Category Archives: Heliskiing

Early Winter 2021

The snow is slowly accumulating at the upper and lower elevations around Verbier. What fun it is to again glide over the ground as if we’re flying. We skied mid December further to the east around the Furka Pass and Andermatt to get into the deep snow. Though the conditions here, for the moment, on steep, north aspects, in high alpine terrain is still too weak to safely ski, there are still lots of other fun places to have fun skiing. The warm weather last week has helped create a base below 2400 meters on which this new snow is accumulating.

Here are a few shots from last week. Wishing you all a very fine New Year!

Another Ski Safari of Glaciers ‘n Couloirs

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(Notes to self- Ski Safari X 2018) Done. Stress flowing out now, as we ride the train home. We had the most amazing second day. And that, after a super fun, 2 heli drop ’round Verbier, starting high on the glaciers and finishing in the valley floor with the most superb couloir.

Marcus high on the Petit Combin, enjoying the second drop of the day.

We started that second day directly off the chair lift at N#$%, no tracks anywhere, loving these little resorts, it was the left couloir, starting high on its right rib, dropping left into the little secondary couloir. I noticed Jane setting off a tiny slough, the crown @15cm, so not too much volume.

It’s dark in this couloir, so the shot isn’t great, but the ambiance was.

Finishing in the valley floor.

We finished that run with a quick skin to gain a shoulder, then down through the alpage and back to the chair for our next ride. As the cloud lowers, feeding us a total whiteout, I find my way, gingerly, into that couloir under the high, north facing bowl, and yeehaw, what a ride!!! I’m a pin ball in the C machine, g-forces slapping me back and forth, up and down the sides of this couloir, caked with this deep winter’s snow. And our last couloir, which I thought would have too much southeast in it, =slight surface crust, was the best! That 15cm ripped out in big pockets, sending slough managment front and center, adding a whole new dimension to our last ripping run. It wasn’t planned, this couloir safari, but it really has made my addiction to this free falling, pin balling, couloir skiing way too insatiable.

Lowering over the last little bit of waterfall ice…

Rob and Jane all smiles…

Yowzah!

Such hard work this…

See ya…

Opportunities present in a dry December

Greenland Heliskiing and Spring Update

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What a winter! There was so much to do I needed 36 hours in the 24 of each day. Hiring some of my favorite guides to look after the clients I couldn’t ski with did add some of those hours. But it still felt non-stop. We were lucky too this winter, with the bulk of the Alpine snow falling in this corner of Switzerland. Mid February showed us with 138% of norm snow depth.

This has meant a lack of updates from me. By then, my knee was strong enough to start guiding with confidence. There were so many fun trips in my backyard and further afield around the Valais and to Italy and France. One of my favorite powder shots was in late February, Nellie on her second run from the heli, super exhausted already…

Heliskiing Verbier 2016

Then Greenland again! What a pleasure it is to stay in the tiny village of Kangaamiut, our base for heliskiing on the west coast of Greenland. There was less snow than I’ve seen, yet the skiing was as good as ever. A few more days of bluebird weather would have been nice. But the glaciers were so well covered, it allowed us to again ski lines never skied before. We will be in Greenland again from April 17, 2017 to May 7, 2017. Come join us for the best heliskiing in the world.