Heliskiing Experience: From a single drop to a week-long heliski trip

My first heliskiing experience was far from glamorous, but still unforgettable. It was the 2006-2007 winter when I got the call from a Whistler local I had recently met.
Good flying weather tomorrow.
Stable avalanche conditions.
Heli drop.

I had only recently discovered what a “heli drop” was – a single lift into the alpine. After that your group is on its own, touring up for more laps and getting home safely. The cost (somewhere around $100 at the time) was a lot more affordable for a seasonal ski bum than a day with a local heliskiing operator. The day went well for the most part, but like all random backcountry groups there was a weak link that slowed us down. But that didn’t stop me from enjoying a handful of long powder descents. My first heliski trip to Rainbow Mountain – directly across the Valley from Whistler Blackcomb – was a success and I was hooked on the idea of riding in these magnificent machines to go ski powder.

I’ve been on a bunch of heli drops since that day, but it wasn’t until the last couple years when I was able to experience heliskiing the way it was intended. My chosen career of photojournalism has never made me mountains of money, but it has afforded a lot of opportunities. And some of those opportunities involve me photographing and writing about heliskiing.

What I’ve taken away most from graduating from the no-frills, unguided heli-drop up to the full heliski package experience is this: it’s about so much more than the skiing. Yes, flying around in helicopters lets you ski more vertical feet of untouched powder than any self-propelled backcountry hippy possibly can . But waking up in a comfortable bed, eating great food and spending time in a remote mountain setting – feeling like truly on vacation – that’s the biggest luxury.

Both ends of the heliskiing experience spectrum have their merits. With an express lift to the alpine before breakfast time and removing the long and arduous approach from the highway or trail head, all of the day’s uphill energy is spent on skiable terrain. Heli-touring can make for an incredibly rewarding day. But even the fittest and most motivated ski tourers can not match the powder surplus awarded to heliskiers, whom only need to climb in and out of their aerial transport.

Is it winter yet?