Powder Snow
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Like the rest of New Zealand, the snow conditions near Mt Cook can be very variable, the snow generally has high moisture content, and the lack of trees leaves the snow exposed to any wind or sun. However relative to other parts of NZ, the snow in the Mt Cook region is generally superior. It falls in greater volumes, and due to glaciations and cooler temperatures and much higher elevation (at least for the top of the runs), the snow has a tendency to stay in reasonably good nick.
Our first experience was that of creamy boot-deep powder and sometimes delightful knee deep powder (mind you my legs aren’t particularly long!). The snow quality was much better than that we’d seen elsewhere in NZ. Only towards the bottom of the runs did it start to get a little crusty. Our 2nd experience wasn’t quite as good with a balance of crust and fluff.
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Overall Terrain
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1st experience: Much of the terrain was somewhat steep but we weren’t able to tackle anything really steep, possibly due to avalanche considerations. The average run length was about 700-800 vertical metres, and we were impressed that the guide was definitely into quality not quantity and stopped the runs as soon as the snow conditions started to deteriorate. Some of the runs had really long fall line skiing which was awesome, and there were also various spots with banks and lips to keep it interesting. On some runs there was a lot of avalanche debris which limited the terrain available and meant that a bit of maneuvering was required to find fresh tracks.
2nd experience: I headed to the Ben Ohaus, which provided magnificent vistas across the lakes. Most of the runs were a 20-30 degree pitch, probably because I was placed in a group with some skiers who wouldn’t have enjoyed anything much steeper. The terrain was ideal for strong intermediates but not particularly interesting for more experienced riders, with long straight bowls that were devoid of features. Average run length was a big 900 metres of vertical drop.
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| Alpine Terrain |
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| As above. |
Tree Skiing |
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| There are no trees to dodge around, so you can definitely put the after-burners on and go hell for leather!
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Strong Intermediate Terrain
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| Mt Cook Heliski has an abundance of 30 degree gradient slopes for strong intermediates, however considering the small group format there is a chance that intermediates may be grouped with advanced or expert riders. This was the case on our first experience where one intermediate in our group found the slopes way too steep to enjoy. She wished she’d been on Ski the Tasman tour. |
Advanced Terrain
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1st experience: The terrain was absolutely fantastic for advanced boarders and skiers. With plenty of decent pitch and variety, the only thing not perfect about the terrain was the lack of tree skiing!
2nd experience: The terrain didn’t provide enough challenge for an advanced rider because I was grouped with intermediates and we rode low angle slopes that had very few lumps and bumps to keep it interesting.
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Expert & Extreme Terrain
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| Experts may enjoy Mt Cook Heliski but it all depends on whom you’re grouped with. The terrain we skied on the first trip had various chutes that would keep experts very interested. As with all NZ heli skiing, true experts should go on a private charter. |
| Guiding |
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The guides are “real mountain men” so it’s hard not to feel confident in the presence of such experienced mountaineers. Unlike other operators who may use casual guides with limited qualifications, Mt Cook Heliski has dedicated guides who know the terrain like their own backyard (because it is their backyard!). And all of the guides are highly trained and certified to international standards.
Our guides had plenty of personality and were great at powder searching and providing advice on finding the best snow, whilst also looking out for safety issues (our first guide had much more of a focus on the former than the latter). They now generally only have 4 guests per guide.
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| Heli |
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| They use Helicopter Line with a fleet of B2 Squirrels. Our helicopter was comfie and had plenty of room in the back, but it was a little sluggish on take off. Some of us must have enjoyed the buffet breakfast at the Hermitage Hotel a little too much! |
Avalanche Mitigation Strategies
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| These mountain men (and women) are absolute experts in monitoring and managing avalanche risk, although there were times when they didn’t always make their efforts that apparent to guests and discuss it out in the field. Nevertheless you can be rest assured that they’ve got your back with respect to safety. All guests are provided with a backpack with safety equipment. |
Safety Briefing
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| For our 2nd experience, a safety briefing was provided that was very typical for a NZ heli ski operator. It covered helicopter safety, the basics of beacon use, and what to do in the event of an avalanche without going into too much detail. |
Frills
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| The frills associated with a NZ heli skiing experience are somewhat uniform across all the operators.
Mt Cook Heliski offers transport from the Mt Cook village to the airport if required. They also provide a simple picnic lunch out in the backcountry with soup, rolls or meat pies, muffins or other deli items, and a variety of chockie and muesli bars. Beverages are provided at lunch time but if you think you’ll need fluids during the rest of the day you’ll need to BYO.
Conveniently Mt Cook Heliski rents out powder skis, poles and ski boots, but no snowboard gear.
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Value for Money
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Like other NZ heli ski operators, Mt Cook Heliski provides fantastic value for money. The rates are pretty good anyhow, but when you consider the very favourable New Zealand currency exchange rate, then New Zealand heli skiing looks very attractive.
The Mt Cook Heliski rates are similar to Methven Heliski (their sister operation) and about the same as the two big operators around Wanaka/Queenstown. However the length of runs down south is generally shorter, so the value for money at Mt Cook is slightly better.
As with all NZ operators, fat ski rental is not included in the package. |