HIMACHAL HELI SKIING - MANALI INDIA
Operations suspended until 2009
"During the last thirty years of ski instruction I have been skiing over a hundred days a year. Today's heli skiing was the best day I have ever had." (Nestor Fellay, Ski Instructor from Verbier)
Why Heli ski Here?
- Adventure! - You are in the mighty Himalayas surrounded by 5,000 - 6,500 metre peaks.
- Lowest client to guide ratio in the world (3 or 4 per group).
- Long runs through exciting and varied terrain
- Fascinating local culture. Many interesting things to do and see when not skiing.
Location
The small Indian town of Manali is the base for Himachal Heli skiing. Manali is situated 500 kilometres from Delhi in the peaceful Indian state of Himachal Pradesh at the northern end of the Kullu Valley ("the Valley of the Gods").
The Heli skiing / Heli boarding
With groups of only 3 or 4 heli skiers / heli boarders and the mighty Himalayas as your personal playground, this is one of the most exclusive heli skiing experiences available.
If there is something in particular that distinguishes heli skiing in the Himalayas, it is the length, variety and sheer quality of the runs. Starting high in the alpine with views of 6,500m peaks, down steep cirque bowls, long rolling ridge lines, through glades of perfectly spaced birch and oak trees and finishing in towering forests of cedar. This is heli skiing of the highest calibre.
The majority of heli skiing takes place at altitudes between 2,700m and 4,300m with an impressive average run length between 900 and 1,200 metres. On occasions, it may be possible to heli ski at elevations of over 5,000m! Most people have no problem with the altitude because you never linger long at the higher elevations.
Accommodation & Facilities
Heli skiing guests stay in Manali's Holiday Inn situated at 2,000 m and about 3 kilometres from town. It is a four star hotel, comfortable, well equipped and modern. Rooms are spacious and have private bathrooms. There is a restaurant and bar, and the food alternates around Indian and European. Hotel facilities include: sauna, steam room, Jacuzzi, massage therapist, weights room and billiards room.
Helicopters & Safety
Himachal Heli skiing is at the forefront of snow safety
research and is the only heli skiing operation in the world
to provide all its guests with an innovative new fm transmitter
and avalanche bag. Himachal heli skiing also invented the
Jillet Sabre snow penetrometer system which can speed the
acquisition of snow pit data to as little as ten seconds
per snow pit. This allows cross-slope profiling, which is
the most powerful tool available for avalanche analysis.
Fulltime heli skiing guides are all U.I.A.G.M. (international
Association of Mountain Guides) certified. This means they
are seasoned professionals who have passed a series of comprehensive
exams. They all have a great deal of heli skiing experience.
Lama and Bell 407 helicopters are flown and maintained by Swiss or Canadian pilots & engineers who are without exception highly qualified and experienced mountain aviation specialists.
Heli skiing Packages and Prices
Please contact us for 2009 prices
Heli skiing weeks run from Saturday to Saturday with
departure from your home country on Friday.
Rates per person in € (Euros).
(Click here for up to date exchange rates and other currencies.)
| Date | Himalayan Odyssey | Himalayan Exclusive |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
Himachal State Government Heli skiing Tax €250
Single Supplement €290
(For seven nights in Manali)
HHS Land
Odyssey €1,750
(land only package for non-heli skiing guests)
The Himalayan Odyssey and Himalayan Exclusive Heli skiing Packages
The Himalayan Exclusive operates in more distant terrain with fewer groups using the helicopter. The Exclusive is designed for skiers wanting to ski in excess of normal verticals and offers the possibility for first descents
Included
- 6 days heli skiing
- 7 nights accommodation
- All meals
- 30,500 vertical metres (100,000 vertical feet) of heli skiing
- Avalanche transceiver; shovel, probe, FM transmitter & avalanche bag
- Air and ground transfers Delhi-Manali-Delhi
- Airport transfers and local taxes.
- Powder skis
Not Included
- International airfare
- Hotels in Delhi
- Insurance (specifically for heli skiing)
- Alcoholic beverages
- Room service
- Visa fees
- Departure taxes
- €290 Government heliskiing tax.
Typical Itinerary
| Friday | International flight to Delhi. Overnight in Delhi in the Imperial or Hyatt Regency Hotel. |
| Saturday | Transfer from Delhi to heli skiing base in Manali (air & ground) |
| Sunday to Friday | Heli skiing |
| Saturday | Return to Delhi. Overnight in Delhi. |
| Sunday | International flight. |
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