliskiing a go, this is the way to do it. I've heliskiied before in Canada but you get so much more out of it when you have a coach like Warren with you. If you can't get down to NZ then give it a go in Verbier. I understand that Warren is going to run the trip to NZ again next year, from the 1st to the 12th of September, and I shall definitely be on it again, probably along with all the others from this year
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Wow. Schralping the gnar in your living room. That's sick. And very possibly phat
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Spurred on by the summer stoke of skimottaret, I have edited a bit more video from the NZ trip together, apologies the aspect ratio is a bit off, which I will try to alter. Just to show that I can just about ski short radius turns on very fat skis in powder on a shallow gradient. Also please excuse the small stumble at the end of the second clip, this was due to being clobbered by a small avalanche from above. Unfortunately the videoing shut off at this point which is a shame because what started off as a small slip ended up quite impressive. A lesson on why not to get stuck in a terrain trap. The footage at the end is of the final heliride back to base. I was sat behind the pilot and we were doing about 140kts all the way and were about 20ft above the ground.
I'm curious about general conditions - having heard from folks in Methven about a pretty bare season what was general coverage like further down the South Island. Would your fun have been severely restricted if you hadn't had so much heli budget and been restricted to resort slackcountry and touring?
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
BGA wrote:
Spurred on by the summer stoke of skimottaret, I have edited a bit more video from the NZ trip together, apologies the aspect ratio is a bit off, which I will try to alter. Just to show that I can just about ski short radius turns on very fat skis in powder on a shallow gradient. Also please excuse the small stumble at the end of the second clip, this was due to being clobbered by a small avalanche from above. Unfortunately the videoing shut off at this point which is a shame because what started off as a small slip ended up quite impressive. A lesson on why not to get stuck in a terrain trap. The footage at the end is of the final heliride back to base. I was sat behind the pilot and we were doing about 140kts all the way and were about 20ft above the ground.
On a serious note, if you check what happens just before the small ava is set off you cut hard across a slope to get to the "wave", I'm guessing that is what triggered the slide, perhaps not cutting so hard or not cutting across at all would have prevented it???
Not picking fault, I'm just trying to learn as much about avas as I can
Cheers,
greg
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Looks like a great trip, thanks
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?
Quote:
On a serious note, if you check what happens just before the small ava is set off you cut hard across a slope to get to the "wave", I'm guessing that is what triggered the slide, perhaps not cutting so hard or not cutting across at all would have prevented it???
You are absoultely right, cutting back across your own tracks/line is not to be advised in avalanche prone terrain, and you should always be looking above you and be ready to ski out of the way should things start to slide. In my defence I was being yelled at by the guide to do just that, purely because it would look better on video. The risks I take as a ski movie star...
fatbob, not a great season around Wanaka by all accounts, however we were very lucky in that on the weekend we arrived, there was a big storm leading to up to 50cm snowfall across the southern lakes region down to about 800m. Resort skiing at Cardrona and Treble Cone pretty good for the whole fortnight we were there, and obviously made for great heliskiing. That said I think we were very lucky in our timing. Ten days or so earlier and the resort skiing certainly wouldn't have been anywhere near as good.
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
I want to go! I want to go!
