 Poster: A snowHead
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Right, I'm new to all of this.
I've noticed where I am going this winter you can do heliskiing. CAn everyone do this or do you have to be a expert etc?
Could someone explain to me exactly what it is? OH told me it's people jumping out of helicopters with skiis on. I think he was pulling my leg though 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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v1cky24,
ha ha.. he was. Most helis will be small with just enough room for 4 seats inc pilot so a group will probably have to have multiple lifts to get you to the drop. Skis are racked by the guide who also supervises the landing so will go up in the first lift. You will be directed in all these things and you will step/drop out onto the snow and stay there until the heli takes off once skis are unloaded. This will take 2 mins or so.
As for the skiing. it depends on the operation and what you can do. Some areas have multiple drop zones but these can be restricted so the choice might be small. They normally take you to the high point and you ski from there on varying routes.
The heli company/guide op might have a few standard routes but the guide will need to see you ski
You may or may not get good conditions so being comfortable of a few differnet type of snow sets will help.
Where are you looking at..?
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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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Can you ski powder competently? If so most heli ski companies will be able to cater for you. As JT says the terrain on offer is often very diverse from blue/red gradients right up to more 'pro' lines. Have you checked out/enquired with the company you may be using?
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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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v1cky24, maybe I'm stating the obvious, but you need to be able to ski offpiste. That means you should be at least a good skier on a red run or a decent one on a black run. Otherwise the different snow conditions will play havoc with your skiing.
If you have no offpiste experience, maybe starting with heliskiing is too soon - in the best case, you won't get the full benefits, in the worst case you will find it very difficult. .
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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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v1cky24,
For example, the Monterosa from Gressoney/Champoluc is an easy ski on the glacier all the way into Zermatt.. and the hardest part where you really need to have some experience is the drop off from the Cervinia system into the Chaplouc valley. That is 20kms of fast skiing at the end of the day in snow that has 'gone'..and then you have the rat run through the tress to finish you off...
You don't need a heli to do that..
It depends where you go and what you get... that is why people hedge these questions with a be preapred for all things type answer...
In perfect conditions, a snow plough will get you through... but you could be stuck up there in glue... 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I'm going to Panoramam, BC.
I'm nowhere near an expert, off piste is new to me so I'll have to wait for the heli skiing experience I imagine. I just wanted to know what it generally involved, it sounds like quite an experience!!
Thanks for the info 
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riding in a heli is pretty cool even if you don't get to ski at the end of it
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v1cky24, Have a go down Taynton Bowl first, that was Heli ski territory until they opened it to lift served traffic a few years back. If you can cope with that, you can cope with Heli skiing. Whether your wallet can cope is another matter - it's not cheap!
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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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Something everyone else so far has also failed to mention is that it's extremely expensive. You're looking at cdn$300-400 for a cancellation days skiing which might only give you 4-5 runs. You could easily double that for a prebooked trip.
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v1cky24,
RK Heliski are the principal operator out of Panorama.
I've heard mixed reports of them. Most people I've spoken to have had a very good time, but I know that some years back, a British skier had a critical letter published in Ski Canada, complaining that she hadn't been well matched with the other skiers in her group, that she struggled a lot and eventually dropped out, as she felt she was holding back the group. - I think this is rare though. It's not in the interests of heli operators to give guests a bad experience.
One of the good things about skiing in Canada is that there's lots of inbounds off-piste - i.e. lift-served but ungroomed, patrolled, avalanche-controlled terrain in addition to the marked trails, that you can learn to ski in without having to hire a guide. Panorama has quite a wide selection of this terrain, and as nbt says, the Taynton Bowl area, off the back of the mountain used to be a heli drop zone.
I'd strongly recommend getting some lessons to help you cope with this type of stuff (the Panorama ski school is VERY good!): this will certainly be way cheaper than heliskiing, although you won't get the full wilderness experience. - Part of the attraction is being able to ski lines where there's no-one else about.
A lot of heli operators claim that competent intermediates can cope with heliskiing, and they provide the super-fat skis that make it a lot easier, and (usually) match skiers ability to the terrain/conditions, so if you're an off-piste novice you're unlikely to be taken down a 40-degree slope with waist-deep powder. You'll more likely get a nice blue-run gradient with a few inches of soft stuff (which can be pretty cool to link turns in, and then look back up the mountain and see your tracks: a number of heli operators also video you and give you a DVD at the end of the day).
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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frank4short, the place to go is Mica. Someone invited me to go this season but I've got far too many more important (than powder!!&*%$£!) things to do on my skis this season. I expect that it is incredibly expensive but they have averaged less than 2 down days per season! (not sure what its averaged over) Check out their website, that place is literally my idea of heaven! 
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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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In Panorama it is RK Heliski who operate ... and they are fantastic! I went with them a few years back and it was absolutely amazing, one of the best experiences I've ever had!
They provide "fat" skis - extra wide to help you "float" in the powder, and you get a safety briefing at the beginning showing you how to use transponders, then you get to practise using them. They have a guide with a full avalanche pack who leads you down, then somebody else at the back who also has a full avalanche pack.
All the skis are loaded in to a cage on the helicopter and you strap in. They take you off in to the Pucell mountains and drop you at the top of a mountain where the helicopter lands so you can step/jump out whilst one of the guides unloads your skis. Once the helicopter has flown off then you get your skis on a head off following your guide.
You don't have to be an amazing skier to do it in Panorama, and that's one of their selling points. I think they said you had to be able to comfortably ski a red, but you don't need to have had off piste experience before you go. The School of Skiing (SOS) in Panorama is superb, and they do a special class for people who are thinking of going heliskiing but don't have to confidence to just go and do it.
Anyway, the helicopter then meets you at the bottom of a run, and takes you to the top of a different mountain for another go. At the bottom of our second run the helicopter met us for lunch and they unloaded sanwiches and urns of tea - the most scerene setting for lunch ever!
After lunch we did a third run before returning to Panorama. It's expensive, but something that you might never have the opportunity to do again, so I'd say if you can afford it, then go for it!
Oh, and you get a certificate and badge at the end!
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I've not been with RK Heli but met plenty of people who have - its very definitely an intro to heliskiing day operator, rather than an extreme terrain op. Ask them early in your holiday what named offpiste runs in resort you should be comfortable doing, then book your heli day based on their advice.
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FAQ
