Today I ticked off a true bucket list item; heli skiing with mates. If you’re in a hurry, I’ll keep it brief: it was great.
There was 8 of us, Lachy, his dad, his brother, and four of his mates. We were meant to go yesterday, but due to the weather, we had to postpone. Today, nothing was going to stop us.
Skiing in the back country and the powder is demanding across a number of dimensions. It requires learning new skills, from skiing, to helicopter safety, to avalanche rescue techniques. The choppers were surprisingly old (even older than yours truly!) but thanks to a fresh lick of paint and (hopefully) meticulous servicing they were able to soar through the air with ease.
Once in the bird, the view is something else. I particularly enjoyed the solitude; being on top of a mountain, skis on, with a bunch of friends and not another person in sight. Surreal is one way to describe, excellent is another.
In regards to the skiing, it’s complicated. Due to the depth of the powder, you have to go from normal skis to powder skis, which are a lot wider, and a lot heavier. The technique is wild as well, skiing becomes three dimensional, as you move left and right, you also bounce up and down through the snow.
It’s late, so I’m going to finish off tomorrow but overall, it was a great day.
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