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I was researching my next potential heli-skiing trip based on the amount of fun I had on my first trip to Canada. As I surfed various websites, I realized that there are really no informative lists of important details a person should know when planning their first heli-skiing trip. The websites I saw basically listed very generic tips that really leaned on the fact that these trips can be expensive. Thus, I decided to put a list together of ten tips that I knew prior to my trip and some that I learned on my first heli-skiing trip.

Flickr Photograph (taken by SevenDescents.com.au)

Guaranteed Vertical Meter Limits

1. When researching your heli-skiing company, you will notice that they guarantee a specific amount of vertical meters based on the length of your trip. So for example, if you are booking a 5-day trip with Canadian Mountain Holidays during 2010 winter/spring season, you are guaranteed 21,780 vertical meters (or 71,000 vertical feet). You might think that is more than enough; however, when you take approximately seven runs a day, that are about 1,200 vertical meters each, you can quickly reach that limit. Now you are probably asking yourself, “What happens is we are to go over that limit?” If you do exceed the guaranteed vertical meters for your trip, it will cost about an average of $100-$125 USD per 1,000 additional vertical meters you ski or snowboard. This happens a lot as the heli-skiing company wants to make sure the customer gets enough time on the slopes but not so it’s adding more operating expenses (e.g., helicopter fuel). So you will see that most companies, such as TLH Heli-Skiing will boast the fact that their customers reached an average of 30% over the guaranteed vertical limit. On top of all of that, you sometimes only have a few options during the day to return back to the lodge, so you might get stuck out there a bit longer if you do not use your vertical meters just right. My advice is not to ‘go big or go home’ every day of your trip. If you are feeling sore or it is a cloudy day, it might be good to head in and just relax instead of trying to get as much skiing in. On the flip-side, if you have enough cash to cover the additional vertical meters, then by all means go for it!

 

An Overflowing Wallet

2. This is not a secret but heli-skiing trips are expensive! You will really need to establish a budget along with the number of days you want to go as heli-skiing companies will usually package lodging, skiing, equipment and meals together. The current average rates, per person, for the 2010 season are as follows; $8,000 USD to $9,000 USD for a seven day package, $4,500 USD for a four day package and about $900 for a single day of heli-skiing. These rates will vary as the most expensive time seems to be near the end of December for the holidays along with January and some of February. The prices get a bit cheaper as the season enters March and April due to the snow conditions not being all that champagne powder we are all hunting. On the other hand, I really don’t mind skiing on a perfectly sunny spring day up in the mountains.

 

Your Skiing or Snowboarding Ability

3. You might think to yourself that you are good because you can get down a blue square (intermediate) or black diamond (expert) rated trail but this doesn’t mean you are ready for heli-skiing. If you can make it down on some expert rated trails at some bigger mountains on the East Coast or out in the Rocky Mountains in any type of condition (e.g., ice, zero visibility or heavy powder), then you are probably ready. If all you ever have ridden at your local mountain…well hill…with only a few trails and nothing steep, I’d argue that it might not be the safest idea to go heli-skiing. There will be many times heli-skiing when your mountain guide will have you traversing through trees, through fields of previous avalanches and around snow covered crevasses. It really made sense to me that you can have no fear while you are heli-skiing and need to be purely confident in your own ability to make it down. This isn’t meant to scare you but you will have others skiers and snowboarders within your group who don’t want to be held up as you are double thinking why you booked this trip in the first place.

 

Experience of Guides and Pilots

4. You might not think of this immediately but I have to stress the importance of this. There are many risks associated with heli-skiing such as avalanches, sudden storms, high winds, crevasses, tree wells, and much more. If your mountain guides aren’t that experienced with first aid, mountaineering, heli-skiing or your helicopter pilots do not have many flight hours logged, this should raise a red flag. You will see many, if not all, of the heli-skiing companies detailing the amount of experience and background history of their mountain guides and pilots. So check it out when researching a heli-skiing company.

 

Equipment Provided To Customer

5. A majority of the big name heli-skiing companies will provide their customers with powder skis, poles, snowboards and safety equipment (e.g., avalanche transceivers). It is important to check with the company you are researching to see what skiing equipment you will need to bring. When I went on my trip with Canadian Mountain Holidays during April 2009, the only skiing equipment I brought (not including clothing) were my helmet and Salomon Kaos Ski Bootsboots that the lodge staff was able to easily fit my powder skis too. This also helped me save additional airline fees associated with transporting my skis and poles across the country.

 

Currency Exchange Rates

6. If you are planning a heli-skiing trip outside of the current country you live in, then it is very important to check out the exchange rates for the country you are looking to go heli-skiing in. For example, as of mid-August 2009 the going exchange rate for $1.00 Canadian dollar is about $.91 US dollar based on XE’s Universal Currency Converter. So if the prices were exactly the same between a company within the United States of America and Canada, it would be cheaper by about 9% to use the Canadian company. You might want to check out debit/credit card rates for performing currency exchanges (such as using an ATM) as those charges can sometimes erode the exchange rate benefit you might have had.

 

Location, Location, Location…

7. We’ve all heard this marketing phrase before…It’s all about the location. This goes for heli-skiing companies and lodges as well. When planning your heli-skiing trip, you will need to decide whether you want to be secluded in the mountains off of some logging road that is far away from town or staying at a skiing resort that offers heli-skiing. As I’ve only stayed in a lodge far away from any town, I would recommend it as it easily allowed me to meet other heli-skiers within my group and to network with people from all walks of life.

 

Hydration

8. I never really thought about it because I was so excited to go heli-skiing but you can easily get dehydrated due to the constant exercise and high altitude. I also noticed that most heli-skiing company websites do not state that they offer constant water or sport drink mixtures on the helicopter. I was pleasantly surprised to find a metal crate in the helicopter after each run that contained these liquids to rehydrate myself. Staying hydrated is also important as helps reduce muscle damage and soreness that can limit your ability to ski the next day. I would check out if the company allows you to bring water with you or if they provide you with some sort of water or sport drink mixture.

 

Safety Training

9. Have you ever worn or had to use an avalanche transceiver? Do you know how to rescue someone from a tree well? What happens if you get split up from your group? Do you know how to enter and exit a helicopter? These are all important safety tips that you will to know. If you do not currently have the training for this, there is no need to fret as long as the heli-skiing company offers the training prior to you getting on the mountains. It’s recommended for your safety, as well as the safety of others, that you make sure the company you are leaning towards offers these trainings to you and the rest of the heli-skiers in your group.

 

Pay Early

10. This will be known by most of you business-type readers out there but the earlier that you pay off your total balance after selecting the heli-skiing company of your choice, you might get a small percentage discount from 1% to 5%. This is done so a company can receive the maximum cash flow instead of them ending up as collectible. In the case of heli-skiing companies, they will require that you pay the balance off before the start of the trip so the early payment probably acts more to cover any operating expenses and to earn some interest.

Now that you are armed with all of these tips to plan your heli-skiing trip, make sure you check out my personal travel notes from when I went on a three day trip with Canadian Mountain Holidays to stay at the Gothics Lodge.