Heli skiing pictures: what camera should I take?

Despite many people returning year after year, for some clients, heliskiing with us at Last Frontier is not something they get to experience regularly. So capturing the moment, and getting the best heliskiing pictures is really important.

Choosing the best equipment to suit your trip is always difficult. With the rise of small, robust HD cameras and versatile, waterproof ‘point and shoots’, has technology finally evolved to give us the cameras we need to capture our adventures? Or if you really want quality images that will bring those magic Heli ski BC moments back home, should you risk it and take a DSLR? Here’s our quick guide to what’s needed:

‘Point and shoot’ waterproof compacts
Greatly improved in the past few years are the tough compact cameras. An array of choices are available, from budget options like the Fujifilm FinePix XP30, to Sony`s more expensive, sleek, TX10. These cameras, and many other models in-between, offer all the advantages of classic ‘point and shoots’ with the added advantages of being completely waterproof – so when the inevitable happens, and you drop it in the snow, it won’t mean an end to your picture taking. They also sport movie modes and some can even capture in HD.

GoPro or Contour
It’s taken a while to get us our own miniature, indestructible, HD recording devices. People have been documenting themselves skiing or boarding, in various formats, and degrees of quality, for years now, but GoPro and Contour have finally stepped up the game.

These incredibly small and lightweight cameras can be mounted just about anywhere you can think, and both can produce high quality, easy to manage heli ski video files. Image quality of up to 1080p (just to compare, analogue televisions commonly displayed at 330p and standard DVD players at 480p) you may wonder why ever buy anything else.

Great at capturing the live action, and very affordable, the only real downsides are taking the time to edit the videos – thanks to the huge files created – and the lack of options for taking still pictures.

Mobile Phones
Ok, so they aren’t cameras. Even so, the quality of images and vid clips taken from the latest mobile phones is incredible. And it’s one less gadget to squeeze in your pocket. Get yourself a good cover or waterproof case and you’ll be good to go. The downside is they aren’t designed to be held in the same way as a camera, sometimes leaving you fumbling for the buttons – and touchscreen phones don’t work well with gloves on.

Digital SLR (DSLR)
Last, let us not overlook the Digital SLR (DSLR). For sheer quality of images, HD video capture in some models and choice of settings, photographers choose the DSLR. With interchangeable lenses and endless accessories, these are the only real option if you are after pro-quality heliskiing photos. Lugging one around with you on your heliski adventure is really a labor of love, and you would have to be confident in operating the advanced settings competently, to achieve the best results.

Heli Skiing, Heliskiing, Heli Ski, Heliski, Heli Skiing Tour, Heli Skiing Holiday, Heli Skiing BC, Heli Skiing Resorts, Heli Skiing Lodges