Helicopter skiing is an extreme sport that stands out among adrenaline junkies because of its exclusive and adventurous nature. Amidst all of the thrill, there are dangers associated with the sport and its terrain that cannot be ignored. Fortunately, there are many systems and pieces of guidance in place to help one mitigate these risks and ensure safety every step of the way.
In this article, we break down key pieces of advice for maintaining your safety throughout the helicopter experience, from the very beginning to the end. At Pure Powder, we always prioritise safety, and the guides we partner with are experts in this field, helping to make sure that you can enjoy your heli skiing experience to the maximum.
Choosing The Right Provider
Your first port of call will be to connect with the right helicopter skiing provider—that means a provider that provides an enjoyable and thrilling experience while maintaining your safety at all times. The best way to connect to a provider you can be sure is reliable and safe is to do so through Pure Powder. At Pure Powder, we work with only the best helicopter skiing operators, and we facilitate the whole trip so you don’t have to.
We are the UK’s number one organiser of heli ski trips. We’ve spent years building up strong relationships with some of the best helicopter skiing providers and lodges around the world. Pure Powder would never connect any of our clients with a provider we aren’t fully confident would prioritise your safety throughout the entire experience.
Another benefit of booking through Pure Powder is that we’re never going to cost you more than going directly to a provider. You may even end up saving money, and because we take care of all the logistics, you’re saving time and hassle too. All you have to do is book when you’d like to go and pack your bags when it’s time, and we’ll take care of the rest.
Choosing The Right Destination
You can go helicopter skiing all over the world, so finding the right destination for you and your skillset is key. Most of these incredible destinations offer access to some of the most remote and pristine swathes of alpine scenery possible, a luxury not accorded to your average tourist sticking to the well-trodden path. From traditional favourites like Canada or Alaska, to close-to-home European destinations like Sweden or Iceland, to lesser-known areas like Turkey, it can be difficult to choose the destination for your next trip.
Understanding your skill level is key to choosing the right destination. Each of these destinations represents distinct geographies and climates, which translate into different heli ski conditions. As such, some destinations are much better suited to advanced skiers, while others are great for newcomers to the sport.
For example, Canada has a great diversity of skiable terrain. This means that there are plenty of locations in Canada where newcomers, intermediate skiers, and expert skiers can enjoy the slopes. While a select few routes are best suited for stronger skiers, the sheer variety of options in Canada means any heli ski enthusiast can find somewhere to take advantage of.
Alaska, on the other hand, is famed for its extreme steep skiing, making it an incredibly appealing destination for expert skiers. For beginners and intermediate skiers, it’s best to avoid Alaska. Turkey’s Black Sea mountain ranges is made up largely of challenging and steep terrain, making it better suited to intermediate or advanced skiers. In Iceland, their vast skiable terrain has enough open snow bowls and gentle hills to accommodate the novice helicopter skier, as well as providing routes challenging enough for intermediate and advanced skiers.
By choosing the right destination for your own level of skiing expertise, you’re ensuring a more enjoyable experience and helping keep yourself safe by not biting off more than you can chew.
If you’re uncertain about where you fall or whether you’re ready to take on more advanced destinations, you are more than welcome to have a chat with Pure Powder, and we’d happily advise you on the destination best suited to where you are at the moment. At Pure Powder, we specialise in finding a package and trip that suits you, your needs and your skillset as a helicopter skier.
Choosing The Right Style
There are plenty of different ways to experience helicopter skiing, from small and private groups to larger, more social trips, as well as specialised experiences specifically catered for skiers of different experience levels. When selecting group size, think about how well matched the rest of the group is to your own ski experience. If you’re joining up with another group, make sure to let the provider or facilitator know what skill level you’re at, so they can safely match you up with the right group.
If the rest of the group exceeds you in skill, you may find yourself getting left behind often, which can be an annoying situation to find yourself in, as you’ll likely end up slowing the whole group down. Conversely, should you pair with a group of less advanced skill, you’ll have to sit through longer waiting times between runs, which can put a damper on your whole trip if you were hoping to get plenty of runs in per day.
Organising a small or even private heli skiing excursion is a great way to take control of that variable, as it helps make sure that you’re hitting the snow with peers of the same skill level as yourself. As such, you can fully enjoy the experience without the worry of affecting or being affected by the performance of your group. Sticking to skiing with peers of a similar skill level makes the whole trip safer overall, too.
If you’re a beginner and want to be confident beyond doubt that you’re entering an experience that isn’t beyond you, we recommend you seek out Pure Powder’s Heli Ski Coaching programme. In the heart of Canada’s snow-capped mountains, we’ll be taking you and a group of other novices on a hands-on guided experience through the basics of the extreme sport, helping build the skills and confidence needed to tackle the travails of backcountry skiing.
Getting Ready For Helicopter Skiing
Okay, so your trip is approaching, and you need to prepare. Well, since Pure Powder takes care of all the logistics, all you have to do is make sure you’re fit enough and be prepared for the altitude.
Getting Fit For Helicopter Skiing
Getting fit is one of the most important steps you can take to help guarantee your safety during helicopter skiing. An unfit skier is likely to grow fatigued fast, lagging behind the group and making poor progress down the slope. If you’re unfit while on the slopes, you’ll feel miserable and slow your whole group down, bringing down the experience for everyone.
The freezing temperatures and thin air of the environment pose a greater risk to an unfit skier, placing extra strain on an already taxed system and potentially leading to overexertion. Luckily, there are fitness programs and tips you can follow to make sure that you’re fully prepared to go helicopter skiing.
On the Pure Powder website, under the ‘Ski Fitness’ tab, you’ll find links to guided video workouts that help you address all these critical areas and get your body ready for the endeavours of the slopes. When you’re fit and ready for the slopes, everything is far more enjoyable.
Acclimatising To The Altitude
One of the eternal challenges of any high-altitude activity will be the thin air. High altitude is great for low temperatures, and the light, fluffy powder snow that we skiers love so much. But at high altitudes, you get low oxygen, which can quickly lead to altitude sickness if you haven’t acclimated yourself to the area.
Dizziness, nausea and weakness are some of the more common and unpleasant symptoms of altitude sickness, which are both uncomfortable and potentially dangerous. For a helicopter skier, altitude sickness can be dangerous, as you may feel sick and distressed while on the slopes, which can go wrong if not handled properly. If you’re experiencing symptoms of altitude sickness on the slopes, always inform your guides immediately so they can take the necessary steps to ensure your safety.
To prevent the onset of this condition, you can spend a few days at a resort at a similar, but slightly lower altitude than the skiing terrain. Alternatively, you can spend some time at one of the many accommodation options that Pure Powder offers, giving your body time to adjust to the thinner air in a relaxed setting. While at the lodge, take plenty of time to rest and avoid any unnecessary strains like heavy alcohol consumption. Just a few days at a similar altitude level without skiing can help your body to successfully acclimatise.
Being Aware Of The Risks
Helicopter skiing is a thrilling adventure, and its challenges should be confronted with relish and delight, but also with caution. While helicopter skiing trips facilitated by Pure Powder are led by professionals who prioritise safety all the way through, it’s still a good idea to make sure you’re aware of all the potential risks. The very nature of the sport means all it takes is a change in weather conditions for everything to become significantly more dangerous.
Take time between the excitement to check in on your condition, paying attention to any sign that you may be exhausted, dehydrated or hypothermic. Should you notice any of these signs, rather than keeping quiet in fear of delaying the group, speak up and alert your guide immediately to avoid a more serious and disruptive crisis later on. Never ignore any potential risks or hazards, and always make sure you inform the guide of any obstacles, signs of discomfort, or sickness you may be feeling.
Trusting Your Guides
Your guides are your greatest asset on the slopes when it comes to your safety and wellbeing. These expertly trained men and women have a wealth of knowledge and experience that they’ll be leveraging at all times to make sure that you’re having a great time on the slopes and staying safe too. Your guides will constantly be monitoring the shifting environment of the mountains for any sign of threats, and using their knowledge to help establish the best and safest routes down the slopes, advising of any threats unique to that geography.
Trust that your guides know best and take their advice to heart. If your guide receives a weather report and decides to delay the day’s trip, they’re ultimately doing so for the best of the whole group. While helicopter skiing guides are committed to making sure everyone has an enjoyable experience, they will never put the safety of the group at risk.
Before the day starts, your guides conduct a safety debriefing, helping you prepare for any potential risks, as well as equipping you with avalanche gear such as a beacon, probe and spade—should the worst come to pass. Remember, the guides are trained, experienced and qualified, so always follow their advice.
Helicopter Skiing Safety: Get The Most Out Of Heli Skiing With Pure Powder
From start to finish, safety remains a top priority in the world of helicopter skiing. The best way to ensure your safety throughout the experience is to organise your trip via Pure Powder, the United Kingdom’s largest facilitator of heli skiing trips around the world.
Not only will we connect you with a reliable provider that works to ensure your safety at all times, but we will also happily advise you on a destination well suited to your experience levels. Pure Powder offers a variety of different packages and group sizes for skiers of different skill levels, ensuring that there’s an enjoyable and safe experience for everyone. From finding the right destination to making sure that you’re fit enough, the importance of understanding safety procedures should never be understated.
To book your helicopter skiing trip today, or to learn more about the thrills of heli skiing, contact Pure Powder at +44 (0)20 7736 8191 or feel free to browse through our packages and destinations on our website!
