Heli Skiing

Heliworks are the contracted provider for Alpine Heliski. We provide outstanding day, multiday and private charter Heliskiing / Boarding on spectacular untouched alpine terrain surrounding the world renowned adventure travel destinations of Queenstown and Wanaka.

We are driven by a passion for deep snow, maximum freedom and chasing the ultimate alpine adventure. Our backyard is the Southern Alps of New Zealand – both beautiful and wild. Let us turn your Heliskiing or Heliboarding dream into reality!

At Alpine Heliski we customise your Heli Day to:

• Suit your skill and experience level,
• Minimise your risk, and
• Maximise your powder adventure

We have exclusive access to 1000’s of sq kms of exceptional bowls, snowy ridges and powder basins for your skiing and riding pleasure.

Our terrain is split into a northern region and a southern region.The southern region covers all the main mountain ranges surrounding Queenstown and Wanaka. Our Northern region spans several ranges near Mt Cook and the Central Southern Alps this region has a multitude of runs in excess of 1200m making these some of the longest heliski runs in NZ.

Throughout our vast terrain each mountain range is affected differently by prevailing snow and weather conditions. It is these variations that allow us to customise your heli-day to suit your skill & experience level, minimise your risk, and maximise your powder adventure! Several of our best skiing / riding locations are deep in the backcountry it is our goal to take you to the best possible snow on any given day.

Guides

Alpine Heliski guides are chosen for a wide range of skills. Not only must they hold professional industry qualifications, they must also be highly experienced (locally and internationally), personable and most importantly be able to deliver an excellent heli-day to all abilities of skiers and boarders. Our guides are certified to NZ industry standards.

All senior guides are level 2 avalanche certified; this is the highest avalanche certification available in NZ and is only achieved after many years of field training and study. Our Guiding Director position is held by a NZMGA fully certified ski guide. This qualification is the highest Heli-Ski guide qualification available in NZ.

Every winter all guides attend our pre-season training program. This program covers:

• Crevasse rescue
• Avalanche Transceiver searching
• Avalanche Rescue
• Ski guiding techniques
• Snow safety
• Route selection
• Helicopter loading certificate
• Emergency Procedures
• Radio Communications
• Emergency snow shelters
• Safety briefings
• First Aid

Snow Safety

Alpine Heliski has developed a comprehensive snow and avalanche management system. This includes procedures for collecting weather and snow information, evaluating snowpack stability, assessing hazards in the terrain, and determining our daily skiing program. Observations are also exchanged between highways departments and ski areas in Queenstown and Wanaka. All guests are provided with avalanche safety beacons and instructed in their use.

Pilots

All of our pilots have extensive hours of flying in local conditions and are highly skilled and experienced in winter mountain operations. They hold a New Zealand Commercial Helicopter Pilot Licence and are regularly subjected to stringent performance checks to meet New Zealand CAA Part 135 requirements. These are specific to specialized techniques required for alpine flying.

Contact us! Get in touch with us for a full run down on options – ski@alpineheliski.com