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Soulex posted:How expensive is heliboarding? Because it just got added to my wish list. Heliskiing looks incredible, and I have friends who've declared it the best day of their lives etc. All that untracked pow for no effort (just $$). But it seems pretty risky on the avalanche scale if you're really getting fresh tracks. If you didn't hike up the snow, how do you know it's safe to ski?
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| # ? Nov 5, 2012 13:43 |
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| # ? May 23, 2013 16:05 |
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I don't. It's going on my third season with maybe 2 full weeks of riding days. I have a ways to it yet for sure but it looks fun. This season I am focusing on not getting scared when I go too fast.
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| # ? Nov 5, 2012 13:45 |
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If you want a taste of it, get some buddies together and hire a guide for a day on a big mountain. A fraction of the cost of heli but you do have to hike a bit.
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| # ? Nov 5, 2012 13:50 |
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sweat poteto posted:Heliskiing looks incredible, and I have friends who've declared it the best day of their lives etc. All that untracked pow for no effort (just $$). The way they do it is they generally ski a lot of pretty low angle stuff. In general heli skiing groups don't have the greatest skiers in them so they keep it pretty mellow. The good operations also employ very experienced forecasters and guides.
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| # ? Nov 5, 2012 15:00 |
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sweat poteto posted:If you didn't hike up the snow, how do you know it's safe to ski? it's not like you just point at a peak and say "take me there i wanna ski that" and then they drop you off and you randomly choose and ski a line. you have a guide who tells you very specifically what you can ski and exactly how to ski it.
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| # ? Nov 5, 2012 15:30 |
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Also from what I'm told the guide goes first. Little wonder they play it safe.
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| # ? Nov 5, 2012 16:12 |
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I'm not interested in doing heli drops. I don't like the idea of paying hundreds of $$$/£££ to join a group of skiers all of mixed abilities with different ideas of fun and what they want to get out of the day. All while being told exactly where i can and can't go and how fast. I can hike 45-60 minuets with a group of friends i know are all competent enough to not slow anyone else down too much (and are more fun than random holiday makers to be around). We can choose how we want to descend, not pay a guide to tell us where we are going. Also being helied up just once would not be good for my motivation to hike  edit: this is assuming you join a random group which is alot cheaper where i am rather than getting a helicopter just for your own personal group which is expensive and hard to organise (poor season workers). Ghetto Blaster fucked around with this message at Nov 5, 2012 around 16:19 |
| # ? Nov 5, 2012 16:14 |
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Back to the question.. Soulex posted:How expensive is heliboarding?
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| # ? Nov 5, 2012 16:30 |
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Yeah, I'd love to Heliski one day even though I don't do powder, but I won't. poo poo happens, a guy died at Revelstoke last year when their Heliskiing group got caught in an avalanche. It was over the Christmas break, so not exactly prime avalanche season, either. Plus the websites usually advertise "if you can do a blue run comfortably, heli-skiing is for you" and I don't want to be skiing with people of the same ability as my mom.
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| # ? Nov 5, 2012 17:00 |
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Are you guys being serious? First of all, I don’t know anyone who goes on a trip like that alone. You might not have a full group of skiers but it’s not like the heli op is going to pair up a bunch of rippers in their 20s with some senior citizens from Texas who ski 10 days a season. Any guided operation worth a poo poo will make sure you aren't being dragged down by weaker skiers, it's standard operating procedure to assess everyone's skill prior to grouping people up. Second, I imagine getting ordered around by a guide is pretty easy to stomach when everything he is “making” you ski happens to be untouched blower pow. You’re no longer in the friendly confines of the ski resort where literally everything is avy controlled, you’re in the backcountry and he is telling you what to ski so you don’t get yourself or someone else killed by an avalanche. I like resort skiing as much as the next guy but if you ask just about any any avid skier/boarder what their dream trip would be, a week or two of heli skiing would be right at the top of the list. HookShot posted:poo poo happens, a guy died at Revelstoke last year when their Heliskiing group got caught in an avalanche. It was over the Christmas break, so not exactly prime avalanche season, either. What exactly would be “prime avalanche season” in your opinion? Early season avalanches are incredibly common, and judging by the statistics you should be able to get yourself killed by an avalanche at the end of December just about as easy as any other time of year: https://avalanche.state.co.us/acc/acc_images/Slide8.JPG
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| # ? Nov 5, 2012 17:36 |
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For people interested in heli ops, you should also consider cat skiing. It is the same kind of experience but cheaper and less weather dependent. Helicopters can only really fly when the sky is clear. Snow cats can drive you up the hill even if its dumping. If you're going to spend the money for one of these trips, I'd highly recommend doing a fair bit of research beforehand. There are a lot of great cat ops out there, particularly in interior BC and Alberta. Personally, I think the expense of heliskiing is basically a waste unless you're doing it in Alaska. edit: In Febuary 2008 I was fortunate enough to go to Chatter Creek (cat skiing lodge) with my dad. This was what I got for "getting ordered around" by the guide, and skiing with retirees: (H-scroll DWI)    That was just the blue-bird day with the photographer. The next night it nuked another foot and the following day we skied steep, deeeeep blower in the trees under dark clouds all day. That was pretty much the best day of skiing of my life. Here's some scenery for more perspective: 
bawfuls fucked around with this message at Nov 5, 2012 around 18:34 |
| # ? Nov 5, 2012 18:22 |
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HookShot posted:
Though I am proud to say I am working through this disability with the mediation "Alps."
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| # ? Nov 5, 2012 18:35 |
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Unless you are filthy rich, cat/heli skiing is a waste of money if you aren't already competent at slaying teh pow.
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| # ? Nov 5, 2012 18:38 |
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Yay, snow thread. I was out last year due to a back injury, recovered a bit, got a day on cross country skies then broke my wrist literally the day after. This year my budget is tight as hell but I'll try and get as many days as I can.
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| # ? Nov 5, 2012 18:39 |
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bawfuls posted:Unless you are filthy rich, cat/heli skiing is a waste of money if you aren't already competent at slaying teh pow. Or you could spend the same amount of money on a snowmobile and never deal with any of the trouble, and also you'll have a snowmobile.
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| # ? Nov 5, 2012 18:42 |
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ANGRY_KOREA_MAN posted:Or you could spend the same amount of money on a snowmobile and never deal with any of the trouble, and also you'll have a snowmobile. That's it. I am sold. Plus that could get my wife in on doing something.
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| # ? Nov 5, 2012 18:43 |
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Don't be this guy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbn5rQVKj1Y
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| # ? Nov 5, 2012 18:47 |
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Holy poo poo those pics bawful Everything I see coming out from BC looks awesome I want to go up there so bad.
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| # ? Nov 5, 2012 18:53 |
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Just for the record, i think most guides to a very difficult job very well, and i agree that helis get you to some awesome terrain. It's more of a money thing for me i guess im just bitter on account of being a poor bastard.
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| # ? Nov 5, 2012 19:01 |
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ANGRY_KOREA_MAN posted:Or you could spend the same amount of money on a snowmobile and never deal with any of the trouble, and also you'll have a snowmobile. edit: Even if you ARE very experienced at assessing a snowpack, you will most likely not be as good at it in a particular region as the guides that live and work there all year for many years. A commercial op allows you to visit a new region and make use of the existing knowledge base. Along with easy access, of course. bawfuls fucked around with this message at Nov 5, 2012 around 19:22 |
| # ? Nov 5, 2012 19:19 |
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Snowmobiling is dangerous as hell if you don't know what you're doing. Snowmobiler avalanche fatalities have overtaken skiing and snowboarding in the past 10 or so years.
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| # ? Nov 5, 2012 19:32 |
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Everyone quit making GBS threads on my dreams 
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| # ? Nov 5, 2012 19:43 |
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Soulex posted:Everyone quit making GBS threads on my dreams ironlung posted:Snowmobiling is dangerous as hell if you don't know what you're doing. Snowmobiler avalanche fatalities have overtaken skiing and snowboarding in the past 10 or so years.
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| # ? Nov 5, 2012 19:49 |
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Every time I think that getting a snowmo is a good idea I think about the inevitable break down miles away from the trailhead. PNW/Tahoe people should rally the 12 person cat reservation with Mt Bailey snow cats. Including hotel it would be about $600 for 2 days. bawfuls posted:To be fair, this may have more to do with the demographics and relative sub-cultures of snowmobiling vs. skiing & snowboarding and not the nature of the two activities themselves. Are you suggesting slednecks might not be the most aware? highme fucked around with this message at Nov 5, 2012 around 20:02 |
| # ? Nov 5, 2012 19:59 |
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It would still be a hell of a lot cheaper to do some research on snow pack conditions and do it yourself than pay a guide.
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| # ? Nov 5, 2012 21:08 |
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ironlung posted:What exactly would be “prime avalanche season” in your opinion? Early season avalanches are incredibly common, and judging by the statistics you should be able to get yourself killed by an avalanche at the end of December just about as easy as any other time of year: https://avalanche.state.co.us/acc/acc_images/Slide8.JPG "Prime" avalanche season, at least in BC, I was always taught is in November/Early December, the first few months of snow, and then the last few months, end of Feb/March/April. There's also obviously a lot of day-to-day stuff that increases/decreases the risk of avalanches, but I've always learned early/end of season is way worse for avalanches. And yeah, please don't go snowmobiling alone when you don't know what you're doing, that's a huge recipe for disaster.
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| # ? Nov 5, 2012 21:08 |
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ANGRY_KOREA_MAN posted:It would still be a hell of a lot cheaper to do some research on snow pack conditions and do it yourself than pay a guide. Some local knowledge (beyond snowpack & conditions) is invaluable. Not that doing the research and heading out on your own in a responsible manner is the worst idea, but spending money isn't always bad.
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| # ? Nov 5, 2012 21:21 |
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sweat poteto posted:Back to the question.. Silverton will offer heli drops for $75 a pop at some point this season.
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| # ? Nov 6, 2012 00:58 |
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Moot . posted:Silverton will offer heli drops for $75 a pop at some point this season. Yeah, regardless of if heli is worth it in the lower 48, at $75/drop it starts becoming worth it to do once just to say you did and for the feeling of being a badass/part of the one percent.
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| # ? Nov 6, 2012 01:30 |
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even at the regular price of $150 or whatever it is, it's still worth it based on my experience
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| # ? Nov 6, 2012 01:37 |
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Even here in the land where everything costs $$$++ it's ~$125 USD for a 14km course. I was supposed to go in 2011 but the trip was cancelled because the helicopter was commandeered for rescue in Fukushima. Rescuing helpless old people from radiation instead of letting me heli-board, there isn't a  big enough.
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| # ? Nov 6, 2012 02:07 |
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How the hell are they profiting by offering heli drops for 75? That's a lift ticket price. Heli skiing is seriously one of the top thing in my bucket list and that is so cool. Cat skiing is awesome as well and I've seen how awesome chatter creek is so maybe I'll do that one day if I can gather up $4k for it.
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| # ? Nov 6, 2012 02:45 |
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I could be in for a goon run heliski/silverton day! What's  better at the moment? Keystone or A Basin? I'm planning on going up Sunday.
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| # ? Nov 6, 2012 03:07 |
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Nhk news just let me know BC is getting 30+ cm of snow... You jerks... We could use that snow...
spwrozek fucked around with this message at Nov 6, 2012 around 03:35 |
| # ? Nov 6, 2012 03:26 |
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zmcnulty posted:Even here in the land where everything costs $$$++ it's ~$125 USD for a 14km course. I was supposed to go in 2011 but the trip was cancelled because the helicopter was commandeered for rescue in Fukushima. Rescuing helpless old people from radiation instead of letting me heli-board, there isn't a I know I'm really sick with a cold because I spent about 3 minutes staring at this post wondering how a helicopter was going to be able to fly from the USA to Japan without running out of fuel.
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| # ? Nov 6, 2012 04:43 |
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It's one of those new extended range helicopters.
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| # ? Nov 6, 2012 04:49 |
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zmcnulty posted:It's one of those new extended range helicopters. Oh that new Helicopter equivalent of the Condorde? 
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| # ? Nov 6, 2012 04:53 |
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deong posted:I could be in for a goon run heliski/silverton day! Keystone has 4 runs, Abasin has 2. Keystone has better snowmaking capacity, so I'd probably go there. Keystone is also closer to breweries for when you inevitably need to drown your sorrows over how lovely the riding is. At least Keystone has a better park to fall down on.
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| # ? Nov 6, 2012 04:59 |
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Remember kids, vote for snow!
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| # ? Nov 6, 2012 19:47 |
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| # ? May 23, 2013 16:05 |
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Pictures from Keystone's "Back to the Grind" Rail Jam:   
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| # ? Nov 6, 2012 19:54 |
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