Heli-assisted ski & split-board tours

NZ$ exchange rate

Flight costs - not included in trip price:

Heli cost will be charged after the trip, as weather may influence the number of flying days. Extra heli days can be added on request during a trip, but require buy-in from the whole group (we cannot split groups during a trip due to the unlikelihood of extra guides being available at short-notice).

Expect a normal trip to include:
• 2 day trip: 1 flying day - add 1x heli cost to trip price
• 4 day trip: 2 flying days - add 2x heli cost to trip price

Included:

• IFMGA/NZMGA certified mountain and ski guide
• Department of Conservation licence fees
• Heated PRIVATE lodge accommodation (for the night before and all nights during the trip)
• One-ride pass for Mt. Dobson Ski Area
• ALL ground-based transport during trip
• ALL meals (including breakfast and dinner at lodge, picnic lunch and snacks on the mountain) for the duration of the trip
• ALL avalanche safety and alpine ski touring equipment (with the exception of ski boots and split-board setups)

Meals before/after the trip are NOT included. Accommodation after the trip is NOT included.

Accommodation upgrade options:

If you wish to upgrade from a shared room, Edelweiss Lodge also has a selection of private rooms available - please enquire when you book.

Discounts:

If you are on a holiday in Tekapo and you have your own accommodation and meals sorted, talk to our office staff as we can give you a discounted price for the trip.

Green : Minimum reached - guaranteed departure.
Orange : Only 4 or fewer places available.
Red : No availability.

↑ Edelweiss Lodge, Lake Tekapo

Edelweiss Lodge

This modern four-bedroomed holiday home has a lovely sense of space with great mountain and lake views. Only a kilometre walk from the town centre and bus stop (we can arrange a pick-up on request), it's a pleasant stroll to a good choice of cafés and restaurants in town and about 15 minutes walk to the hot pools and spa.

For more information about the lodge and the various room options, please see the Edelweiss Lodge page.

Ski & Split-board Touring Fitness:

You will be carrying a 4-6kg day pack, including avalanche rescue equipment, spare clothing and your lunch. Compared with our hut-based trips, a lower level of fitness is required as participants DO NOT need to carry an overnight pack, however reasonable uphill fitness is recommended to get maximum enjoyment out of each touring day. Expect the equivalent of a six-hour walk/climb.

Skiing/Snowboarding ability:

The terrain is suitable for intermediate to advanced skiers/boarders. Guides will give instruction on downhill technique as needed. The 4 day option is recommended for those who have limited backcountry and off-piste skiing experience, as the first day(s) can be spent at one of our local ski fields (Mt. Dobson, Fox Peak or Ohau), with an opportunity to work on backcountry-specific techniques, such as kick-turns and the use of ski poles for split-boarders.

Previous Ski & Split-board Touring experience:

Two Thumb & Sherwood Ranges: No previous backcountry ski touring experience is required, however you are expected to have at least an intermediate level of downhill skiing / snowboarding ability (safe turns in untracked snow). For snowboarders & skiers we would expect that traversing (holding height while skiing/boarding from A to B across a slope without turning) moderately steep slopes is not a problem for you.

Hall Range: Previous backcountry ski & split-board touring experience is recommended, but not essential.

For beginner skiers Nordic/Cross-country Ski Touring is recommended, or for a non-skiing option we would recommend Snowshoe Hikes.

Pre-trip Evening:

6:00pm gear check at Alpine Recreation's Edelweiss Lodge, 8 Erebus Place, Lake Tekapo. We schedule our gear check in the evening before the trip start, so we can give you a full day on the snow. A gear check and the trip overview commonly takes between 1 to 2 hours.

First Day

From Lake Tekapo township we drive to our local skifield of Mount Dobson. Access to the lifts for a "free climb" is included in the trip. For any ski touring first-timers, the ski field gives your guide the opportunity to introduce the equipment and its use in an easy to manage environment. We can even make use of some groomed terrain to enable you a smooth transition from the ski area to the backcountry, for both skinning (the uphill mode) and the downhill. The day is spent with short tours close to the ski area depending on your ability. Spending a day based at the ski field means that you are fully ready for the heli-accessed touring, even if you already have some touring experience.

Experienced ski touring groups may of course start directly with a heli-touring day (extra cost!). In that case, the trip would start with a short shuttle to the hangar of our flying partner MacKenzie Helicopters. They are based just outside Lake Tekapo township by the military camp. Please see info below on "Second Day" for touring description.

Second Day:

In the early morning, we are headed out to the hangar of our flying partner MacKenzie Helicopters. After the short check-in including a heli-briefing and weighing of our load, we will be airborne to our touring destination. Within about 15 minutes flight time over the MacKenzie Basin and Lake Tekapo we get taxied to the snow. Depending on weather, avalanche conditions and your skill levels the guide picks the best start and end point for the day tour. Unlike heli-skiing, the pilot only drops us off, leaves immediately and then the solitude and sounds of only the mountains return. The rest of our day is human powered and shaped by your group only. We have a variety of terrain to choose from and we are lucky enough to have something on offer for almost every ability.

Subsequent Days (for 4 day trips only):

Based at Edelweiss Lodge, you can already make the plan for the next day with your guide in the evening. We have factored in 2 heli-touring days on every 4 day trip, knowing that flexibility is key to maximise your skiing. Weather, in particular visibility and wind, will shape our plans. We are in Lake Tekapo for a reason. We can still get you out in the mountains east of the Main Divide, when the Nor-wester has shut down options in Aoraki Mount Cook - provided the wind is not too strong, we can fly, otherwise we can often still get into the backcountry from one of our local ski areas. All our skiing is on non-glaciated terrain, which has been shaped by glaciers many thousand years ago.

In addition - if a day turns out to be completely miserable, our guides are all well trained avalanche professionals and they are happy to use a bad weather day for instruction.

Extra heli-touring days can be added in good weather. Please also refer to the "Tour Options" section for a list of our terrain options.

↑ Some of our heli-assisted ski & split-board touring terrain near Mt. Dobson, Two Thumb Range, Lake Tekapo

There are many variations on these tours. These are just a few examples of our many terrain options in the Two Thumb, Sherwood and Hall Ranges:

Fox Peak - Sherwood Range:

This is our easy to intermediate terrain, with fun advanced options along the ridges south of Fox Peak. Here we find wide open bowls offering guides run options to choose from almost all aspects to optimise skiing. This location is higher than all South Island ski fields and will hold good snow, when the white stuff is scarce elsewhere.

Mt. Misery - Two Thumb Range:

The touring terrain between the heads of the South Opuha River and Forest Creek, overlooked by Mt. Misery (2305m) is characterised by wide SE facing bowls that are dropping steeply into the valley floors below 1700m. It is more complex terrain, separated by steeper ridge lines and when touring between bowls it becomes intermediate or advanced terrain. However, there are easy runs to be found when touring in just one bowl.

Mistake Valley:

The terrain here is intermediate to advanced - a narrower valley with predominantly East / SE facing bowls along the ridge between Mt. Hazard & Mt. Radove. It is a bit more complex to tour along the ridge and dropping into the bowls, while working and jojo-ing your way down-valley. In very good snow conditions a pick-up from Middle Gorge Hut might be possible.

Mt Dobson Ski Area Back Country:

Intermediate to advanced touring options can be accessed from the top of the lifts, including traversing out to Tekapo Saddle (great lake views). A variety of aspects with various gully and bowl features are accessible from the summit ridge or further north from the ridge joining Dobson Peak to The Knobbies.

Ohau Ski Area Back Country:

Several touring options from the top of the lift (additional one lift ski pass required). Most touring is intermediate to advanced from Ohau, as access to the easily skiable bowls requires some ski touring experience.