Warning: the following habit can be dangerous to your health, your family life, and your bank account. It can lead to prolonged periods of dissatisfaction with regular day-to-day existence, where the skies are bland shades of grey and everyone you meet is destined to bore you with details of the mundane. It will inflict itself heavily on your bank account, and will severely test your ability to pay-off credit card debt.
Should this habit be continually indulged, family life will succumb to its siren song and you will find your significant other standing icily at the doorstep, child at his or her side, a tiny hand intertwined and asking "Where is daddy (or mommy) going?" And your significant other will stifle a tear, shake their head, and answer as if spitting the name of an enthralling mistress, "Heli skiing."
Yes, helicopter skiing and snowboarding is an extremely addictive sport, and should not be attempted under any circumstances. Unless, of course, you yearn for the mind-altering, neuron-firing experience of surfing untouched powder as if granted entrance to the slopes of ancient Mount Olympus and the realm of the Gods themselves. Should you decide to partake in the sport (strictly for the purposes of avoiding it in the future) consider Heli Skiing in Whistler BC as your best choice.
Gateway To The Gods - The Whistler Heli Skiing Area
Minutes from North America's #1 ski resort lies endless high-alpine terrain and scenery guaranteed so induce belief in a higher power. The heli-ski area is composed of several zones with an approximate area of 80km by 50km. The enormous variety of slopes and ski runs is enough to satisfy skiers and boarders of all levels (though 'winter virgins' need not apply). Carving down wide open glaciers? Whispering through sun-dazzled tree glades? Post heli-ski adventure, it's no wonder the morning traffic commute loses its rosy appeal.Look In the Mirror - Are You Good Enough To Attempt Whistler Heli Skiing?
Believe it or not, Whistler heli skiing doesn't mean you are forced to jump out of a thundering helicopter directly onto the slopes, before proceeding to "shred the pow" while cracking a can of Mountain Dew. (The helicopter actually lands). You do however, have to be in moderate physical shape and exhibit a positive mental attitude.
Ask yourself: do you thrive on powder and love a good challenge on an average ski day? Can you ski or snowboard down a run quickly, without falling (too many times) and have little difficulty? Do you have good physical strength, are able to recover quickly, and have no major injuries? If you answered 'yes' to all of these, chances are you're a heli-skiing addict in the making.
How To Crush Egos And Choose Your Team
On heli-ski trips, you spend all day with the same people. This can be a wonderful opportunity for bonding and sharing a powerful experience with others. Or it can mean the character traits of your friend you find most annoying are multiplied to the point of murderous fantasies playing out in your head. Necessity dictates you must be brutally selective.
Ski or snowboard with your friends at a regular resort. Did everyone enjoy themselves? Was their anyone who struggled on groomed intermediate slopes? (No doubt they would struggle in high-alpine powder and hold your group behind). Look for interesting and fun-loving people that are easy going and aren't quick to anger. Chat with your friends about they want on the trip: massive vertical footage, vast-open glaciers, a relaxing cruise through the trees? Finally, assemble your group.
Etiquette On The Journey And The Slopes
Whistler Heli skiing is a life altering experience. It's possible you may wish to contemplate this on the bus, the helicopter, on the slopes and in the lodge. But that makes for boring company for everyone else. Instead, be friendly and strike up genuine conversations with everyone in the group, especially if you're alone in the group. (Remember: a stranger is a friend you just haven't met).
Pay attention when the heli-skiing operators, pilots and guides bestow their valuable wisdom. (It's quite possible the information may save your life). Help others carry their skis and snowboards, pick up dropped equipment when someone falls, and rotate who goes first on each run. Keep pace with the group, and even if you're itching to blast down the slopes, exercise patience.
Treat Yourself To Fresh Powder - The Zen Of Whistler Heli Skiing
While your guide will carefully evaluate the safest areas to ski and snowboard, keep in mind that avalanches do occur and are often beyond prediction and control. Always listen to your guides on the slopes. But that doesn't mean you can't forge some fresh tracks on your own.
Stay out of the flats, as you might find it difficult to maintain speed in deep powder. Look for big areas of white when navigating through the trees, as it's deceptively easy to focus on what to avoid...and end up heading straight for it. Take advantage of natural features like lips, berms, banks, chutes, and bowls. Lastly, always remain in contact with your group and guide.
The Helicopter - Companion, Lover, Friend.
Loud, agile, and your only means of getting back home, your Whistler helicopter is a machine to be treated with respect. Never ski or snowboard up to it. Stop a safe distance away and remove your gear prior to approaching the helicopter, and always from a lower angle. (Wouldn't want an unexpected haircut...or worse). Avoid walking around the rear of the main cabin door as the helicopter can move unexpectedly.
Knocking your boots on the skids or on the side of the helicopter is a great way to shake off the snow, but it will attract the heated ire of the pilot. (Likewise, avoid using the instrument rods protruding from the helicopter's nose to melt your gloves). Be gentle opening the helicopter door, as they're designed to be lightweight. Lastly, avoid kicking the outside frame as you climb in by lifting your lower foot high, then quickly buckle yourself in your seat.
Final Suggestions For A Memorable Lifelong Addiction
Should you choose to continue on this Whistler Heli Skiing folly, you should come to terms with the fact that a simple fall or collision could result in serious injury. If you're lost or stranded somewhere, you could face hypothermia, and even death. Even more unfortunate, your bank account will experience sustained depletion, your social life will stumble, and your significant other will starve for attention (unless, of course, you bring them along).
However the mind-expanding nature of the Whistler heli skiing experience cannot be denied. Who can say they have surfed the shoulders of some of nature's mightiest mountains, gazing down upon the surface of clouds as surely as the ancient Greek gods did two millennia ago? Mundane life may suffer, but it is assured you will never look at the world in quite the same way.
Consider yourself warned.
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