PHOTOS
DRAGON ALLIANCE, PHILLIP VOLKERS
place is completely deserted, plastered in over half a
metre of fresh powder and silent, save for the whoops of
joy that are soon echoing around the vast walls.
We continue to descend through endless empty fields
of snow, at one point crossing an invisible border back
into France. The best part, I think, as I watch Chris
charge through another steep bank while making
the kind of skid noises he last vocalised as a BMX-riding
teenager, is how completely accessible the riding is.
MOS T PEOP L E TH I NK
‘ HE L I S K I I NG ’ ME ANS
DONN I NG ROPES AND
L E AP I NG F ROM
HE L I COP T E RS I NTO
DE ATH - DE F Y I NG
COR R I DORS OF SNOW
AND ROCK .
The reality, as we are discovering, is nowhere near
as terrifying. The day starts with a safety briefing from
our guide, Mathieu Ottobon, and we’re kitted out with
avalanche safety gear (transceiver, shovel and probe).
Apart from that – and the exhilaration of the heli-ride
itself - this is snowboarding and skiing as it should be
experienced, something that most confident,
»
IT’S ALL WHITE
01
Heliskiing is suitable
for intermediates with
powder experience
02
The price is roughly
equal to two days’
resort skiing
03
Yours can be the
only tracks
02
03
0 6 5
H E L I S K I I N G
T I G N E S
