Russia

Heli skiing in Russia may conjure up images of old beaten up military helicopters, bribery and kerosene-drinking pilots, and to some extent this is true. But Russia is a big, mountainous country with lots of helicopters. Some of them are well maintained and flown. Some of them are not. During the past ten years we have travelled throughout Russia and done the research that will enable you to book your heli ski trip with confidence.

If you are used to heli skiing in Canada, you will find Russia is a very different experience and it is therefore important to set your expectations accordingly. On a cultural level, Russia is not what we are accustomed to in the West and for some people travelling there can be a shock to the system.

Things simply do not function as efficiently and smoothly as we are used to in the West, and inevitably there is always needless waiting around that seems to go hand in hand with doing just about anything in Russia.

There are simply more uncontrollable variables to deal with here than in other places. If this is understood and accepted, then heli skiing in Russia can be an extremely rewarding experience.

A customer orientated service mentality is not one that has infiltrated its way into Russia and it seems that it will be a long time before it does, so you should not expect the same attention to detail or level of service that you would receive in North America or elsewhere.

If the peculiarities outlined above don't bother you too much then Russia boasts some of the most phenomenal heli skiing found anywhere - from the deep powder and mind-blowing tree skiing in the western Caucasus to the other-worldly experience of landing on an active volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula and skiing into its smoking crater.