Temperatures have plummeted and a huge storm is currently blowing across New Zealand with Antarctic force! Unprecedented amounts of snow have already been deposited at town level in both Wanaka and Queenstown. The local ski fields have reported 20-30cm of fresh powder this morning. Our extensive heli ski terrain is located at higher elevations, so we can typically expect more fresh snow than that, and the storm is still going! Needless to say, we are very excited to get out into our backcountry terrain once the skies clear and the sun comes out, as it is forecast to do on Wednesday.
August is our typical month of great powder in New Zealand and so far it really has delivered! Don’t miss out on these absolutely epic conditions – book your seat and let our guides take you to the best terrain and snow our beautiful Southern Alps have to offer. Remember… if you can ski, you can heli ski!
A few photos from sub zero and snowy Queenstown this morning. Check out more over on our Facebook page.
Central Queenstown first thing this morning. Nothing better to waking up to powder right on your doorstep!
Outside the Harris Mountains Heli-Ski Queenstown office, looking up to the Skyline Gondola.
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!
Welcome to the 2011 winter season…. and so far, we’re calling it the season of powder! Mother nature held off and held off, but last week she dumped like no other season we can remember. Conditions went from zero to all time in a matter of a few days, with 2m+ of fresh snow falling throughout our extensive terrain.
Since our heli ski season opened last week, we’ve had a succession of incredible bluebird powder days with clients making repeat bookings and coming back for more! With such epiiic coverage our guides and clients have been able to ski to the valley floor. Two of our guides, Roachy and Russell skied to the valley floor from the Motatapu Ridge near Wanaka, for the first time in over 30 years!
If you are thinking of heli skiing or snowboarding with us this season, don’t miss out – the time is now! E-mail us or call our team on +64 (0)3 442 6722. Check out our range of heli ski package options in our 3 locations – Queenstown, Wanaka and Mount Cook – on our Packages & Prices page. For daily updates, snow reports and powder alerts, check out our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter!
For a taste of the action, check out this video shot on 16th July in the North Harris Mountains. The video opens with the journey over the Crown Range from Queenstown to Wanaka, completely covered in snow!
Travelling over the Crown Range between Queenstown and Wanaka for a day of epic heli skiing, look at all that snow!
Untouched deep powder, just the way we like it!
One of our awesome guides, Chris Cochrane – this guy will lead you to the best terrain and snow!
Temperatures are dropping and the team at Harris Mountains are starting to get very excited about the upcoming 2011 Winter Season. Today we woke up to blue skies, crisp cool air… and fresh snow all over the mountains! Let’s hope it keeps coming.
It’s never too early to book your powder seat with us, so check out our Prices & Packages and get ready for the best day of your life. Remember, we have extensive terrain to suit all levels and fly out of Queenstown, Wanaka and Mount Cook. Whether you are a first timer or a seasoned heli skier or snowboarder, don’t hesitate to drop us a line by e-mail or give us a call, if you have any questions at all. We’re happy to answer them!
A beautiful view and fresh snow this morning from our Queenstown base, looking over The Remarkables mountain range. Fantastic!
It’s mid-winter in New Zealand and after a dry spell during July, it’s starting to really dump. The snow gods are smiling on us again and August is living up to it’s reputation of being the powder month! The Southern Alps got hit hard by last weekend’s storm and our terrain received 40cm+ of fresh snow. Following that we’ve had perfect bluebird days with hardly a breath of wind. Winter weather is hard to predict, but August is definitely off to a great start!
August is also the month when Queenstown and Wanaka really start buzzing. With the 2010 Burton Open kicking off at Cardrona Alpine Resort today, Wanaka is definitely the place to be if you want to check out all the action, mix with the pros and party it up. And don’t forget to give us a call, if you want a powder hit. It’s epic out there right now!
We’ll be back soon with a video update of the conditions since the huge snowfall over the weekend, but for now sit back and enjoy this footage from our day heli skiing and snowboarding in the North Buchanans range on 4 August.
Check out the Harris Mountains Heli Ski Vimeo Channel or YouTube Channel for regular vids. Subscribe, add us as a friend and we’ll make sure we bring you plenty of powder stoke all winter long. If you’ve been out with us, we love to see your photos and videos too, so feel free to post them up on our Facebook page – where you’ll also find daily updates, snow reports and lots more!
The 2010 winter season in New Zealand is well underway now and it looks like we’re in for some fresh snow this week! With a deep base in the backcountry, endless untracked boot deep powder, clear skies and sunshine – we’ve been out heli skiing lots over the past two weeks. The terrain we have access to is extensive and covers mountain ranges in Queenstown, Wanaka and the Mount Cook region – for example the North and South Harris Mountains, the Mount Aspiring National park area, the North and South Buchanan Ranges and even glacier skiing on the Tyndall Glacier. There’s something for everyone out there, so if you are a first time heli skier or snowboarder, fear not! Our guides will take you to terrain suited to your level and find the best snow.
Check out this shot captured by one of our pilots, Grant Bisset, last week. One of our groups skiing past a huge frozen waterfall on Fog Peak in the North Harris Mountains with guide Chris Cochrane.
For more details on our terrain and where we heli ski, check out the map below showing our epic and extensive Wanaka terrain and go to our Terrain page – it’s packed with more info!
The snow gods and mother nature have been good to us so far this year, kicking off the 2010 winter season in New Zealand with a huge dump of snow right down to town level in both Wanaka and Queenstown.
We woke up this morning to see huge snowflakes fluttering down all around, leaving town and the surrounding mountains under a perfect blanket of white. Just what we like to see! The storm has blown through, the clouds have lifted and it’s a sparkly winter wonderland out there… not to mention an epic powder day for those hitting the resorts!
Here’s a few photos of what was revealed once the clouds parted in Queenstown.
Deer Park Heights and Kelvin Heights covered in snow right down to lake level.
Looking across Lake Wakatipu towards the Golf Course.
The stunning Remarkables, loaded with POWDER!!!
Our helis looking perfectly happy sitting in the snow at Queenstown Airport!
Heli skiing anyone?!
We had our first heli ski day of the season last week and the guides reported exceptionally deep snow bases and excellent coverage, with more snow than usual for this time of year. There’s a good 1m+ in the backcountry – which will now be much deeper since this morning’s storm – and everything is covered up. Our heli ski season opens on 1st July and we can’t wait to get into action! Powder, here we come! If you want to get some turns in with us this season, check out our Packages & Prices page for full details and don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions you might have.
With heli ski season only 3 weeks away now, the count down is officially on! Coronet Peak in Queenstown was the first ski field in the country to open, kicking off the 2010 snow season in New Zealand on Saturday 5th June. We’re always keen to get out and cut some early season tracks, so naturally we went along. Since opening day, we’ve seen lots of heavy snowfalls and the mountains are now loaded.
Up on the lift we go!
Stunning views over the Southern Alps at the top
Can’t beat that view looking back towards Queenstown and The Remarkables
Winter has officially hit here in New Zealand’s Southern Alps – the valleys are covered in sparkling white frost and the mountains already have plenty of snow. Heli ski season is only a few weeks away now. We’re super excited and can’t wait to get out there and show you our amazing powder playground – in Queenstown, Wanaka and Mount Cook. So, a very warm welcome to the 2010 winter season from all the team here at Harris Mountains Heli Ski… and welcome to our new Blog!
We’ll be bringing you all our latest news, photos and videos right here throughout the season. If like us, you love powder, we suggest you bookmark this page! We’ve got lots of exciting events and promotions planned for this season, so stay tuned.
Here’s a teaser of what’s to come!
If you would like to Heli ski or snowboard with us this season, booking is very easy – you can find all the details on the Packages & Prices page of our website. Contact us now to book one of our Daily Options – 3, 4 or 7 run days – or a Private Charter. Here’s to an awesome winter!
