We stopped for lunch on 27th August at the wonderful Whare Kea Lodge’s high alpine Chalet which is beautifully located in the heart of our heli ski terrain, in the Buchanan ranges on the edge of the Mount Aspiring National Park, Wanaka.
Heli Skiing lunch break at 1750m caught on web camera!
Just check out that incredible view over our amazing heli ski terrain!
The Whare Kea Chalet in the Albert Burn Saddle. Simply breathtaking!
The great snow continues! We skied some fantastic lines and very nice powder in the North Buchanans range on 22nd August. Enjoy our latest video.
Another epic bluebird powder day! Thanks to Matt and Brad for the great headcam footage.
Following on from yesterday’s blog update tracking Kiwi pro skier Sam Smoothy and Queenstown photographer Miles Holden’s heli skiing adventure in the North Buchanan’s, here is the second instalment of photos from the day. Moody skies, some seriously dramatic Southern Alps landscapes and epic powder turns were enjoyed by all!
Legendary Kiwi big mountain skier, Sam Smoothy joined us along with Queenstown photographer Miles Holden, for a very fun day out in the North Buchanans range last week. Led by HMH Wanaka guide Whitney, the guys didn’t get the bluebird sunshine they had hoped for, but regardless the skiing and terrain was fantastic, and Miles captured some truly stunning images of the day’s action and mountain scenes.
Stay tuned for more photos from this day, we’ll be posting more up later in the week. Enjoy!
Check out our video filmed on 2nd August, ripping up fresh beautiful untracked lines in the North Buchanans range.
A few photos of the fantastic powder snow and steep lines we skied in the amazing North Buchanans range near Wanaka on 31 July. What an incredible month it’s been! Bring on August and more powder. Guides and clients alike just can’t get enough just now… we had a late start, but this winter has turned into the season of the decade!
Sick snow and sunshine!
Slash and burn.
In the white room.
Steep untouched lines, just amazing!
The Season of Powder in New Zealand continues! Last week was simply mind blowing. Fresh powder all over our terrain, the longest runs we can remember skiing all the way to the valley floors, lots of sunshine, delicious lunches and very happy clients. It really doesn’t get better than this! We got 30cm+ fresh snow over the weekend, topping up the already fantastic conditions.
Check out our video from 22nd July, skiing and snowboarding in the awesome North Buchanans range near Wanaka. If you have been heli skiing or snowboarding with us recently, we’d love to check out our videos and photos too! Please ‘like’ our Facebook page and share your photos, videos and experiences on our wall.
We’re now one week into the heli ski season, and wow what a week it’s been! 2m+ of fresh powder all over our terrain throughout Wanaka, Queenstown and Mount Cook, bluebird sunshine days, perfect and deep snow, stoked guides, lots of fun flying in helicopters, amazing lunches, high fives, very very excited and happy clients (lots of whom couldn’t stop themselves and came back for more day after day of epic pow turns). This is why everyone says heli skiing and snowboarding with us is “the best day of their lives!” – we love nothing more than to share our beautiful mountain playground of varied terrain and great snow with you!
Check out our latest video, filmed on 17th July in the incredible North Buchanans range near Wanaka. Enjoy!
If you have been out with us in the last week, we’d love to see your photos and videos too. Please share your powder love on the HMH Facebook page!
The team here at Harris Mountains Heli-Ski would like to send out a huge congratulations to Shelly Gotlieb, New Zealand’s top female snowboarder, who took 2nd place last week in the Slopestyle finals of the 2010 Burton NZ Open at Cardrona Alpine Resort. Go girl! Each winter season Shelly steps up and pushes herself and the sport, a real inspiration for all girls who love to ride.
To see all the action from the Burton NZ Open Slopestyle finals, check out this report from Robett Hollis and the team at NZsnowboard.com – and look out for the interview with Shelly G.
Last winter season SnowSports NZ awarded Shelly ‘New Zealand Snowboarder of the Year 08/09′ – an outstanding achievement which prompted us to reward Shelly with a day of heliboarding with us during the 2009 winter season. Here’s a few snaps from that day… which just so happened to be an epic day of blue skies, deep powder and high fives!
Photos: Sarah Mulholland
A perfect bluebird day and a sweet view to start the day from Aspiring Airstrip in the Matukituki valley, Wanaka.
The day’s crew led by guide Jef Desbecker… first drop, amped and ready for action! And yep, that’s Mount Aspiring in the background.
Shelly sends it!
Flying up for more, lap after lap of powder goodness… checking out our lines on the way.
Touching down in a snowy valley for lunch… yeah!
Shelly was buzzing all day, super stoked! Life doesn’t get better!
Fresh lines in the North Buchanans range all day long.
A little stop to take in that epic view of the Southern Alps!
Shelly and Jef… and some well earned beers at the end of the day.
Ladies, don’t miss out on our awesome event next week – the Harris Mountains Heli-Ski Girls Day Out taking place on Wednesday 25 August. Whether you are a hardcore chick who rips, or an intermediate / first time heli skier or snowboarder – this event is the perfect opportunity to come together for a heli day with like-minded ladies. You’ll be skiing / riding powder in specific small groups with girls of a similar ability, led by our team of all women guides – Anna, Karen and Katie. For more details, scroll down to our special Blog post. It’s only a few days away and places are limited so give our friendly team a call on 03 442 6722 if you would like to book.
Ideally you are a strong intermediate skier/boarder or better, with a sense of adventure. Harris Mountains Heliski (HMH) has exclusive access to extensive terrain in Queenstown, Wanaka and Mount Cook. Easy rolling terrain for powder first timers, wide open bowls, challenging chutes and steep valleys for the more experienced.
Harris Mountains Heli-Ski
The Station, Cnr Shotover & Camp Sts
P.O. Box 634, Queenstown
Phone: +64 3 442 6722
Fax: +64 3 441 2983
Email: hmh@heliski.co.nz
