Canadian Mountain Holidays

Since 1965, CMH has been choppering skiers to the far reaches of British Columbia’s peaks. You’ll hole up at one of their 12 luxury lodges in one of their 12 distinct ski areas and hit the slopes from right outside your door. Not only is the dry, fluffy snow some of the best in the Rockies, but skiers start at a lower altitude than the American Rockies (around 10,000 feet), meaning you’ll have more oxygen and can finish low enough to ski in the trees. A variety of packages lets you choose how long your multi-day stay is and how much chopper time you want so you can play as hard—or as easy — as you like.

Helitrax

Colorado’s only heli-skiing operation is based out of Telluride. For guests staying in town, Helitrax offers one- to three-day packages, as well as private charters and a one-week package including unlimited heli-skiing and accommodations at a turn-of-the-century ghost-town luxury lodge with natural indoor and outdoor hot springs. You’ll fly to a peak landing-zone elevation of 13,800 feet, the highest in North America, where everyone from amateur powder hounds to steep-couloir experts will be satisfied.

SwisSKIsafari

A unique, two- or three-country journey that choppers you through Switzerland, Italy and France while your bags travel by road. Ski Verbier, Courmayeur and Chamonix on the Three Valleys tour, or take in the splendor of the Matterhorn and stay in the famed Hotel Zermatterhof before continuing on to Cervinia on the Alpine Tour. Along the way are unique experiences like visiting the monks of the Grand St. Bernard Hospice, a famous mountain-pass monastery on the border between Switzerland and Italy. Experience mountain vistas and open-valley skiing as you appreciate the cultural difference and amazing cuisines.

Casa Tours/Andes Heliski

Go with Chile’s first heli-ski company for a week schussing the Andes. You’ll be choppered out of Santiago to a base camp just 10 minutes away. But where you’ll be skiing feels a world away — it’s terrain that would take a week and tons of expert gear to get back into. The runs here go from 14,000-foot ridges to 8,000-foot high-valley floors, and the longest is a whopping 9,500 feet — it normally takes four hours to ski.

m/v Absinthe

Perhaps the ultimate in indulgence. Your helicopter ferries you and 11 friends to your waiting 201-foot megayacht off the coast of British Columbia where you land à la James Bond. As the ship sails into quiet coves, you’re in total control of your activities. Board the chopper and within minutes be in some of the world’s deepest powder and most gorgeous peaks. If the weather’s bad or you don’t feel like skiing, take the copter and go heli-fly-fishing or go waterskiing or kayaking. Return for a massage, a custom-cooked meal and a stocked wine cellar.

Powderbird

Hit the backcountry of the Wasatch Mountains, in an area larger than all the Utah ski resorts combined. You’ll ski through untracked regions filled with Utah’s famous fluffy powder. Powderbird books per day, and you can expect an average of seven runs and 15,000 vertical feet while skiing with seven other guests and two guides. Or charter you own chopper and hit the vast backcountry with your friends.

Wucher

The exclusive Arlberg region fittingly serves up Austria’s only opportunity for heli-skiing. Fortunately, you’ll find some amazing skiing out of the ritzy Lech and Zurs. Go with Wucher Helicopters and you’ll pay per run, with each lasting about an hour. You’ll be dropped off above treeline at around 8,500 feet, for wide-open, powder-filled skiing.

Heliski Aran

Ski the Pyrenees in Spain’s Val d’Aran region, where the altitude is a breathable 9,000 feet and the runs can be in wide-open valleys or off of rocky cornices. Choose an aggressive ski day where you can take on three to six runs. Or just get one lift in the chopper and enjoy a long, leisurely scenic run with a stop for – what else – a long, leisurely, scenic lunch. You can also commit to the four-day heli-camp, where you’ll explore all kinds of hidden slopes.

Points North

Snowpack is what makes heli-skiing in Alaska so special — the snow sticks to almost inconceivable places, making even the most dramatic terrain accessible. You don’t pay for vertical feet here, but rather for helicopter hours, which works out to be more cost-effective. You’ll ski in an area of 2,000 square miles, over steep peaks and wide-open glaciers, watching for bears coming out of hibernation and staying in a cannery-turned-luxury lodge. Or book The Maritime Maid, an 85-foot vessel that can take you to even more remote locales.

Backcountry Helicopters

The only privately owned, family-run heli-skiing business in New Zealand is based in Mt. Aspiring National Park, in the center of the South Island. Skiing here is for those with patience; if the weather is marginal or worse, the birds can’t fly, which means there’s usually heli-skiing just 3 or 4 days a week. But when it’s good, it’s very good. Skiing is above treeline, going from about 7,200 feet to 4,800 feet, and there’s something for everyone, with plenty of bluffs and jumps for the experts and wide-open cruising basins for amateurs.

What is Termas de Chillán's main attraction? Is it the 3,600 feet of vertical terrain? Is it the excellent snow conditions? The world-class service? The vistas of ancient South American forests? Or perhaps it's the termas themselves? Termas mean "thermals," or hot springs. The area supplies a number of the steaming pools, some unmodified in the wilderness and others sheltered in spa facilities—all with prized relaxation and rehabilitation qualities. Chillán is Chile's most complete ski and spa center with 30 groomers and a decent amount of challenging off-piste terrain for the skier and a full pampering experience for the travel partner who prefers to stay out of the cold.

Ski Portillo Chile (simply known as Portillo) attracts well-heeled skiers, snowboarders and their entourages from around the world. Just a two-hour drive from Santiago, it sits completely above the tree line and offers wide-open views from its expansive terrain. One of the largest ski areas in South America, its ski season typically runs from the middle of June to the beginning of October. Portillo landed on the international radar when it first hosted the alpine World Championships in 1966 and has since become one of the most sought after spots for off-season skiing and ski race training for aficionados and professional skiers alike.

There is a good reason why K2 Skis heads down to Valle Nevado to demo their next year's line of equipment prior to the North American and European ski seasons. Valle Nevado is modern, well developed, endlessly skiable and surprisingly accessible to Santiago. As you can ski from Valle Nevado to the adjacent mountains of La Parva and El Colorado, the whole area is considered the most extensive ski resort in all of Latin America. There is a developed snow park and half pipe for all of the stuntmen out there as well as affordable access to heli-skiing. Look out for the U.S. Ski Team, as they are known to train in these parts.

Considered by some to be the most challenging skiing south of the Equator and by others to be one of the best ski areas in the world—north or south, Las Leñas is indisputably the top place to ski in Argentina. Known from its couloirs and steep pitches, it also showcases dry, fluffy powder and a good number of sunny days. There is a huge amount of accessible terrain that rivals its neighbor, Valle Nevado, on the other side of the Andes. The skiing season lasts from mid June to mid October. There are no towns nearby, which helps to limit crowds but does not give much diversity in terms of accommodations.

Cerro Catedral, often just referred to as Bariloche after the neighboring town, is about 12 miles from San Carlos de Bariloche inside the Nahuel Huapí National Park. Similar to Lake Tahoe ski resorts in California, Cerro Catedral offers up spectacular views of a deep, azure lake as you ski down the mountainside. The area is not as challenging as Las Leñas to the north, but wins point for its pleasant demeanor and the convivial scene in Bariloche. The area is the access point to a bevy of other outdoor sports and draws travelers and skiers from around the globe.

Mt. Hotham is recognized not only for its large skiable area, but for its steep terrain—by Australian standards anyhow. The runs are skewed towards intermediate and advanced with fewer offerings for beginners. The "ski field" as it is known Down Under, is in Victoria province, about 148 miles from Melbourne. Visitors stay in Mount Hotham Village, which sits just below the peak and gives access to the yawning valley that constitutes most of the resort. Mt. Hotham also claims to receive one of the highest annual snowfall of any resort in this part of Australia, which is a boon considering the continuing drought.

Perisher Blue is Australia's largest and most developed ski resort. It is located in the Australian Snowy Mountains in the southeastern corner of New South Wales, 373 miles from Sydney, close to Canberra. It is primarily an intermediate and family mountain and doesn't offer the adrenaline pumping steeps of Hotham. But, it is actually a combination of Perisher, Blue Cow, Guthega and Smiggins Holes ski fields and has a mind-blowing 49 lifts and an underground railway to access the resort without concern for road conditions. The official season runs from the second weekend in June to the beginning of October depending on the longevity of the snow pack.

New Zealand's South Island ski field Treble Cone has brilliant views over Lake Wanaka and Mt. Aspiring. It has well-groomed terrain for beginners and intermediates. Even a great café. But forget all of that. Treble Cone is considered to be one of the best in New Zealand for its unbeatable vertical drop and steep, challenging runs that have given it a dedicated international following of serious skiers and snowboarders who come to push their limits. They take the Saddle quad chair to the top of Tim's Table and then hike the remaining distance to the top of the Treble Cone for some fresh tracks down the untouched face.

Just 90 minutes from the city of Christchurch, Mt. Hutt's slopes cater to all levels of skiers and snowboarders from May or June through October. The mountain gets storms that bring in light, dry powder, but also, unfortunately, block off the access road at times. The large area is wide-open, above-the-tree-line skiing with long curving bowls that form the tops of the lift accessible area. From the top, the views look out across the green plains below. Mt. Hutt was able to significantly update and invest in infrastructure in the last years while maintaining its welcoming, laidback vibe.