Heli-Skiing in The Andes, Argentina and Chile

As a big fan of Fun Sports I found something new, which I want to try and therefore write this article about it. For every ski fanatic who ever has the chance to go to South America, this might be an awesome thing to do.

Heli-Skiing

This literally means that you will hop on a Helicopter and go up the highest summits of The Andes. Then you will be dropped of at the mountain tops and from there you are able to ski down all the way. How amazing is that?

The Andes

One of the most magnificent regions in the world for skiing are The Andes. Especially on the Chilean side of The Andes there are plenty of high class ski resorts. The Snow Quality is World-Class and you can go skiing in Latitudes more then 4.000m. Heli-Skiing gives you the opportunity to ski on your own through the untouched mountains of The Andes. You can be the first who skies down the fresh fallen snow on a lonely Track.

Regions

The best Heli-Skiing regions on the Chilean Side of The Andes are close to the capital of Santiago. One is called La Parva and the other one is Lo Valdez. Both are on altitudes from more than 4.000m and have awesome tracks, which can be skied.

On the Argentinian side of The Andes, the probably best choice to go Heli-Skiing is Bariloche. The Ski conditions are similar to the ones in Chile and therefore extraordinary.

Snow Quality

The Mountain Ranges in Chile and Argentina accommodate some of the most quality snow and ski conditions in the World. Per storm an average of 110cm up to 220cm of snow can go down. The extreme dry climate in this area allows top conditions of probably the driest powder snow found on earth with a density of around 6% on latitude of more than 4.000m by temperatures around -12C.

Ski Conditions

The continental climate and the high latitude between 2.500m and more than 4.300m in its peak, allow fantastic skiing conditions. The winter season guarantees you first class snow and even the Spring Season allows skiing on a quality level. The Resorts are highly modern and totally equipped for Heli-Skiing Trips to the remotest places in The Andes. The dry Powder Snow is perfect for every kind of Skies or Snowboards and together with professional guides, you can be the first who will ski on the fresh fallen Powder Snow.

Helicopters

There are many different models of Helicopters used for Heli-Skiing. The most popular models are the ECUREUIL AS 350 B / B2 and the ECUREUIL AS 350 B3. These models can carry up to 6 persons and are perfect for operations in close to the Mountains.

In order to do a Trip like this you should be an advanced till expert skier and you should be experienced with Powder Snow. For those who have these skills it is just a paradise. The Season starts from June on and therefore you have an alternative to the Northern Hemisphere because as you can imagine, in summer there is no snow.