Who wants to heliski?

amen. thanks for putting that better than i would have.

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Originally posted by meatdrink9
twoplanker, I'd be down. I really want to talk to the op first and find out just how crazy they'll let us get.

bc, that's cool. I'm just lightheartedly returning the shit volley. ;) I don't have probs with the guys skinning for turns. (I have a BC set-up as well.) I don't have probs with guys paying for a heli ride. I do have probs with the people that think they own the hill and their way is the only way.

tywhy, hopefully 2p's idea of geating a similarly skilled group together can make it a little more rowdy. I'm sure to some degree thay have to make the experience sound easy enough (and probably deliver easy stuff) as to not exclude a lot of potential customers. At least that's what I'm hoping. I'm sure a conversation or two will tell more.

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Originally posted by comish
There is not one best way.

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md9,
I was gonna quote that earlier saying that I agreed but I didn’t get to it in time…

I definitely don’t own the hill or think my way is the only way….I don’t have a problem with people paying for turns either. To each his own. http://btjdesign.com/emoticons/headbang.gif

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Originally posted by meatdrink9
1. because I haven't skied those lines before.

2. because my schedule doesn't allow for 4 days to log 20,000 feet of vert when it can be done in 1.

3. I gots the flow to make it happen.

It seems like the largest problem these guys have is player hating. You've got the time to earn the turns, but not the cash. Sweet. Some people have the cash, but not the time. Don't be a hater.

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And I think the copy from their website makes a sweet #4. Kind of cheesy and a little bit steezy. Kind of lame, like bad porn, but it still gives me a boner. Oh, and if you climb up a mountain to moon me as I fly by for another powder run, try to imagine me not giving a fuck. http://www.edmoweb.com/bb/images/smiles/icon_eek.gif

Your powderbird excursion begins with an early morning call to update you on weather and flight information. Upon arrival at our heliport, you relax with a continental breakfast of juice, fruit and baked goods, followed by a safety orientation. When everything is ready, you take your seat in our modern jet helicopter, buckle up, and are smoothly whisked away to the majestic peaks of the Wasatch Mountains.

Landing on a snowy ridge, you peer down on a glacier carved bowl rimmed with stunning scenery. The helicopter lifts off. Immersed in white silence, you realize how few people ever experience such an exquisite blend of beauty, solitude and sport.

Adrenaline, sensory stimulation and the fluidity of motion create indescribable exhilaration. You feel as though you're floating through a cloud of snow. Each successive turn adds to your excitement and satisfaction.

At the end of your day, you relax in the comfort of our modern and spacious sunroom, dine on a catered meal, and relive the day's adventure with your new found friends.

If I had the cash I'd do it. I flew with them two seasons ago and it rocked. We weren't on the most technical terrain, but definetely some fun stuff (Cardiff Fork, Silver Fork, White Pine, and Days Fork) The guide gave us the general guidelines, stay in sight, don't go below the guide, etc. We were all able skiers and they basically let us do what we wanted as long as you followed the basics. In Days Fork there are all kinds of fun terrain, crazy gulleys, 20-30 foot drops, etc. The snowpack was pretty stable, but it also wasn't knee deep. I figured I got about as much vert as I would in 4-5 days of touring. The guides were great and once they knew that our group had some bc experience, they relaxed a little bit. They were more concerned with our clumsy asses kicking the ship as we got in and out. I can't remember either of their names, but one wrote the book Wasatch Winter Trails.

I did it two years ago with Spats, endless, et al., and I thought it was a good time. (Don't FART in the heli!) I was the only one light enough to join the group at the last minute, heh.

The stuff that we skiied was fun but not that technical. The coolest run was Cardiac Ridge--so much fun. The experience of going up in a helicopter and flying around the Wasatch was neat too. Our guide was a nice guy, Ollie. And he was good about telling us to keep our lines close together so as to avoid ruining all the freshies for others and minimize the angst that our tours caused.

Looking back at the experience, however, I really would have wished for more technical, steeper runs. I didn't really ski anything, save Cardiac Ridge, that was orders-of-magnitude better than Alta on a regular powder day. They didn't really ask us what type of stuff we wanted to ski. Everything was pretty much predetermined--they just plopped us down where everyone else was going. And it felt like the day was too short. After heli-skiing, I actually ended up meeting up with some friends at Alta and skiing a few more hours in the afternoon.

The bottom line is that it was fun, but I didn't think it was a life-changing experience. Would I do it again in the Wasatch? I dunno. I'd say probably not, but I'd try it somewhere else, like Alaska or BC. If I did do it again with WPG, I'd prolly be more forward about skiing more technical (but still safe from an avy point-of-view) stuff.

I think this year I'm gonna plow some money and knowledge into some backcountry gear instead and give that a whirl instead.

Good luck and have fun on your tour!

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Originally posted by Twoplanker


EDIT: BTW, I'm looking for a group of skiers that all ski alike - aggressive. I'm not willing to drop that kind of coin if the ability of someone in the group mandates low-angle powder. I want to ski steep shit. :D

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The guides at WPG rank each skier's ability at the end of the day so that if the skier comes back in the future they will know what the skier's ability level is. I skied with Spats, Endless, and SLC Freshies on the trip which has already been mentioned. I am not sure exactly what we were ranked, but Ollie gave us all the same ranking (I think they were just being nice to me because I am not quite the same level of skier of the other three, but I did not tend to slow down the progress). Anyway, you might be able to let WPG know what level of skier you are in relation to Spats, Endless, or SLC Freshies and if they believe you they might be able to take you directly to the terrain that fits your ability. However, as it has been mentioned, there are so many other factors that determine the runs you make such as weather, orientation, and other heli skier routes that you may not have too many options. Our guide was very sensitive to preserving untracked northern slopes knowing that they would hold up better if there was extended sun shine and therefore provide as many opportunities for as many skiers as possible in the future. That can be rather frustrating of course when you see a great route and the guide says "sorry we are saving that for later when all of the southern exposed stuff is all tracked out". You really ought to give them a call and let them know what your hopes and expectations are and see how they respond.

Let the heli fly, because they will never be tracking out this shizz...
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...-face-hike.jpg
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...risten-top.jpg

Have fun on your chosen day. May you have epic turns and not run into any elitist haters.

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Originally posted by Trackhead
Let the heli fly, because they will never be tracking out this shizz...
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...-face-hike.jpg
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...risten-top.jpg

Have fun on your chosen day. May you have epic turns and not run into any elitist haters.

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Exactly. Thanks.

I've been lurking on this post for a while now.I'd love to go in on this,but I can't commit so far in advance with my cash flow or lack there of.Sounds like a blast though!