Himalayan Heli Skiing Travel Journal

After a much needed day off we were ready to ski again. When we awoke there was snow in the valley which meant there was fresh snow at altitude. However at 6 am it was still snowing and clouds were rolling over the lower valley mountain tops. Flying helicopters in cloud covered mountains with no radar is never a good idea so we had to wait. The sun did it’s job and burned off the clouds and blue skies appeared. The snow was fresh, heavy and had not consolidated or bonded at higher elevations increasing the risk of avalanche. We went to our daily briefing at breakfast and was told they were going to keep an eye on the weather and try to get us up as soon as they could. We got the call at 9 am we would be flying at 10:20 am so we donned our gear and headed to the heli-pad with excitement about the fresh powder. Because of the increased risk of avalanche we stuck to lower elevations, got a couple hours of skiing and Mark got his wish of skiing in the glades – on a day we didn’t even think we would be able to go up.

Rain started at about 5:00am and continued throughout the day – flying was out. So we decided to take a trek down to Manali and take in the local scene. On our way downhill we turned on the main street to find out the only road in and out of town had washed out due to rain. Only enough road was left for small motorbikes and pedestrians. Cars were parked on both sides of the washout with no where to go. Heavy machinery was working to try and repair the road. It looks like it may take weeks to fix and we’re told we will need to have 2 vehicles to shuttle us to the airport on Saturday while carrying our luggage from one side of the washout to the other vehicle waiting to take us the rest of the way. We made it to Manali Market to find they were celebrating India’s ancient Hindu spring festival Holi. We walked around and watched kids and young adults slap paint on each other’s heads, faces and clothes. We found a monastery on the edge of town and paid our respects. Even in the rain Manali is a vibrant, beautiful and interesting place to experience.

Last night brought fresh snow and this morning brought clear skies. With the weather cleared, today was set to be a long day with lunch on at mid-mountain if you stopped skiing long enough to enjoy it. Mark Briel racked up over 25,000 of vertical descent with his highest starting elevation over 16,000 feet. John Yunger and Bill Vala skied another 15,000 vertical feet bringing our 3 day vertical descent totals to 55,500 (MB), 36,500 (BV) and 28,500 (JY) feet. We saw a different part of the Himalayan range surrounded by 17,000+ foot peaks including Norbu (17,146) ,Deo Tibba (19,688) & Indrasan (20,140). We enjoyed fresh tracks all day until our legs could take now more. We ate lunch at the base of a moraine carved out by glaciers. We could see large glacier remnants up the valley hanging on the mountains edges. Eating lunch and relaxing at 12,400 was warm and peaceful. The only sounds were our cracking smiles, abundant amazement filled conversation and rotor blades from our helicopter shuttle buzzing from 12,000 feet back up to 16,000 and again and again and again. No words can truly describe the overwhelming experience we were gifted today.

Yesterday’s warmup gives way to clear blue skies and a full day of skiing at high altitude. Snow overnight covered yesterday’s tracks and added to the already abundant snow on the mountains. A fast pace allowed the Four Lakes Ski Patrol Team to accumulate 15,584 feet of vertical descent while other’s in the group eclipsed a staggering 33,000 vertical descent. Deep powder and endless views kept everyone hooting and hollering. It was a humbling and mind blowing experience for 3 Ski Patrollers from the smallest ski hill in the world to be able to ski some of the largest mountains in the world. This is only day 2 of a 6 day ski goal.

We awoke to less than idea conditions to fly. The mountains were socked in by clouds and it didn’t look good. We met at the heli-pad ready to ski. The first group boarded their helicopter and took off. 5 minutes later they returned – not a good sign. We were told they would try again in 30 minutes. 30 minutes later the first group boarded their helicopter and took off. This time they did not return and we got word on the radio we were clear to fly. We boarded our helicopter with the enthusiasm of a kid on his first rollercoaster ride (assuming he actually liked it). The pilot dropped us off on a ridge at 13,451 feet and the next 90 or so minutes were some of the most epic skiing any of us have every skied. 3 runs of thick powder each 650 meters of descent for a total of 1950 meters or 6397 feet of vertical descent. Then the weather changed and the cloud ceiling was lowering and we received word we would be returning to base. An appetizer that has only make us more hungry. Tomorrow’s forecast looks way more promising and we hope to double our descent.