 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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stuarth, ahh but are you allowed to jump out before it crashes ?
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Would jumping have helped with the fatal bit though? 
Still if you have to go, heliskiing (so long as you've got a run in!) possibly isn't the worst way.
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Quote from stanton,
"Excellent Spring Corn Snow Heli excellent "
What's corn snow?
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stuarth, nope, head on at about 100mph into several thousand foot of verticle cliff ! Jumping would I suppose have delayed the inevitable by a few seconds, no one else on the helicopter fortunately.
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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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if a helicopter crashes you're supposed to stay in it until the rotors stop, to avoid the mince-meat-head look. apparently
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| Chris Bish wrote: |
Quote from stanton,
"Excellent Spring Corn Snow Heli excellent "
What's corn snow? |
Spring snow and corn snow are the same thing (ie the big granules caused by repeated melt and freeze.
I'm told that a lot of heli-skiing outfits tend now to avoid the steeper slopes they used to ski (and often show on their brochures), and only ski the easier snow rather than doing full descents.
I have done some helicopter drops but never felt I could afford a heli-skiing holiday. However I always said I'd do it one day and perhaps next year might be the year (before I start skiing slower / more cautiously!)
How can I tell which would do the more challenging slopes I like to ski?
(I notice most of the companies don't even seem to divide according to standard - or do they? But even then, for example, I find the top groups with Alpine Experience at Val d'Isere too easy and no challenge, but the top group with TopSki is great.)
Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads  on Sat 23-10-04 14:50; edited 1 time in total
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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stanton, the best value heli-skiing in Europe is from La Rosiere or La Thuile. Don't just take my word for it, there have been various articles in Ski & Board, Daily Mail Ski Magazine etc. One of the best descents in the world is the Ruitor Glacier, a 20 km off-piste itinerie. Go to www.tracksvacations.com and check on ski randonee or click through to the La Rosiere web site. You can also pm me and I'll be happy to give you more info.
Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Sat 23-10-04 17:48; edited 1 time in total
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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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Heli Crashes , coincidence that, the year after I went with http://www.helitrax.net/ think it was around 1991 the opeartion had a crash and one of there guests was Christine Brinkley (some bimbo model )> Ooops , expensive lawsuit!
I have only been once Heli in Europe that was in Ischgl in 85/86 season but its been banned in the Tirol for many years now. Even then the chopper flew over from Switzerland, the pilot was some yank vietnam vet. I was working there back in 85 and we got a group of skibums together mostly swedes,Finns,Norwegians and went allday for about €30 each . Skied mostly above Galtur & Mathon in fact where most the avalanches came downb the other year , scary !
Corn snow > Firn Schnee > Spring Snow
Have fun
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snowbal
"Im told that a lot of heli-skiing outfits tend now to avoid the steeper slopes they used to ski (and often show on their brochures), and only ski the easier snow rather than doing full descents."
This is the reason I think I mentioned about some of the more commercial outfits like CMH , Mike Wiegle. They take groups of 6-10 with one guide .Ok, its fun if its your first experience.
Its best to go 3 max with 1 guide , this way the guide can assess your ability quickly & you can virtually specify what terrain you desire .
I remember one trip in Telluride we asked for some steeps . At the top of one descent the guide decided it needed blasting and he lobbed charge with a 10 second fuse and poo-poo I thought we were history , the whole mountain seemd to move. The guide certainly created a laundry problem for the group 
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You know it makes sense.
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Did anyone see that chopper crash a few months back that was televised. A news team hovered too low and wiped out. A house was wrecked, the chopper was mashed up but the two occupants just climbed out... amazing!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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stanton,
10 with a guide! I've never heard of a guide who would normally accept more than 6 off piste, or perhaps 7 if pressed , even with easy slopes and no helicopters. (Yes 3 is ideal and some guides will only take 3 or 4 with steep slopes for reasons of safety, but it puts the price up! And I've had wonderful skiing with 5 or even 6.)
I don't want to pretend I'm an extreme skier (despite my Alagna story) but in any case the most important thing is for all the group to be of the same standard and if you are joining a mixed group of strangers this might be a problem. Generally do they just ski the same things regardless, or do they juggle the groups when they have found out standards and send different groups to appropriate slopes?
This is one of the good things about SCGB holidays: you know what the standard will be (though this coming season they have only one full-Gold-standard holiday !!! (lead by Caroline Stuart Taylor - well, rank has its privileges I suppose).
The Himalayan holidays sound fantastic but it's outside my budget. Someone told me that the more challenging holidays are mostly in places like Alaska, but I don't know if this is true (?)
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Poster: A snowHead
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| stanton wrote: |
| Even then the chopper flew over from Switzerland, the pilot was some yank vietnam vet. |
Funny, all heliski pilots are Vietnam (or Afghanistan if you are in Russia) vets.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| snowball wrote: |
10 with a guide! I've never heard of a guide who would normally accept more than 6 off piste, or perhaps 7 if pressed , |
Large groups are standard for heliskip groups in North America. Take the Durrand avalanche where there was 1 UIAGM guide and two assistants for a group of 18. Your guide doesn't even have to be qualified.
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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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"The Himalayan holidays sound fantastic but it's outside my budget"
Yeah it is was a luxury but I wrote it off through my business on a trip to India 
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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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| davidof wrote: |
Large groups are standard for heliskip groups in North America. Take the Durrand avalanche where there was 1 UIAGM guide and two assistants for a group of 18. Your guide doesn't even have to be qualified. |
That must surely be on easy terrain. Even on a somewhat steep slope such as the first Himalayan photo here you surely couldn't have that ratio, and half that number would ski out a gulley.
(incedentally, what gradient would you reckon that photo was? 35º+? Perhaps nearly 40º?)
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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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When we did a heli drop on the Monte Rosa above Alagna we were told the pilot was the best in the area. There were no flat places to land so we were dropped on a slope. The helicopter had to hover with the tips of the skids resting on the snow while we jumped out. Later we were told our pilot had had 3 crashes (though not with clients on board): one was when a girder he was carrying, up by the Monte Rosa hut, when they built it, snagged on something. The helicopter tumbled a long way down the mountain and everyone was sure he must be dead, but he walked (or anyway hobbled) away. Another was when some locals persuaded him to test-fly a self-build helicopter!
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Mon 1-11-04 16:13; edited 1 time in total
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Off Topic but partly relevant.... I did a lot of load lifting in mountains in Oman using choppers many years back. Sitting in the co-pilot's seat but in a liaison role only. I can't fly them myself. We were building a wood pole overhead line but the heaviest loads were the compressors we needed to jackhammer holes in the rock. The best pilot by far was an American ex-Vietnam gunship pilot, who had also had load lifting experience in oil fields. No pilot likes underslung loads - if they start to swing too far it seems the characterisitics of the whole combination can lead to rapid accidental inversion. At which point the load falls on the machine. So good pilots will always drop a load before things go critical. There is a 'dead-mans thumb' on the hook control.
I have done some 'only one-skid on the slope' landings where the clearance from the main rotor to the rock alongside was chalked inside the main door - measured in inches - and it was numbers like 36, 45, etc. !!!! I only found out what the numbers meant afterwards.
My skiing is not good enough and my wallet not deep enough to have anything more to do with helicopters. I already gave. Scarey machines.
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If God meant us to use chairlifts, why did he give us helicopters?
2 experiences both with TLH in Canada. 2 groups per helo, 10 pax + 2 guides. Very professional (the Canadians take guide training and certification properly seriously).
1st week, awesome, 120k vertical in week incl one day of 40k which is apparently quite a lot). Pitches not as steep as expected - due to conditions. Smaller groups get steeper stashes (when safe).
2nd week a little disappointing due to weather (largest storm system in recorded ... etc.).
Group current thinking is you get better powder bang for bucks elsewhere and probably with skins on.
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FAQ
- anyone been with Whistler Heliskiing?
, at least if I stayed in they'd pay for my body (or bits of) to be flown home 
