Methven Heliski

Methven Heliski has access to over 1,000km of skiable area and has over 250 named runs.

The day we skied with Methven Heliski we didn’t really know what to expect in terms of snow quality. We had been skiing on ice and sun affected snow at Mt Hutt, and it had been nearly two weeks since the last snowfall. The guys at Methven Heliski assured us that the conditions were still fantastic in the Arrowsmith's because of the high altitude (many runs in excess of 10,000 feet).

We travelled by our own means from Methven to Glenfalloch sheep station, along a dirt road which seemed to go on forever. The scenery was spectacular and the road was perfect for testing the rally driving skills.

At 'the ranch' we were greeted by our guides and taken through the compulsory safety training, which included learning how to use an avalanche transponder in the unlikely event of getting buried in an avalanche. When the transponder was first turned on, it sounded like being in a forest of excited bellbirds.

All of us were excited as we waited to be picked up, but the first-timers were beside themselves with anticipation as they crouched down on the ground as the helicopted landed inches away from us. The noise of the chopper and the increase in wind velocity as it hovered overhead was enough to put a grin on everyone's face.

Once the chopper was on the ground we were instructed to carefully climb aboard (making sure not to put the head up too high - for obvious reasons). This was a challenging task with ski boots on. Within seconds we were in the air and experiencing the weird sensation of flying vertically upwards.

Leaving the green fields of Glenfalloch behind, we were amidst huge snow covered mountains in only minutes. The excitement continued to build as the helicopter pilot had a bit of fun flying over mountain ridges and offered the opportunity to re-taste breakfast.

Within ten minutes we approached the top of our first run. The landing spot looked barely big enough for one person, let alone a chopper. We exited the helicopter with caution as a step backwards may have resulted in a thousand feet free-fall. Our guide unloaded our skis from the basket on the side of the helicopter and we remained crouched down until the helicopter departed (which was in a “top gun” style - hard bank and drop several thousand feet in a few seconds).

In moments the helicopter was nowhere to be seen or heard. The sun was beaming down and only a very light breeze was blowing. The silence was almost deafening, and once again the sound of the transponder 'peeps' dominated.

Our first run was a nice 1,000 vertical metre warm-up. It had a 45 degree pitch at the top, and the snow was untracked and ankle to shin deep. It wasn’t quite the champagne powder we've experienced in Japan, but considering it had been two weeks since snowfall, it was pretty impressive. 

We did another four runs, each just as remarkable as the first. The runs all varied somewhat, with different pitch, snow conditions and awe inspiring scenery. A highlight was skiing past some ice caves that had formed in a drifting glacier. We stopped for a breather at the bottom of one of the caves.

I made the mistake of skiing on a pair of recreational parabolic skis (only about 68cm under foot). I struggled to stay buoyant in the softening snow and I managed to quench my thirst with a few head plants. There were a couple of new Powderhounds in our group who had never skied powder snow, let alone heli-skied ski. The best thing they did was spend a few extra dollars and hire a pair of powder skis. They skied like absolute legends!

After an awesome day heli-skiing, we headed back to the Blue Pub in Methven for a few ales. Here we traded the experiences of the day with each other, and some less fortunate folk who resort skiied all day. 

The factsA day with Methven Heliski includes:

• 5 runs at an average of around 750 - 1000 vertical metres each (2-3 kms each)
• Lunch brought to you in style (by helicopter of course)
• Expert guiding
• Safety equipment
• Transfers to/from Glenfalloch sheep station if required

You need to leave Methven at around 8:00am in the morning to head to Glenfalloch and you are back in Methven at about 5:00pm. The day costs around $NZ850 per person.