Step off the Beaten Track with Heli-Skiing

Everyone has hobbies but if you are the type of person that loves an adrenaline hit then you are no stranger to the rush of skiing or snowboarding. There are countless others, but one constant is the excitement from completing a difficult maneuver or the thrill of battling with some tough terrain and both winter and extreme sports fans bond over this fact. If you are nodding your head in agreement, it is time to step off the beaten (or well-skied) track in search of something more challenging. What if it was suggested you go heli-skiing? What if someone offered you the chance to experience the following:

• Panoramic helicopter views
• New challenging lines
• Off-piste terrain

Have we piqued your interest? Keep reading and you will begin dreaming of untouched peaks ready to be conquered.

The Crowded Track

Modern skiing is big business and with the 2014 Winter Olympics currently being staged in Russia’s Sochi the sports exposure and popularity looks set to continue but this poses a problem for those aiming for something out of the ordinary. Increasing numbers of tourists will continue to litter ski resorts and this could prove problematic for the serious ski-lovers out there. Of course, there are many distinct types of skiing including the following possibilities:

• Cross-country skiing
• Speed-skiing
• Slalom
• Ski-Jumping

However, despite these possibilities and options you might be the type of thrill-seeker or fanatic searching for something that the average holidaymaker or snow-lover does not want or even know about. If crowds of people disrupting your flowing lines or manufactured packed snow no longer impresses or fulfills your needs then the opportunity to ski in remote, testing wilderness is surely one that cannot be refused. There is only so long you can continue to cruise the same slopes and dropping from a helicopter onto untouched snow below might be the experience to wake you out of a skiing-slumber.

Backcountry Challenges

Heli-skiing might have existed for more than fifty years now but with 21^st century advances affording us progressively better and more reliable forms of air travel the serious skiers dreams are now becoming a reality like never before. Skiers are now able to survey mountainous landscapes, rugged backcountry settings and natural terrain with the realistic ambition of being dropped into their most testing environments yet via helicopter. With winter sports continually growing in popularity, and becoming ever more accessible to the average person, ski-resorts are and will continue to become increasingly packed with novice enthusiasts willing to learn but likely to understandably struggle with challenging terrain. As a result more experienced skiers may suffer but thankfully continued advances have led to some experts in the field claiming that “the future is off-piste and backcountry free riding”. With many helicopter pilots adopting a hover technique, which allows skiers to gently drop onto fresh snow, the opportunity to try new and untested lines is closer than ever before. The heli-skiing experience may currently lie away from mainstream skiing but luckily for this side of the Atlantic more and more American and Canadian resorts are now open for this rugged business and ready to drop you directly onto the highest quality snow out there.

Heli-skiing will not be for everyone but if you are currently going through the motions when every new vacation rolls around then why not try something completely different? Of course, this opportunity should only be considered by those with adequate experience but even if you are not there yet, you have always got something to aim towards, right?

With technological advances continuing to offer better safety equipment and resorts beginning a concerted effort to lower the costs involved in heli-skiing this may be your chance to try new terrains and view the sport from a completely different perspective. You might consider yourself a pro on the slopes but with expert opinion predicting an increase in heli-skiing in the coming years with a gradual move into the mainstream now might be the time to challenge yourself like never before. It is time to get away from the manipulated and manufactured slopes that dominate resorts and experience another side of your sport by stepping off the beaten track and into a helicopter primed to take you towards the new lines out there.