Word: heli
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...competition for your fresh tracks. It's there that the beautiful Tara River runs through Europe's longest canyon, and there are 20 peaks over 6,500 ft. (2,000 m), overlooking 18 gorgeous lakes, so it is not surprising that discussions are under way to set up a heli-skiing operation...
Rogoff Moraga's husband prefers a more active - and if you ask me, scary - type of vacation. While she's in Mexico, she says, "he goes skiing in Chile, heli-skiing in Telluride - any kind of extreme ski or mountain bike trip." Which is not to say the two don't stay in touch when they're far away. "We call or email a lot to share what we have been doing - maybe to the annoyance of the other people we are traveling with," Rogoff Moraga says...
...Kiwi snow is above the tree line, so New Zealand has lots of clear slopes on which to try this exciting sport for the first time (Southern Lakes Heliski, www.southernlakesheliski.co.nz, offers two introductory runs near Queenstown). Things are more difficult in Europe, however. It's illegal to heli-ski in France for environmental and noise reasons, and the Swiss have a large anti-heli-skiing lobby. But Italy has two regions that allow heli-skiing and Austria permits it (at restricted times) in Arlberg. The Freeride Center, www.freeride-center.at, in Solden offers heli-skiing in both those countries...
...North America, on the other hand, is heli-ski heaven - think Colorado's Rockies, Utah's Wasatch Mountains, the Canadian Rockies and rugged Alaska. In the U.S., try Diamond Peaks, www.diamondpeaks.com, or Heli Trax, www.helitrax.com - both have access to some of the best snow. In Alaska, Points North, www.alaskaheliski.com, offers heli-ski cruises to the Chugach Mountains. Skiers spend a week flying from the back of a cruising vessel that serves as a floating inn. Across the border is the world's most extensive heli-ski operation, Canadian Mountain Holidays, www.canadianmountainholidays.com. It runs 12 remote lodges dotted around stunning terrain...
...truly intrepid can consider Russia's Kamchatka region (Vertikalny Mir, www.vertikalny-mir.com, is an experienced operator) or the Himalayas (try Himachal Heli, www.himachal.com). But wherever you choose, think long and hard, and amass plenty of funds, before you step into the chopper. The heli-ski beast is a hungry one, and will need feeding for life once unleashed...