Our Review

Wilderness Heli Skiing Review The Powderhounds loved the Wilderness Heli Ski operation at Mt Cook. The terrain was fabulously wild and untamed! However even though Wilderness Heliski is a premier NZ heli ski company, no backcountry operation is absolutely perfect for everyone. Our review covers different aspects of their operation and hopefully you can determine if Wilderness Heli Skiing is likely to align with your priorities for skiing fresh pow!

Pros
  • Wilderness Heliskiing (Alpine Guides) was the first heli ski operator at Mt Cook, so they staked their claim on the best terrain. The terrain is closer to the big mountains compared with other operators in the area. Their terrain has extensive glaciations which contribute somewhat to a “fridge effect” that generally keeps the snow in good condition.
  • The terrain is reasonably steep so the heli skiing is really well suited to advanced riders.
  • The heli drop-offs are generally somewhat higher than those around Queenstown and Wanaka. This higher elevation leads to a tendency for better quality powder and longer runs.
  • The Mt Cook area receives an abundance of snowfall.
  • Wilderness Heliski claim to have pioneered New Zealand heli skiing. They’re not the only operator with that claim, but either way, Wilderness Heliskiing has been in the game for a long time and is an incredibly experienced operator.
  • They only have a small number of guides that are all well qualified and are dedicated Wilderness Heliski guides so they know the terrain really well. You know that they won’t pull in a ski patroller or ski instructor for the day to act as a guide.
  • The heli skiing is not mass produced. This is a boutique heli skiing experience with only small groups of guests going out each day.
Cons
  • Mt Cook heli skiing is a little like Alaska heli skiing. The weather is somewhat erratic and sometimes there may be a stretch of no-fly days. There are some alternative Mt Cook activities but nothing like the plethora of activities on offer in Queenstown or Wanaka.
  • Wilderness Heliski only has a small amount of appropriate terrain for intermediates. Of course this is a pro for advanced and expert skiers and boarders!

Powder Snow
Like the rest of New Zealand, the snow conditions near Mt Cook can be very variable, the snow generally has high moisture content, and the lack of trees leaves the snow exposed to any wind or sun. However relative to other parts of NZ, the snow in the Mt Cook region is generally superior. It falls in greater volumes, and due to cooler temperatures and higher elevation, the snow has a tendency to stay in reasonably good nick.

Our experience was that of creamy boot-deep powder and sometimes delightful knee deep powder (mind you my legs aren’t particularly long!). The snow quality was much better than that we’d seen elsewhere in NZ. Only towards the bottom of the runs did it start to get a little crusty.
Overall Terrain
Much of the terrain is somewhat steep but we weren’t able to tackle anything really steep, possibly due to avalanche considerations. The average run length was about 700-800 vertical metres, and we were impressed that the guide was definitely into quality not quantity and stopped the runs as soon as the snow conditions started to deteriorate. Some of the runs had really long fall line skiing which was awesome, and there were also various spots with banks and lips to keep it interesting. On some runs there was a lot of avalanche debris which limited the terrain available and meant that a bit of manoeuvring was required to find fresh tracks.
Alpine Terrain
As above.

Tree Skiing 		zero
There are no trees to dodge around, so you can definitely put the after-burners on and go hell for leather!
Strong Intermediate Terrain
Wilderness Heliski accepts strong intermediate skiers and snowboarders. However considering the small group format and the high likelihood of riders being advanced or experts, intermediates may find themselves working very hard to keep up. In addition to this, much of the terrain may be a fraction too steep for most intermediates to enjoy. Intermediates are probably better advised to do the Ski the Tasman tour.
Advanced Terrain
The terrain is absolutely fantastic for advanced boarders and skiers. With plenty of variety, the only thing not perfect about the terrain is the lack of tree skiing!
Expert & Extreme Terrain
Experts will enjoy Wilderness Heli Skiing. The terrain we skied on a standard trip had various chutes that would keep experts very interested, and on a private charter it’s likely that more challenging or extreme terrain could be tackled if the avo risk was reasonably low.
Guiding
The guides are “real mountain men” so it’s hard not to feel confident in the presence of such experienced mountaineers. Unlike other operators who may use casual guides, Wilderness Heliskiing has dedicated guides who know the terrain like their own backyard. They only have 4 or 5 guests per guide (as with other NZ heli operators).

Our guide had plenty of personality and was great at powder searching and providing advice on finding the best snow, although there was minimal emphasis on safety issues.
Heli
They use Helicopter Line with a fleet of mainly Eurocopter AS355 Twin Squirrels. Our helicopter was comfie and had plenty of room in the back, but it was very sluggish every time we took off. Some of us must have enjoyed the buffet breakfast at the Hermitage Hotel a little too much!
Avalanche Mitigation Strategies
One can only assume that these mountain men are absolute experts in monitoring and managing avalanche risk. However surprisingly they do not make their efforts apparent to guests, either on their website or in the field. Other limitations are that they don’t use guest packs (with a shovel and probe) and use old-fashioned avalanche beacons that require a grid search and adjustment of the sensitivity.

Safety Briefing
 n/a
We didn’t receive a safety briefing as it was assumed that we knew how to use an avalanche transceiver and how to behave around a helicopter.
Frills
The frills associated with a NZ heli skiing experience are somewhat uniform across all the operators.

Wilderness Heliskiing offer transport from the Mt Cook village to the airport if required. They also provide a simple picnic lunch out in the backcountry with soup, rolls, muffins, fresh fruit and a variety of chockie and muesli bars. Beverages are provided at lunch time but if you think you’ll need fluids during the rest of the day you’ll need to BYO.

Conveniently Wilderness Heliski hire out powder skis, poles and ski boots.
Value for Money
Like other NZ heli ski operators, Wilderness Heliski provides fantastic value for money. The rates are good anyhow, but when you consider the very favourable New Zealand currency exchange rate, then New Zealand heli skiing looks very very attractive.

The Wilderness Heliski rates are similar to Methven Heliski (their sister operation) and a little more than those around Wanaka/Queenstown. However the length of runs down south is generally somewhat shorter, so the value for money is comparable. As with all NZ operators, fat ski rental is not included in the package.

Notes Regarding Review The review is largely based on our experience, but also on discussions with staff, former guests, and information available on their website. Our review has some limitations as it’s not possible to ski all the terrain and in all possible snow and weather conditions. Every guide is somewhat different and we acknowledge that everyone’s experience will be slightly different. The ratings are from our perspective only and we encourage you to contribute to the overall review of the operation by adding a review.

Check out our cat and heli ski ratings to see how Wilderness Heliskiing fares against other backcountry operations around the world.

The photos and video are not captured using professional riders. They aim to show an example of a “standard” experience.

Further Information and Bookings If you have any questions, would like to book, or view the booking and refund policy, click here.