Northern Escape Heli Skiing Blog

Are you planning your first Heli-ski trip? That’s a fantastic idea! In this article, you will get to know about every detail you need to know about the significance of season concerning Heli skiing.

Canada gloats the longest Heli skiing period of any Heli ski goal. The Heli skiing season starts from the beginning of December as far as possible in the late summer, summer. Just ask anybody that lives there, the winters in Canada are long and hard! In any case, when is the best time for Heli ski? Truly, working out the best time to Heli ski relies upon the sort of skiing that you appreciate. We’ve in this manner gave a snappy rundown of what’s in store during the various seasons…

Why Is Considering the Season for Heli-skiing Trip Important?

Considering the season is very important for your heli-skiing trip. Tell you why? Because the condition of the snow is different in different seasons. To get the desired condition of the snow, you better do some research before you plan your trip to know if the current snow condition is as desired. For example, if you are looking for huge and extreme snow then definitely you should be considering winter season, while on the other hand, if you are looking for a more stable snowpack then you should be choosing summer season for your trip. Thus, choosing the right season that is more convenient for you is one essential thing so that you can enjoy your heli skiing trip like never before!

As a passionate skier, you are always chasing the perfect condition: uncrowded runs and pristine snow. As any skier knows, there is nothing as exhilarating as the feeling of flying down a run filled with fresh powder in a breathtaking mountainous landscape.

Heli skiing involves the use of a helicopter to access remote backcountry terrain, opening up an infinite number of mountains so that skiers can explore the areas beyond the usual ski lifts. During these backcountry or free skiing adventures, you will discover far-flung downhill runs that are tucked away within the heart of the mountains. These areas are so rarely visited, the conditions are usually spectacular, with virgin snow and plenty of wide-open space. The terrain can range from expansive bowls to glided tree runs, to steep couloirs – whichever is your favorite.

The extraordinary thing about helicopters is the extraordinarily simple access to the territory. You’d need to walk slowly and with heavy steps for a considerable length of time to reach – this implies most administrators can get to basically any landscape that you’d prefer to ride!

If you want incredible heli skiing, then Canada British Columbia is about as good as it gets – as it offers perfectly spaced slopes and more pillows than a boarding school pillow fight!
It’s a misconception that heli-skiing is always full-on big mountain terrain; one of the best things about it is being able to find the sort of deep powder low angle inclines that would be followed out in a split second in a ski territory. It’s actually one of the best ways to learn to ski really deep untracked powder! If you are a good intermediate or better, then there is perfect Heli ski terrain out there for you somewhere.

How Significantly Does The Season Affect Heli-skiing Experience?

The proverbial heli-skiing trip to Canada fills the mind’s eye with blue-sky, white-capped alpine vistas and knee-deep champagne powder as far as the eye can see. Fortunately, this is often the case, and that’s why people go heli-skiing. What potential guests have to realize is that weather conditions are not always perfect; winds must blow and snow must fall for us to play in the mountains, and the Canadian Coast and Rocky Mountains are perfect for the white-out.
Heli skiing and boarding outfits are obviously limited somewhat by these inclement conditions; general industry experience shows that more tree line and gilded skiing takes place during the early and mid-season and that the high alpine is really only accessed as the spring begins to arrive. Once March and April roll around, the alpine snowpack is generally more stable and the weather gets better, and ultimately allows for more bluebird days in the high alpine, the holy grail of helicopter skiing.

As for winds, they can come at any time. Helicopters, just as they are often limited by thicker fog, cannot fly in any sort of high winds, and are generally grounded in anything over 30-40km/h. Even if the prevailing winds do not appear particularly strong at the lodge, there may be serious gusts occurring upon and around the peaks, making it very difficult to safely land and pick up/drop off groups of skiers, and ultimately grounding the helicopters for the day. As everyone knows, we cannot see the wind, only the effects of the wind; skiers and boarders are often glad to reap the results of a storm as snow is stripped from certain faces and settles on others.

Fortunately for helicopter skiers in British Columbia, down days are quite rare. The Skeena, Monashee, and Columbia mountains – BC’s central ranges – are very much used to seeing long stretches of beautiful, calm, stable days, with the odd violent and snow-heavy storm thrown in to refresh the runs. Therefore, extraordinary snowpack, light breezes, and as a rule bluebird skies kill a vast dominant part of the down days as a rule seen at Heli hotels and make for extremely glad skiers and visitors.

Lastly and most importantly, safety is paramount in dealing with snow and weather conditions. Heli-skiing guides are vastly experienced in the analysis of snowpack, avalanche risk, and general weather forecasting, and will often make decisions that the guests may not understand at the moment. These calls are obviously made for the benefit of the group and generally result in better and safer skiing in the long run; no sense in skiing the big, freshly dumped-on face if it’s all going to avalanche on top of the group. In many ways, this is what makes heli-skiing so safe – especially in Canada where the safety standards are among the most stringent in the world. Guests can relax and enjoy themselves, relying on the helicopter pilot and ski guides to make the decisions that will see everybody through safely while still giving them the most exciting and enjoyable day imaginable.

There’s no point shelling out the dough for heli-skiing unless the snow is good and deep; that’s why almost every Heli ski operation is located in an area with high snowfall. However, the problem with regions with high snowfall is that, well, it snows a lot – which makes flying helicopters difficult and dangerous.
While the weather is never guaranteed, it’s definitely worth checking how many down days each operator might expect for their region, and if they have any backup options like a nearby resort and lifts, cat skiing, or in the case of Kashmir Heli ski, tree runs in the back garden with a jeep to run you up from the valley!

How Is It to Plan Your Trip At The Peak Of Winter?

Winter season is known to be an early season. It is December and January:
Heli-skiing toward the beginning of the season in Canada can create probably the most hair-raising powder skiing on the planet as the blizzards will, in general, be enormous and the temperatures cold. Furthermore, with no layers to worry about, this is the time of year when you can lucked-out and ski the ‘cold smoke’ bottomless powder. The down-side, days are shorter and sometimes the Heli ski runs can be a bit shorter if the bottoms of the runs don’t have as much snow cover.

In terms of skiing, you are more likely to be Heli skiing in the open slopes at this time of year given the regularity of the storm cycles. That means that if you are looking for the ‘brochure shot’ of Heli skiing on a big, open slope then you may want to consider Heli skiing later in the season. Talk to most Heli skiing connoisseurs, however, and the exhilarating tree skiing and snowbird Heli skiing is their highlight!

What Can You Experience in The Mid of February?

This season is usually considered as mid-season. The season is from February to March):
Traditionally this is ‘prime-time’ to Helicopter skiing Canada as you have the best of both worlds; consistently big snowfalls, relatively cold temperatures (good for keeping the powder dry and effortless to ski!), longer days and a deeper snow-pack. The flip-side? Well, there isn’t one really, except to say that it’s harder to book during this period because the demand is greatest and the prices are highest at this time of year.
On the skiing front, mid-season Heli skiing will in general offer the best of the world; a perfect blend of high Alpine Heli skiing when the conditions are acceptable.

Is Late March A Good Option to Go For?

Late March or the beginning for April is usually termed as the end season: it starts from the end of March and beginning of April.
It can turn out to be a quite good option to go for. As the winter rolls-on, the weather should get more settled with plenty of clear and long (lots of sunlight) days’ perfect for Heli skiing. You’d be surprised as there is usually still plenty of new snow right up to the end of the season, but the warmer average temperatures may mean that you need to stay a little higher for the best conditions.
As for skiing, end-season Heli skiing is perfect for those looking to ski above the tree line is the wide, open slopes of powder that are begging to be skied!

What Can Summer Hold for You Out There?

They call it a late season. It starts at the end of April.
In winter, you’ll drop into perfect races to ski a few thousand feet of unmanaged, no-limit snow by using a helicopter. In summer, you’ll fly to dazzling areas to climb trails or climb through ferrates in the most excellent landscape on the planet.

Towards the end of April, you might be lucky enough to ski some corn snow (spring snow) on the south-facing slopes, however, you’ve generally got the helicopter to whisk you up towards the northerly slants which should, in any case, have some flawless powder for you to ski. An increasingly steady snowpack is regular for the finish of the period, and on the off chance that you are hoping to ski the soaks, at that point this is unquestionably the best time to go.

Okay, so late-season skiing may have a reputation for being more social than serious in Europe with the choice of lunch venue being the most important decision of the day. But head over the pond to Western Canada – the global epicenter of Heli skiing – and we reckon you’ll be blown away by the April Heli ski experience.
Here’s why late-season Heli skiing gets our vote…
Great snow and even better skiing

In Canada, the winters are long and deep. Just look at the stats – this year there were approximately 2.5 meters of snowfall in exclusive Heli ski terrain in late season alone…Wow! Throw a helicopter in the mix and you have the freedom to cherry-pick the north-facing slopes for knee-deep powder and also ski the south-facing slopes for some incredible spring snow (corn skiing).

Stable Skiing Conditions

Traditionally the conditions are generally starting to get more stable towards the end of April; both in terms of the general weather, and also the snowpack stability. This basically translates to more awesome skiing up in the high, open slopes. At this time of year, it’s also possible to tackle the most aggressive lines and steeper slopes so it’s no surprise that Northern escape Heli skiing hosts its Heli Skiing Steep Camp at the end of April when the snowpack is most stable.

Long Ski Days

Through summer you can also enjoy longer days with more opportunity to Heli ski to really maximize your experience. These long Heli ski days can run from a 9 AM start to 6 PM finish if conditions allow!
Great value Heli skiing

With Northern escape, Heli skiing demand-led pricing structure their Heli skiing trips in summer are almost half the price of a mid-season Heli ski week. Considering this includes approximately about 30,500 meters of skiing, accommodation, transport, equipment plus all your food and soft drinks we think that’s a seriously good deal!

Final Words

Heli-skiing is one of the most breathtaking adventures you can ever experience in your life, and be glad of your decision for the rest of your life. You should definitely try at least, I repeat at least once, to let your inner self know what real joy is… Life is short, enjoy every bit of it, anytime, and whenever you can. So, are you ready to head towards your heliskiing trip? pack your bags!!