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Thread: The Italian-Heli Job
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05-01-2007, 05:38 PM #1
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The Italian-Heli Job
After a long wait for shared photos from my fellow heli-skiers, I thought I'd share my tardy trip report. My camera froze so thanks to Clive for the pics.
Think back to the first week in March. What were you doing? I was on a backcountry boot camp in Gressoney/Alagna. This place has some fantastic terrain but notoriously unreliable snow fall and we all know how crappy the early season in the Alps were. However, someone was smiling on us (it must have been Roo's spakki snow dance) and midweek saw a decent dump of snow. After two days of navigating through pea soup, Thursday dawned a classic bluebird. AND as luck would have it, the guides arranged for us to go heli skiing! WOOO HOOO!
It wasn't to go all our way, however. The original plan was to drop us on the peak you can see to the right of the helicopter. This would enable us to ski down into Gornergrat area of Zermatt, get the Klein Matterhorn lift up, ski into Cervinia and down into the valley towards Champoluc.
Negotiations afoot.
Unfortunately as can be seen from the photo, it was pretty windy up there. Instead the helicopter took us up to the Punta Sera refuge which was still pretty high, at over 3800 metres, but involved a shorter ski down the back of the valley into Champaluc.
The expectant crowd waiting for the copter to arrive.
Me clutching my useless, ice bound camera.
I've never been in a helicopter before so once I'd got over the surprise of just how bloody windy it is under those rotors; I got into the beast and relished the short trip, tightly skirting the mountain. I felt like a kid on Christmas day, excited and wondrous.
When we got up to the top we were greeted with a pristine pitch of powder which was quickly sullied by our excited group.
I wanted to savour those turns but got to the bottom of the pitch out of breath thinking "why was that such bloody hard work?” Doh! 3800 metres altitude might have something to do with it. Never the less, we made nice shapes and there were plenty of Cheshire cat grins all round.
As we got further down, things got much sketchier. A few small slides went of around us so the guides bucked us up and rushed us through certain sections. We eventually came to a rocky area above the trees which usually you ski through. Not this year! It was a hike up and down rocks and rotten snow. I wished I done a few more balance exercises pre trip.
"Always look on the bright side of life...da da...da da da da da da...."
Our trusty pack horse...er, I mean guide.
Eventually we put our skis back on and headed out on a trail through the trees, though I can't say that it was my best skiing of the day!
I gingerly bring up the rear as others decide to walk it.
Worried? No....my bases are indestructible!
We came out of the trees into Champoluc and had a hot chocolate..yay!
The end.
Though we were unfortunate with the snow cover, the trip in the helicopter and the top half of the decent were just fantastic. It's an amazing area which is well worth hitting when the snow is there. There are some great stashes on the Alagna side that can be reached with a short hike where I had my bestest, floatiest powder turns of the week.
A cool area in Alagna called La Balma. 10 minute hike, drop in and Bob's your uncle!
For my final image, as my Kehuas went in to have their ravaged bases tended to, these were my trusty steeds on the last day (note my disbelief, or is it excited anticipation???).
Last edited by Mrs Roo; 05-02-2007 at 06:34 AM.
Monty Python's version of the cougar phenomenon:
"This is a frightened city. Over these houses, over these streets hangs a pall of fear. Fear of a new kind of violence which is terrorizing the city. Yes, gangs of old ladies attacking defenseless, fit young men".
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05-01-2007, 05:43 PM #2
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Sweet, looks like a great time.
I like the view
Last edited by detroit; 05-02-2007 at 02:39 PM.
its the whisky talking
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05-01-2007, 05:43 PM #3
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the pics dont work
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05-01-2007, 05:56 PM #4
rain
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booooooooooooo
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05-01-2007, 06:04 PM #5
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http://images.kodakgallery.eu.com does NOT want us viewing these.
Last edited by bio-smear; 05-02-2007 at 04:19 PM.
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05-01-2007, 06:25 PM #6
Swimming in slime
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I see nothing
Originally Posted by twodogs
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05-01-2007, 06:34 PM #7
Day laborer
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Sweet work there Johnny Hacker. Way to hack your own browser cache!
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05-01-2007, 06:35 PM #8
Deserve Victory
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Yeah....I took the ?a=16 off of the end. No dice.
Must be a browser session issue on Mrs Roo's end.
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05-01-2007, 07:59 PM #9
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i can see them all, looks like a good time
Preserving farness, nearness presences nearness in nearing that farness
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05-01-2007, 08:17 PM #10
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Originally Posted by Mrs Roo
just stunned..
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05-02-2007, 02:43 AM #11
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Oh dear. I saw them all last night but not today. I'll try to rectify it later. Sorry! Originally Posted by bio-smear
Monty Python's version of the cougar phenomenon:
"This is a frightened city. Over these houses, over these streets hangs a pall of fear. Fear of a new kind of violence which is terrorizing the city. Yes, gangs of old ladies attacking defenseless, fit young men".
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05-02-2007, 03:05 AM #12
Dexterous as Fuck (tm)
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On the edge of my frigging seat here, you tease!
edgDo you realize that you've just posted an admission of ignorance so breathtaking that it disqualifies you from commenting on any political or economic threads from here on out?
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05-02-2007, 03:27 AM #13
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sweet stuff, can't wait for the pics! who were your guides?
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05-02-2007, 06:39 AM #14
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Patience, Grasshopper. Some of us have to work, you know Originally Posted by edg
On the edge of my frigging seat here, you tease!
edg 
Ulty, the backcountry boot camp was with a group called snoworks. The guide we had was a great guy called Richard Mansfield who is actually based in Cham. Hayduke and I were in a guided group with him last year. Top bloke, has been in Chamonix for 20 odd years and a good skier to boot.Last edited by Mrs Roo; 05-04-2007 at 09:59 AM.
Monty Python's version of the cougar phenomenon:
"This is a frightened city. Over these houses, over these streets hangs a pall of fear. Fear of a new kind of violence which is terrorizing the city. Yes, gangs of old ladies attacking defenseless, fit young men".
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05-02-2007, 07:16 AM #15
Ca plane pour moi
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Nice TR !
One of your friend had an awesome harlequin fartbag."Typically euro, french in particular, in my opinion. It's the same skiing or climbing there. They are completely unfazed by their own assholeness. Like it's normal." - srsosbso
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05-02-2007, 07:30 AM #16
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That was Hayduke. Originally Posted by philippeR
"Nothing is funnier than Hitler." - Smokey McPole
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05-02-2007, 07:49 AM #17
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Noice. Brings back memories....Alagna is a beautiful place.
Merde De Glace On the Freak When Ski
>>>200 cm Black Bamboo Sidewalled DPS Lotus 120 : Best Skis Ever <<<
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05-02-2007, 07:53 AM #18
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Did he sewed it himself ?
"Typically euro, french in particular, in my opinion. It's the same skiing or climbing there. They are completely unfazed by their own assholeness. Like it's normal." - srsosbso
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05-02-2007, 07:53 AM #19
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I know, I know! What is it with Brits and fartbags? There were a couple of heinous examples on display! Originally Posted by philippeR
Monty Python's version of the cougar phenomenon:
"This is a frightened city. Over these houses, over these streets hangs a pall of fear. Fear of a new kind of violence which is terrorizing the city. Yes, gangs of old ladies attacking defenseless, fit young men".
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05-02-2007, 08:46 AM #20
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yeeeeeeeah!!!! so nice!!!
and so bad that the balma basket lift closed two winters ago... and now it's the time for indren lift to close :-(
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05-02-2007, 08:57 AM #21
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Apparently they are building a new lift to access that area to the left of the Indren lift as you look up at it. I heard that bucket lift was an interesting experience! Originally Posted by verbier61
Monty Python's version of the cougar phenomenon:
"This is a frightened city. Over these houses, over these streets hangs a pall of fear. Fear of a new kind of violence which is terrorizing the city. Yes, gangs of old ladies attacking defenseless, fit young men".
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05-02-2007, 09:16 AM #22
Bored
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Stylin' bitches!
Until 5 minutes ago, I had no idea I'd been heliskiing back in March. Perhaps I should stop drinking meths.Last edited by Hayduke; 05-02-2007 at 09:18 AM.
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05-02-2007, 09:29 AM #23
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Bummer. That was the only spot with soft snow when we were there. Will the Indren be replaced? Originally Posted by verbier61
Last edited by Buster Highmen; 05-02-2007 at 09:33 AM.
Merde De Glace On the Freak When Ski
>>>200 cm Black Bamboo Sidewalled DPS Lotus 120 : Best Skis Ever <<<
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05-02-2007, 09:50 AM #24
has many zippers
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Why would we want Bob as our uncle??
If it weren't for serendipity, there'd be no dipity at all
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05-02-2007, 01:23 PM #25
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Truly excellent fartbag steeze. The heli-skiing doesn't suck either...
^^^ That pic of the guy makes me think of Harald Harb for some reason.
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