Peaks of perfection for skiers

By GUS ROXBURGH

Take an untouched range of mountains, add a small group of skiers or snowboarders, sprinkle with a liberal topping of fluffy powder snow, then whip into a frenzy with a helicopter and you've got the recipe for the ultimate day of skiing or snowboarding.

Standing at 2500m on the top of Black Peak, high in the Harris Mountains with Lake Wanaka sparkling in the sunshine far below, it feels as if the chef has got the recipe just right.

Beyond the rugged escarpment that is Black Peak, an infinity of snowcapped mountains march into the distance like white caps on a storm-tossed sea. As the helicopter thuds off into the distance, the sound of its blades cutting through the crisp air fades and silence reigns - all is peaceful. But not for long. There's an untouched mountain of powder on which to carve our signatures. A moment of being at one with the Earth is interrupted by our haste to slice our way to the bottom..

Good powder snow is the pinnacle of the skiing or snowboarding experience and for many getting fresh tracks in new snow is like finding the Holy Grail. Somehow there's nothing that matches the weightless sensation of swooping down a virgin powder slope. It's as close to escaping gravity as any earthbound human can reach. And heli-skiing is the easiest way to experience it, taking all the effort out of having to climb the side of a mountain.

The concept is simple. Fresh snow on ski areas tends to get tracked up within an hour or two by the masses. However, add a helicopter to the equation and you're no longer confined to the ski area. There's a whole world of powder out there ... Simply fly to the top of a peak, blaze a trail to the bottom, hop back in the chopper, fly to another peak and repeat until your legs - or your credit card - give out.

Heli-skiing began in Canada in the late 50s when the first powder aficionados realised the helicopter was the ideal tool for getting to the backcountry. Canada is still considered the Motherland of heli-skiing with an annual bounty of dry, powder snow reliably served up courtesy of its cold continental climate.

In British Columbia, heli-skiing is a major industry with people paying more than $5000 a week for the privilege.

In New Zealand, heli-skiing occupies a small but important niche in the winter sports tourism market. Harris Mountains Heli-ski says it is the country's first heli-ski company, having started 24 years ago. It is our largest operator with a swathe of Southern Alps terrain under exclusive permit.

Unlike Canada, heli-skiing in New Zealand is done on a daily basis. You are picked up in the morning and driven to a rendezvous with the helicopter. Here you are given a safety briefing and put into groups of four skiers and riders of similar ability. Your guide then finds suitable terrain for your group. And with seven mountain ranges and more than 400 runs to choose from, the perfect spot can quickly be found.

Our guide, Hugh Barnard, has been heli-skiing the Harris Mountains for 10 years and has a finely tuned nose for finding perfect powder.

Our first run is down Escapade, and as Barnard skis off first "to test the conditions", he soon disappears behind a rooster tail of sparkling powder dust kicked up in his wake. Judging by the hoots drifting up the slope, he's finding the conditions more than satisfactory.

We dive into the great white open and it's hard to believe I'd been skiing packed and icy trails at the ski area just the day before.

If anything, the next couple of runs are better and I soon realise why heli-skiing is such a notoriously addictive pursuit. Somehow the views, the snow, the flights and the scenery create a seductively hedonistic package that can play merry havoc with the holiday budget.



After four runs we pause for lunch and catch up with the other three groups who have been sharing our helicopter. It's only then I realise we're all wearing the same idiotic grins. Like fishing tales, the yarns are swapped - but instead of the fish getting bigger with each retelling, the snow mysteriously gets deeper. Our guides create a lunch bench in the snow and spread out a feast. None too soon, as all that fresh air and powder have given us a fierce hunger.

After a short break we're back into it, having stumped up the cash for another round. Pete Sax, the laconic pilot with thousands of hours of mountain flying under his belt, has to be coerced away from the lunch bench, but is soon dropping us on another spectacular mountain top. A heavy frost the night before means the snow is still dry and light and the idiotic grins are permanent fixtures.

Three runs later and lunch seems a distant memory. It's almost time to head back for a hot bath, but there's time for a last run down a slope overlooking the Matukituki Valley with a perfect view of distant Mt Aspiring - the Matterhorn of the South.

As the sun dips lower, the slope is suffused with an orange glow, the perfect end to a perfect day.

We're all elated, but too exhausted to show it as the chopper carries us back to the valley for the drive back to Wanaka.

It may be an expensive day's skiing but is undoubtedly an investment in your state of mind.


What it costs:

All heli-ski operators in New Zealand operate in the South Island. Most packages start at around $700 for four runs, lunch, guides and transfers. A seven-run day will cost around $900. The season is early July to late September.

Heli-ski operators

Harris Mountains Heli-ski:

Operates out of Queenstown, Wanaka and Mt Cook. . Ph: 03 442 6722

www.heliski.co.nz

Methven Heliskiing:

Based in Methven and skiing in the rugged and spectacular terrain of the Arrowsmith Range in the upper Rakaia catchment.

Ph: 03 302 8108

www.heliskiing.co.nz

Wilderness Heliskiing:

Based in Mount Cook Village and skiing the Mount Cook region. Ph: 03 435 1839

www.heliskiing.co.nz

Backcountry Helicopters:

Smaller niche operator based in Wanaka with permits to ski in Mount Aspiring National Park. Ph: 03 443 1054

www.heliski.net.nz

Southern Lakes Heliski:

Based in Queenstown and offers skiing in the ranges surrounding Glenorchy. Ph: 03 442 6222

www.southernlakesheliski.co.nz


www.snow.co.nz