IMAGE: VALHELISKI
NORTH AMERICA H E L I -S K I A D V E N TU R ES
From Alaska’s peaks to Greenland’s glaciers, heli-skiing allows access to some of our planet’s most remote slopes. Traditionally terrain for strong skiers with generous travel budgets, we’ve selected the best adventures for high-flyers including entry level European trips that won’t break the bank
Valdez, Alaska Possibly the most iconic of heli-ski destinations, Valdez is famed for its steep skiing. The Chugach Mountains surrounding Valdez receive huge dumps of maritime snow (up to 52 feet every winter), which is plastered onto steep imposing peaks where — if you have the skills — you can enjoy some of the steepest skiing on the planet. And if precipitous descents are not your thing, there’s still plenty of awe-inspiring terrain that lesser mortals can explore and enjoy. Trips from $4,500 (£4,190) per person for fi ve days, fl ights not included.
eaheliskiing.com
Iceland Head here in June for midnight sun skiing. Late season brings perfect corn snow; early season it’s powder. At any time you’ll enjoy 3,280-feet descents on the Troll Peninsula, from the summit of huge peaks down to sea level against the Atlantic Ocean backdrop. Stay at a traditional Icelandic family farm where you can learn all about the culture and history of this fascinating Nordic country. Trips from €8,470 (£7,900) per person for four days, fl ights not included.
arcticheliskiing.com
East Greenland The mountains of East Greenland are high, steep and dramatic, and provide long vertical descents through deep, dry powder in terrain that varies from open bowls to steep chutes and long glacier runs (there’s no tree skiing for the simple reason that there are thought to be
no trees in Greenland). Ski trips here off er a genuine sense of adventure as you fl y out over ice fl oes and summit unnamed mountains to make fi rst descents. En route, you may spot locals hunting on their dog sleds, or polar bears on the prowl for seals. Trips from €9,950 (£9,250) per person for eight days, fl ights not included.
expeditionengineering.com
La Rosiere, France Heli-skiing is forbidden in France, but Val Heliski will meet you at the ski resort of La Rosière, where you can use the its pistes and lift system to ski to the nearby Italian border. A few steps into Italy, you’ll be picked up by a helicopter and dropped atop a peak to enjoy as much as 4,900 feet of guided vertical descent into La Thuile. Then you’ll take the ski lifts back to the border, into La Rosière (the two resorts are linked). This is a great fi rst time heli-ski experience as the skiing isn’t too demanding and neither is the price: from €330 (£305) per person.
valheliski.com
Livigno, Italy Here’s proof that it is possible to enjoy hel- skiing without blowing the budget. A single fl ight and ski descent in the beautiful back country on the edge of the Stelvio National Park costs €235 (£220). This ‘budget’ option includes all the bells and whistles: avalanche safety training before fl ying and a qualifi ed mountain guide who will choose the descent that best suits conditions that day.
heli-guides.com ALF ALDERSON
Above: Val Heliski offers trips in Italy that are well-suited to first-time heli-skiers
WINTER SPORTS 2022/23 63
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