If you love untouched fields of pillows, powder and poppers at any pitch you desire then please keep reading.
Most of you have that one run you endure hours of pain, sweat, frustration and the realisation that you need to stop smoking for. After hours of hiking, you stand up the top, feeling like you’ve just conquered Everest and all of life’s challenges in one hit. Take that, life – you son of bitch! You drop in for the ‘ride of a lifetime’. Two to three minutes of effortless gliding later, you enter into a trance of flow and then… BOOM. It’s over. You don’t want to believe it, but it’s true. You look up and quietly think to yourself, “Hmmm…was that it?”
Yes, unfortunately that was it. Don’t get me wrong, I love getting out amongst nature and hiking/riding. However, sometimes you deserve first class treatment – and every now and then you should treat yourself to a helicopter, for a few days of non-stop, steep and deep, powder boardin’. Trust me, it’s a semi-small investment to feel like a million bucks.
This past Northern Hemisphere winter I was lucky enough to head over to Canada – the West Kootenay region of British Columbia to be exact – and experienced my first ever taste of heli-skiing with CMH (Canadian Mountain Holidays). My mind was officially blown, as well as my bank account, but there was no financial regret at the end of it…and I’m a pretty money tight bastard. I wanted more, more, MORE!
Heli-skiing is like all sorts of powder but better…it’s white, it’s expensive, it’s addictive as hell and you are higher than anyone else around you. However, you come out the other side of heli-skiing feeling stoked, refreshed and recharged.
CMH is hands down the spot for the ultimate first timer heli-skiing/boarding experience. It’s been in operation since 1965 – over 50 years of experience in getting people stoked and home safe. They’ve got 12 operations based across Canada, however for boarders looking to get steep, deep and vertical you want to hit either CMH Kootenay or CMH Galena. These two operations will get your blood pumping in a way you’ve never felt before. They not only offer insane amounts of the best snowboarding you’ve ever done but also hook up all the other bits and pieces as well. From post shred hot spring sessions to incredible meals, you really are treated like the most important person in the world.
Hot tip, don’t drink too much. Hangovers and helicopters are a bitch.
