Franklin St in downtown Juneau. Making me nostalgic for how Telluride, Park City and Crested Butte used to look.

Mountainwatch | Tony Harrington (words and photos)

As the Alaskan Airlines flight drops down through the clouds my destination finally comes into sight. The view for the past couple of hours from Seattle has been a steady stream of snow-capped mountains and it’s only in the final minutes as we come up the Gastineau Channel that a small criss-cross of roads and buildings are revealed – Juneau, Alaska.

You can only get to Alaska’s state capital by air or ferry and you’d be forgiven for not realising Juneau is technically a city. The vibe here is small town, and in the winter months it’s not exactly bustling.

The main street has a rustic charm and you get the feeling it doesn’t look a hell of a lot different now to when the hunt for gold brought prospectors, including Joe Juneau, this way back in the 1880s when the town was established. Indigenous Tlingit (pron: clink-it) and Haida (pron: high-da) Indian tribes have been fishing these salmon-rich waters for centuries and as you walk through town Tlingit names are on signs, buildings and maps.

Craving epic lift-accessed backcountry terrain? Here is Theresa Peak, Hogsback and Mt Ben Stuart with unlimited options.

As I’m exploring the main drag I’m trying to picture what’s it’s like in summer when half a dozen cruise liners pull in each day and tourists swarm through town. I’m definitely here in the off-season – and that’s how I like it.

I feel like I’m getting in on a well-kept secret, because just over the bridge on Douglas Island there’s a rad ski mountain, and this whole area is surrounded by amazing heli-accessed terrain and there is barely anyone here. I made my first visit to ski Eaglecrest – they call it a ski hill, it’s 640 acres with 1620 feet of vertical – last year and I’m fired up to be back so soon.

Mt Buller’s Harry Hart slashing some Eaglecrest pow

Could this be a unicorn; a seriously good ski destination that hasn’t been overrun (yet?)  What it doesn’t have ticks a lot of my boxes – no lift lines, no traffic snarls on the 22-minute drive from town, no parking dramas, no wanker attitude and no frills. What it does have is darn good skiing, friendly locals, a huge almost empty ski area and at the end of the day plenty of great old school bars and places to get a great meal back in town.

I’m not going to spin some line or say the snow is always epic – it gets it all here; deep dry powder, creamy dreamy soft snow, a bit of crust and crud and the occasional dollop of mashed potatoes and a smattering of hard pack. As skiers we are all gamblers, but I’d put a bet on this place any day.  And that’s why after my first taste I was keen to get back, and I brought a few mates with me.

Hannes Grimus finding room to move on a snowy day in Eaglecrest

An Eaglecrest  patroller on one of those days you’d be happy with your career choice.

Our group of skiers and boarders from Mt Buller consisted of Moz Bardas, Mal and Harry Hart, Mt Buller legend Hannes Grimus and his Austrian mountain guide mate Peter Breitfuss – and it was certainly an eye opener for everyone.

It was Hannes’s first trip to Alaska and as we planned this mission he was frothing on every detail. When he’s not freeskiing or running the ski shop in his family’s business, Pension Grimus on Mt Buller, Hannes spends his life around ski race courses, initially as an FIS alpine racer and more recently as a World Cup/Olympic coach. Hannes convinced his mates Moz and Mal to join the trip. Both Moz and Mal are seasoned Alaskan heli skiers who have scored both hits and misses on heli skiing trips up this way. When you’re working with Mother Nature, the Alaskan wilderness and helicopters you know you are buckling into a rollercoaster ride that can be the biggest thrill of your life or an expensive and frustrating disappointment. Most heli trips require a willingness to accept a level of risk and reward in equal measure – but the good news for our group was, we found a way to tilt the odds a little more in our favour.

Most heliski operations in Alaska are tucked out in remote locations. A helicopter, its pilot and engineer are out in these far-flung spots every day of the heli season – which is a cost to the operation. It doesn’t matter if the heli doesn’t leave the ground, there are fixed expenses and they are passed on to clients. No surprise there.

Mos Bardass, finding what he lead him to Juneau with Alaska Powder Descents.

Alaska Powder Descents are a little different because the helicopters they use are based out of Juneau airport and they only pay for the time they fly. For us, it meant instead of sitting in a heli lodge waiting anxiously for those fly-days we had tonnes of options that made for an epic week’s stay. When we weren’t getting in turns at Eaglecrest we were poking about in downtown Juneau, slotting in some hunting and fishing adventures and getting up to retail mischief in the epic outfitter stores (more Carhartt and guns than you could ever imagine). It’s pretty extraordinary to have a heli trip with such low ‘skunk factor’ in the mix, and the ‘local ski hill’ here is a big part of that insurance.

Eaglecrest’s inbounds terrain is a seriously good time and on their (Alaskan) rating has about 40% advanced terrain with another 40% intermediate. Then you take a peek at the side and backcountry and realise you need a lot more time here. Once you set your sights beyond the generous amount of groomed runs and steep off-piste terrain within the marked ski area, you are tempted with a smorgasbord of big, steep, Alaska-sized peaks and terrain features where short hikes or a tour from the top of the Ptarmigan lift will put you into some of the best terrain any serious freeskier could imagine. As a bonus, you get to ski back to the lift.

Two local generations sharing the stoke on a storm day.

I don’t think I’m going too far out on a limb to say this place is a legit adventure ski destination that I would put high on any North American list, if not at the top. The fact that it’s completely off the radar only makes it more off the hook.

Anyway, I’m getting you distracted, from the main event – the promise of heli lines that brought our posse of powder-seekers all the way from Australia. In the case of Moz, Mal and Harry they’d literally just landed when we got the call that it was on. Hannes and Peter had at least had a couple of days to get their AK bearings, but for the others we scooped them from the arrival hall fresh off their international flight and made the short drive 500m to the Temsco Heli base where Alaskan Powder Descents (APD) were ready to deliver us to the top of some fresh lines.

APD are a small operation and it gives them the advantage of being really nimble. When conditions align they can act fast. Our group hustled into action, the sky was blue, there was powder in the mountains waiting and no better way to shake jetlag than a whiff of Jet-A, the scream of a turbine and face shots to boot.

Hannes Grimus, Alaska Powder Descents.

It’s such a dance with the weather and terrain in Alaska as you strive for that ‘goldilocks’ alignment of snow falling and weather clearing and the hope that blasting wind doesn’t undo it all. It can often happen that as the low-pressure storm system moves out high pressure can build in the interior. This pressure imbalance will suck in frigid arctic air that funnels down valleys at a blistering speed, hammering whole swathes of terrain turning dreams of powder turns into nightmares. These weather events also send the mercury plummeting making for insanely cold days. Despite this exact scenario happening during our window we struck gold, just like those early pioneers, with a number of drainages that had escaped the onslaught of the wind. We feasted on bountiful, long powder-filled runs in dead-calm conditions to the valley floor. The bliss of being in these sheltered seams of powder while witnessing the gale force winds stirring up a swell on the Lynn Canal below us was mesmerising.

“We feasted on bountiful, long powder-filled runs in dead-calm conditions to the valley floor.”

After three days of flying and gorging on untracked vertical another North Pacific storm system made its way to us. It was time to say goodbye to our rotor-spinning ways and get our kicks finding fun off the Ptarmigan chair at Eaglecrest. Good times were had exploring the terrain, and fair to say that ‘local ski hill’ has plenty going for it as we slayed tree lines and kept the stoke levels sky high. I was hoping to get the boys out past “The Ridge” on to Hogs Back and over to Mt Stewart but the weather had other ideas.  I guess we’ll just have to do that next time.

I can only imagine what it would have been like to kick along Colorado Street in Telluride, Elk Avenue in Crested Butte or Main Street Park City back in the days when they were still low-key ski towns before winter tourism really took hold and changed them into the destinations they are today.

You’re not in Lygon Street anymore.

I feel pretty lucky to be strolling down South Franklin Street in Juneau, rolling into an old-school bar with no line outside and no fancy cocktails inside. It’s cool to experience somewhere special before everyone else cottons on to what a gem it is. If you like your skiing solid and simple and are up for the kind of untamed adventure that Alaska offers this might be something you’d like too – just don’t go telling too many people.

PS: The local tourism website shares a cautionary message that ‘once you visit you may not want to go home’.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

If you’re keen to explore Juneau and Eaglecrest head to  www.traveljuneau.com and skieaglecrest.com for more information. Check out Alaskan Powder Descents for its easy-accessed heli skiing.

Eaglecrest’s groomers taking in the view after nightshift

Hannes with some bounty from the harbour

Harry Hart having the time of his life!

69-year-old Eaglecrest liftie “Hooter Dave” loading the groms

Hannes revelling in the powder

Alaska Powder Descents has no shortage of terrain

The post Juneau, Alaska – Is This the Last Undiscovered Ski Town in North America? appeared first on Chillfactor.

This year Chillfactor is celebrating 25 years as Australia’s premiere snow magazine and at a massive 180 pages the 2024 issue is the biggest ski magazine ever published in Australia, full of full of quality content from Australia and overseas.

The magazine features Australia and New Zealand’s best freeskiing talent, including interviews with Finn Bilous, the hottest name is skiing right now and Zanna Farrell, a young Aussie skier making a name for herself on the Freeride Qualifying Tour.

On the travel front the team has been out and about this past northern hemisphere delivering stories on big mountain skiing in the French Alps and Alaska, deep powder in the Hokkaido backcountry and we head off the beaten track to Georgia’s Caucasus Mountains.

Chillfactor, a celebration of skiing, particularly Australian skiing,  Made By Skiers, For Skiers

Here’s a taste of what you’ll find in Chillfactor 2024

Moments from a Winter  –  Australian Photo Spread,  A few diamonds from last season

Finn Bilous – A chat with the Kiwi Ripper

Young Aussies Following the Freeride Path

Young Aussies Following the Freeride Path

Jackson Hole to Big Sky Road trip

Jib League – A New Direction for Freeski Comps

The post Chillfactor 2024 – Preview of the 25th Anniversary Issue of Australia’s Premiere Ski Magazine appeared first on Chillfactor.

FORTUNATELY, THE TIDE IS TURNING, WITH PLENTY OF GREAT WAYS FOR MORE LADIES TO ENJOY IT, SAYS OUR FEATURES EDITOR BRONWEN GORA, WHO HAS DONE MORE THAN HER BIT FOR THE CAUSE, FROM NZ TO THE HIMALAYAS.

There’s no denying helicopter skiing is predominantly a man’s world. The scarcity of women guests in heli ski lodges is a renowned phenomenon. But as in many areas of life and sport, the tables are slowly turning

From New Zealand to Canada, growing numbers of women are harnessing their mojo and discovering the joys of helicoptering to remote alpine summits and skiing perfect untracked powder snow for days on end. Yet despite a notable rise in women heli skiers over the last two decades, their overall participation in the sport remains stubbornly low.

Heli ski operators told Snow Action the number one reason was an often-baseless lack of confidence– the worry that “they will hold up or slow down the rest of the group” or that “they won’t be able to handle it”, says Rob Weingust, from Northern Escape Heli Skiing in Terrace, BC.

But any woman with intermediate skiing or boarding ability or above – a requirement listed by virtually every heli ski operator for all guests, male or female, has no reason for concern.

“I think that there is a common misconception that in order to heli ski you need to be an expert skier or snowboarder,” says Ben Duthie, marketing manager at Bella Coola Heli Sports,“ this is just not true.”

First tracks

Take the case of Stephanie Kennedy. The former Sydney journalist is a perfect example of a woman who signed up for her first trip 25 years ago after hearing two Thredbo skiers rave about “how incredible heli skiing was” and “the amazing powder snow”. At the time Ms Kennedy was an intermediate skier who had never skied deep powder. She had no one to go with either – her female skier friends being “at the stage of marriage and families

IT’S YOUR TIME TO FLY LADIES! HELI HAS BEEN MALE DOMINATED FOR FAR TOO LONG, LEADING HELISKI OPERATORS LIKE BELLA COOLA HELISPORTS ARE WORKING TO CHANGE THAT. THEY NEED YOU TO COME SEE WHAT YOU’VE BEEN MISSING OUT ON ..

Regardless, she picked up the phone to Travelplan, the Australian agent for Canadian Mountain Holidays/CMH Heli-Skiing & Summer Adventures, and booked herself into a week at one of the operator’s 11 remote mountain lodges.

The thought of being helicoptered to perfect untracked slopes multiple times a day while staying in a luxury alpine lodge simply sounded too good an opportunity to miss.

The rest is history: Kennedy is a CMH heli skiing devotee with over 20 trips under her belt, equating to about 2.8 million vertical heli skiing feet.

“It was meant to be a one-off, the ski trip of a lifetime,” she says of that inaugural trip.

“I was nervous about the helicopter crashing and worried about avalanches and I’d never skied powder. I fell over a lot on that first day, but I just kept getting up and giving it a go.”

Kennedy has seen the gender balance in CMH’s odges shift markedly since that initial 1998 trip, mostly in the last 10 to 12 years.

“When I first went, there were three women on the trip out of 44 lodge guests,” she says. “Today, although there are variations, at least one third of the lodge guests are women. There are more women coming with partners or with their husbands too, whereas on my first trip I met only one couple.”

A big plus, and possible attraction for women to the sport, is the notable rise in female heli ski guides, Kennedy believes. “I think women like to see other women doing things and excelling in an industry.

Women like to see other women out there and ski with other women.” In her experience, and contrary to what many women may fear, mixed ski groups always work well. “There’s less adrenaline running through the group,” she says. “There’s less competition, and the women support each other, and it actually seems to make everyone more supportive of each other.”

An added bonus has been a wealth of global friendships. “Heli skiing guests at CMH are international, so now I’ve got lifelong friends from all over the world – a lovely couple from Paris, a woman who lives in Washington DC, a couple from Japan.”

Toby Withers, owner of Travelplan Ski Holidays, can only wish he had more clients like Kennedy. Travelplan is Australia’s sole booking agent for CMH, the longest established and largest heliski operator in the world, and Australian heli skiers are among their keenest customers, ranking as CMH’s second largest market, outnumbering those from every country except for the US.

“The proportion of Australian women booking CMH trips seems to average around 15%,” he says. “We would like it to be closer to 30%.” Of those women who do book to heli ski with CMH, about a third book for one week only, compared to 20% of men.

Even so, fluctuations do occur. In 2019, women made up a quarter of the Australian contingent.

Local ladies from Christchurch & Methven are booking trips together to spectacular terrain like this © Kevin Boekholt

Battling misconceptions

The struggle is real. Heli ski operators, as well as female heli guides who spoke to Snow Action, were more than keen to dispel misconceptions women may have about heli skiing. They are doing all they can to encourage more women to the sport. As for now, many in the industry are simply exasperated over the dearth of competent women skiers and boarders capable of heli skiing signing up for what is often a life-changing, mind-blowing experience. “I think that what holds a lot of people back from experiencing this life-altering sport for the first time is fear of the unknown,” says Ben Duthie from Bella Coola Heli-Sports.

For women though, Northern Escape Heli Skiing’s Rob Weingust is positive that lack of confidence is the number one culprit. “The male to female ratio in all our programs/lodges is so disproportionate,” he laments. “It’s too bad as we would love to host more women!”

It’s not for lack of trying either, as Northern Escape’s owners have been attempting to encourage women “for years”. But numbers have grown only slightly, representing just 5% to 10% of NE Heli Skiing’s overall business. “We do have women come with their husbands or families and we get the odd dad-and-daughter trip,” Weingust says. “This season we even had a mum-and-daughter group come heli skiing – but that is extremely rare.”

Some operators are tackling the issue head-on and those that aren’t are preparing to do so. CMH is large enough to have the economy of scale to fill a women’s-only Powder Intro week each season. Next year’s takes place at CMH’s Bugaboos Lodge. In New Zealand, Southern Lakes Heli Ski is in the throes of organising its second annual Women’s Weekend, which will introduce women to heli-accessed ski touring possibilities as well as helicopter skiing.

Operators now moving in this direction include Canada’s Bella Coola Heli Sports, which in coming seasons plans to host female-focused workshops and women specific weeks, while in Alaska, Majestic Heli Ski’s general manager Kari Rowley is looking to develop women’s clinics and working with her team’s three female heli ski guides to make it happen.

One of these, Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG) qualified heli ski guide Sara Lundy, is witness to the power of women’s-only groups when it comes to trying a new skill on the mountain for the first time.

“I’ve found that many of the women that I backcountry ski guide are more likely to give it a try in women specific groups,” she says.

“I suspect the same would be true for heli skiing. Yet there are not many women specific heli opportunities, and I suspect that if there were we’d have takers.”

Bella Coola is also tackling the issue via its advertising, ensuring imagery in brochures, websites and such depict the operation as a welcoming lace, not just for women, but anyone. “Until recently the majority of media produced on heli skiing only featured men in the visuals,” Duthie says.

“Bella Coola Heli Sports has made a conscious effort to shift our marketing collateral to feature gender and racially diverse imagery in order to ensure that everyone who wants to heli ski feels welcome with us.”

There is no doubt, too, says Duthie that some women as well as men are buying into an intimidating image of the sport thanks to the plethora of movies and images of professional skiers and snowboarders being “helicoptered to high places then descending steep slopes at extreme speeds, dropping cliffs and riding spines over no-fall zones”.

While entertaining for viewers, such visuals create big headaches for heli ski operators.

“These movies and photographs do not set the appropriate expectations about what heli skiing truly is,” Duthie says. “In contrast it is an adaptable sport. We tailor it to people’s skill levels and the desires of each specific group. That is the beauty of having helicopter and 3.55 million acres of terrain. We can access terrain ranging from mellow, wide-open glaciers to steep tight trees and everything in between.”

As a heli ski guide, Ms Lundy could not agree more.

“Most of what folks see of heli sking is from the movies, social media and the like, where heli skiing is portrayed as happening in big, steep committing terrain,” she says. “That is not necessarily the case. We ski a lot of moderate terrain, customized to the conditions and what is most fun for the skiers.”

Several operators, including Bella Coola and Majestic Heli Ski, are making a point of hiring more female guides, which in turn appears to be helping draw more women to the sport

Opposite: The Tasman Glacier is the easiest intro to plane/heli accessed skiing © Alpine Guides ; In the chopper at Southern Lakes Heliski © Camilla Rutherford

“With more female guides on our team, more women will have role models to inspire them to pursue education and to spend more time in the backcountry,” says Duthie.

A heli guide since 2007, Lundy had not guided with another female heli ski guide until coming to work for Majestic. “But I am seeing more and more women interested in joining as skiers and guides,” she says. The fact that there are now two other female guides with her at Majestic Heli Ski is a great step in the direction of encouraging more women to try the sport.

The great hope of course is that with such changes afoot – more female guides, women-only heli ski packages and more balanced marketing – it will help diminish whatever reasons keep those women capable of heli skiing from giving it a try, whether it be lack of confidence, fear of the unknown, or not knowing what to expect.

Happy times shared © Guy Fattal Bell Coola Heliskiing

Being at the coal face, Lundy sees firsthand the propensity for women new to heli skiing to doubt their ability to carve tracks through the fresh, fluffy powder-filled slope laid out before them when they are more than capable of doing so.

“The women I heli ski guide typically underestimate their abilities more than many of the men,” she says. “And then at the end of the day – after they have actually done it – they seem especially excited, proud and accomplished.”

Even Majestic Heli Ski’s general manager Kari Rowley says when she took the job and went heli skiing for the first time she was “scared as hell” –and, she later learned, with no reason.

“I was scared that I would get hurt, scared of holding people back,” she admits. “But every single time it has been the most amazing experience of my life.”

Of course, a lot of obvious reasons prevent women from heli skiing she adds. “When a woman becomes a mother for instance things change,” Ms Rowley says. “They aren’t as willing to put themselves at risk because it’s not all about them anymore. My opinion is that most men don’t operate the same. Hate to be that blunt, and again, it’s just my opinion.”

Other societal reasons have clearly resulted in heli skiing becoming a male-dominated sport. There is no denying, for instance, that the majority of heli ski clientele hold senior management roles or similarly high paid jobs and thus have the funds to pay for a sport that easily costs upwards of $1000 a day. Or are tradies from downunder. “Statistically speaking, more men than women hold these positions,” says Bella Coola’s Duthie. “But as this gap closes, and we see a more refined gender balance in the workplace, I think that we will see a culture shift, and more women in leadership will feel empowered to experience trips like heli-skiing with other women.” Similarly, Rob Weingust points to social networks.

“Men simply tend to have more friends with the time, money and ability to heli ski. Most guys at Northern Escape come with one to ten buddies on a ‘boy’s trip’,” he says. “But it’s probably the case that many women with the ability to go heliskiing don’t have one or more friends who could join them.”

“It is also about financial priorities. Heliskiing is expensive, so many women who have the means probably end up choosing another type of girl’s trip.”

Operators are at pains to communicate that the sport does not involve jumping out of helicopters and tearing off into the distance either. Rather, heli skiing takes place in orderly groups led by highly trained professional mountain guides who watch over and tell the group exactly where to ski.

“Of course, some women may perceive heli skiing as too risky even when in reality it’s a very safe sport,” Weingust says. “There seem to be more men who tolerate risk of more extreme sports.”

Male vs female mindset is probably to blame in other ways too. “Many women seem to worry about holding back, or slowing the rest of the group down, and therefore won’t go on a heliskiing holiday. But there are slow male heliskiers and they don’t seem to worry or even care about holding up others if they are not good or fast enough.”

Doing it for themselves

Women in the industry – both mountain guides and operators – are targeting their own gender.

Across the Tasman in New Zealand, adventure sport lover and heli skier Cassie Kennedy has taken the reins of Southern Lakes Heliski’s Women’s Weekend, which debuted in 2022.

The concept was initially devised to break down the stigma among women that they needed to be experts to enjoy what heli skiing had to offer and show them it was perfectly possible for them to heli into spectacular and otherwise inaccessible terrain to enjoy untouched pristine snow with their friends. This coming season the event will be even bigger and better Cassie says.

“We will be utilising a local resort for a training day for both freeriding and ski touring before an evening discussion, and celebrating women in the mountains,” she says. “The second day is for heliskiing and boarding and heli touring.”

As a sports fanatic, as well as an action sports photographer, Cassie says she often witnesses the gender imbalance in outdoor sports.“It’s something I’m passionate about changing,” she says.

While Southern Lakes Heliski does not keep official statistics on the gender of its guests, men make up 70% of the operation’s social media following.

Start in NZ

New Zealand is easily the closest and most affordable option for most women who want to have a go at heli from Australia. The Tasman Glacier offers the mellowest introduction amid incredible scenery, from Mt Cook Village, or with flights included from Queenstown & Wanaka. It has by far the best female patronage of any plane or heli accessed ski operation we talked to for this feature.

Arthur McBride is GM at Alpine Guides, who run Mt Cook Heliskiing, Ski The Tasman and Methven Heliskiing. “Anecdotally for heliskiing, testosterone dominates, it’s easily 80/20 male/female” he says. “But on our glacier skiing operation it is more of a 50/50 split.” Methven Heliskiing, based near Mt Hutt and Christchurch, has been making inroads with the local famale market.

“Methven Heli has been popular with women only groups recently, especially Christchurch and Methven locals” says their Director Kevin Boekholt, (who is also father to our sometime Kiwi Editor and freeski gun contributor Kenji Boekholt).

Kevin has also been running annual Greenland heli trips for many years, which defy the normal trend.

“We certainly have more women in Greenland, as it is small group heliskiing in an amazing landscape. It is a special place and couples particularly like being able to share the experience together. It’s more about the adventure so sharing this with a partner is special.”

It’s your time to fly!

Whatever has been done to encourage women to heli ski, there still appears a lot to do. Ben Duthie believes operators will only see real change when the number of female heli skiers reaches critical mass. This is the missing link, the secret that will finally “make more women comfortable and excited about purchasing a trip as a small group” instead of fearing that if they do so alone, they may end up skiing with a group of strangers, all of whom are men

“The more women that continue to heli ski will result in more women wanting to heli ski. It’s the snowball effect that we’re waiting for. Pun intended.”

Over to you sisters, it’s your time to fly!

Yes you can: happy times on Southern Lakes Heliski’s Women’s Weekend

© Victoria Wells / Camilla Rutherford

HELISKI / BOARD

KNOW MORE

Southern Lakes Heliski

southernlakesheliski.com/home

Check the site for more on their next Women’s Weekend and meantime just get some of your girlfriends together and do a day from Queenstown or Wanaka with them anytime.

Alpine Guides

The glacier is the easiest intro & most popular already with women.

• Tasman Glacier: alpineguides.co.nz/skithe-glaciers
• Mt Cook Heliski: mtcookiers Heli-skiing

From single day to multi-day packages available from their base just outside Revelstoke so easily combineable with holidays there

selkirk-tangiers.com

CMH – Canadian Mountain Heli-skiing

They run women’s weeks every season, ask for details/book with travelplan.com.au/destinations/cmh-heli-skiing

Bella Coola Heli Sports

bellacoolaheliskiing.com

Northern Escape Heli Skiing

neheliskiing.com

Majestic Heliskiing, Alaska

With a female GM & 3 female guides they offer plenty for women

majesticheliski.com

The post Why The Help Not, Girls? appeared first on Chillfactor.

Experience the excitement of winter in Colorado with its 58 peaks over 4267m, offering endless adventures like skiing, snowboarding and snowmobiling. In summer, explore the natural beauty of the state through hiking, biking and rafting.

Discover unique attractions at Colorado’s national parks, like high-mountain lakes at Rocky Mountain National Park and Ancestral Puebloan dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park. Great Sand Dunes National Park offers visitors the chance to surf the sands or hike surrounding trails while enjoying world’s best stargazing opportunities. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park offers dramatic scenery and recreational activities.

Relax in one of Colorado’s 29 hot springs pools year-round, ranging from luxurious resorts to hike-in destinations. Off the slopes, the capital city of Denver offers plenty of attractions like museums, cultural activities and enticing restaurants featuring craft libations.

Exciting news from Colorado’s 28 ski areas and resorts includes Telluride Ski Resort and Copper Mountain celebrating their 50th anniversaries, Vail Mountain unveiling a transformative two-lift project, and Loveland Ski Area launching a guided snowcat operation in Dry Gulch.

Learn more

The post Dreaming of powder turns, look no further than Colorado for your next holiday! appeared first on Chillfactor.

There’s simply nowhere else like Utah. From mesmerizing hoodoo formations to towering rock arches to world-famous, powder-packed peaks to steep and deep canyons, it’s the sort of place you’d expect to have to travel to the ends of the earth to find. Yet it couldn’t be easier to get to. Skiers know this better than anyone. The new international airport that’s 10 minutes from exciting downtown Salt Lake City delivers you to a skier’s paradise that’s home to 15 major ski resort destinations, 10 of which are within a one-hour drive from the airport!

 There’s simply nowhere else like Utah. From mesmerizing hoodoo formations to towering rock arches to world-famous, powder-packed peaks to steep and deep canyons, it’s the sort of place you’d expect to have to travel to the ends of the earth to find. Yet it couldn’t be easier to get to. Skiers know this better than anyone. The new international airport that’s 10 minutes from exciting downtown Salt Lake City delivers you to a skier’s paradise that’s home to 15 major ski resort destinations, 10 of which are within a one-hour drive from the airport!

Brian Head–Utah’s Family-Friendly Ski Playground

Brian Head Resort is an unforgettable winter getaway. Located just 90 minutes of Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks, here’s a one-of- a-kind ski destination with short lift lines and Utah’s highest base elevation; all within a three-hour drive of the glamour of Las Vegas.

Brian Head is a laid-back western town with easy access to snowmobiling, ice skating and snowshoeing. Being close to multiple national parks makes it easy to extend your vacation, packing your itinerary with extraordinary sites and experiences.

Plan your trip at brianhead.com

IT’S TIME YOU DISCOVERED HEBER VALLEY, UTAH

Come enjoy one of Mother Nature’s favorite destinations! Discover the diverse dining, lodging, activities, events, and attractions in this alpine town. Here, we’ve coined the phrase “après all day” as the culture and lifestyle of Heber Valley invites guests to explore more, whether that be on a snowmobile or mountain bike, spa day or midday cocktails. With so much to do, see, taste, and experience, a visit to this beautiful mountain town leaves you longing for more. The cool temps and dry warmth of summer is a perfect blend for golf by day and stargazing by night. And known as a true winter wonderland, the valley becomes a skier’s paradise during the winter months. With the new Mayflower Mountain Resort opening in winter 2024/25, Heber Valley, Utah is becoming a top ski destination for many around the world. Now is the perfect time to plan a visit and discover Heber Valley for your next vacation, work trip, family reunion, or important destination meeting and event.

From skiing to snowshoeing, plan your winter adventure at gohebervalley.com

SKI UTAH

Ski Utah and ski The Greatest Snow on Earth®. Whether you’re looking for deep powder, or freshly groomed corduroy, you’ll find it in Utah. Each year, Mother Nature unleashes over 500 inches (13 metres) of the lightest, driest snow imaginable on Utah’s 15 resorts. During the 2022–23 season, she played favorites and delivered over 900 inches (23 metres) of snow to Utah resorts. And with 10 resorts less than an hour’s drive from Salt Lake City International Airport, it’s easy to ski or ride a different resort each day of your holiday. Plan to ski or ride Utah this year and have the holiday of a lifetime.

Don’t miss out on the fun! Plan your winter getaway at skiutah.com

VISIT PARK CITY

Home to two world-class ski resorts, Deer Valley, and Park City Mountain, and the SundanceFilm Festival, Park City is a charming historic town with award-winning restaurants, a vibrant nightlife, unique art galleries, a variety of shopping, and some of the most ambitious sustainability goals of any mountain town. Guests can experience an array of activities including snowmobiling, dogsledding, wellness activities, bobsledding at the Utah Olympic Park, and a progressive snow playground at Woodward Park City. Located just 35 minutes from Salt Lake City International Airport, your dream winter holiday has never been closer.

Visit visitparkcity.com to start planning your family-friendly ski vacation today!

SALT LAKE

Salt Lake is a premier ski destination boasting unparalleled access to world-class skiing and snowboarding. With four ski resorts located just a 40-minute drive from downtown, you’ll dive into over 500 inches of annual snowfall, varied terrain, and stunning mountain views. But Salt Lake is more than just a winter sports paradise-it’s also a vibrant urban center with an exciting culinary and cultural scene, making it the perfect destination for those looking to combine outdoor adventure with city exploration.

Visit visitsaltlake.com to start planning the ultimate winter escape.

The post Discover the Best Skiing and Outdoor Adventures in Utah! appeared first on Chillfactor.

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