Travel » Heli Skiing in New Zealand

With a bigger Alpine area than all of Europe combined, the range of choices here is mind boggling

A strange combination of cirumstances have made New Zealand one of the very best heliskiing destinations in the world, and certainly the ‘off-season’ destination of choice for savvy Asian skiers. The coun­try is now well and truly on the interna­tional skiing map, but just a few years ago it was virtually unknown outside Australa­sia. With only a limited number of skiers to finance resorts and facilities servicing the country’s vast snow fields, aircraft first fixed wing and later helicopters have become the preferred option.

One of the chief advantages of the heliskiing ventures here is their experience: as New Zealand’s operators have, in some cases, been around for twenty years or more, and have grown into some of the biggest companies of their kind in the world. Ask their advice they’ll be happy to recommend an area that will suit your budget as well as your ability. As heliskiing is often viewed as being affordable to only those with deeper pockets, it is a relief to find that New Zealand is still a location that helps You to reach a little further.

Most skiing takes place on the South Island where there is a spine of mountains that stretch almost its full length. The western access to these peaks is from towns like Mount Cook and Fox Glacier. With 30m of snow dumped on the mountains every year, the glaciers sweep down from Mount Cook, providing lots of wide-open slopes and bowls. Ski past beautiful hang­ing icefalls and fearsome crevasses; or go further up for some higher-speed thrills.

Christchurch, Metliven and Mount Hurt on the cast side of the island are pos­sible bases for exploring the peaks of the Arrowsmith, Palmer and Ragged Ranges which give views west to the Tasman Sea, and cast to the Pacific Ocean. The high point is Mount Arrowsmith at 2800m, where steeper slopes give advanced skiers a run for their money, while intermediates will be happier on the longer glacier runs for their money, while intermediates will be happier on the longer glacier runs. Descents of over 1000m are possible.

To the South, the mountains spill around the town of Queenstown, framing Lake Wakatipli on all sides. The region is one of great beauty and is one of the world’s great adventure sports destinations. The total catchment is over 3000 sq km of rugged snowcaps. With such a huge range of runs to choose from, there is something to suit every skier from rolling descents down mountain flanks to steep and taxing chutes, from sheltered bowls to exposed knife-edges.

On the North Island, there’s just one heliskiing field, but exciting terrain and views are promised as you swoop down the sides of the ‘Ruahine Run’ – a chain of mountains stretching up from the south. Careering down you can see a stunning panorama of the New Zealand countryside with the three volcanoes Ruapchu, Tongariro and Ngauruhoe at its heart.

With big snowfalls a common occurrence, the season lasts five months or more. If the weather closes in, hop in the helicop­ter and open up a world of new possibili­ties in the next valley. Mount Hutt is gen­erally skiable by the end of May, and the last of the snows linger until October or even November. Mid-September sees peak conditions, but after this there is still good spring skiing, especially on the North Is­land. This gives skiers a good long window of opportunity, and with the contrasting season, that means you can take that break from summer smog and sweat just as you reach breaking point.