THE PERFECT DAY

Mon 24th Jan, 6.30 am. I was beginning to wonder if it was really worth getting up in the middle of the night for the coach trip to R.K. Heli in Panorama, 2 hours from the comfort of my bed in Lake Louise. This was to be my first time heliboarding, I had decided on the 3 run package, which includes transport, breakfast, lunch, safety equipment rental and instruction, a guide, 3 heli runs and a souvenir certificate and badge, all for the bargain price of $577 (£250). Once the sun came up it was clear that we'd all been lucky with the weather, there was not a cloud in sight. Upon arrival at the R.K. Heli building we unloaded our stuff from the bus and went inside, where we were issued with our avalanche transceivers and sat down for breakfast (as much fried food as you can eat). When everyone had finished we went outside for our safety briefing. At this point we were split into 2 groups; a group of about 20 skiers and boarders who were to share the larger helicopter and a smaller group consisting of myself and a group of 4 other boarders.

We were introduced to our guide, Kris, who told us that we would have the smaller A Star B2 helicopter to ourselves for the day. He ran through all the safety features of the helicopter, what to do for landings/takeoffs etc. He then showed us how to use the avalanche transceivers, and we set about trying to "find" his rucksack in the car park (although I don't know how I'd fare in a real avalanche situation). Due to weight limitations (you get weighed when you book, as well as having to sign the biggest waiver you've ever clapped eyes on) we weren't allowed to take our backpacks with us, so before leaving Kris advised us to put our cameras and anything else we might need into our pockets.

Our own personal A Star B2 Helicopter

We gave our boards to Kris (the guide is always responsible for loading the skis/boards into a basket on one side of the helicopter, while you get in the other side) and we all clambered in. Before we knew it we were up in the air, circling round the heli-pad and slowly moving off towards the Coppercrown zone (which is only used in good weather conditions) of the massive R.K. Heli area. After a 10-minute flight, mostly taken up by us yelling "THIS ROCKS" and bouncing up and down like kids in a sweet shop, we reached our destination. We circled round a few mountains while Kris discussed with our pilot, Kim, about which runs looked best/safest and which landing site would be suitable. They eventually decided on a site and Kim landed the helicopter sending snow flying everywhere.

On this occasion we were to get out of the helicopter while it was still running, at which point it would take off and leave us behind (you never have to walk away from the helicopter while it is still running; you either wait until it shuts down, or it will take off and leave you behind). Once Kris had given us the thumbs up, we all took our seat belts off and Paul (our designated doorman) got out and held the door open for the rest of us. While we were getting out, Kris unloaded our boards and the 2 rucksacks containing avalanche rescue equipment, one to be carried by him and one by the last person to ride down (to be decided by us). Once out, we crouched down in the snow and Paul gave Kim the thumbs up to signal we were all out safely. Kris did the same once all the stuff was unloaded and the helicopter took off (which is very windy BTW). Once the noise had subsided we looked up from our huddle to see we were at the top of a massive powder bowl chock full of sparkling untouched virgin powder. Kris told us that this particular run was called "Surfs Up" and set about explaining the procedure for riding down, telling us that we could ride either side of his tracks so long as we didn't ride past him. He also politely asked if we could refrain from swooping all over the whole bowl, ruining the snow for other people who might be there after us. He set off first, followed at a distance by us, now with permanently stupid grins on our faces. The first few powder turns were unforgettable, turn after turn in deep, untouched powder, bouncing from one side to the next with huge waves of snow flying out from under our boards. About a third of the way down the bowl Kris stopped to let us regroup and we took a few pictures.

The view from halfway down "Surfs Up" (tracks clearly visible)

Kris: The Man

During the day Kris turned out to be an outstanding guide, David Bailey and Steven Speilberg all rolled into one, taking our cameras and Dave's video camera at every available opportunity to get as much footage of us as possible. We set off again down to the bottom of the bowl towards a narrower section through the trees. The snow in the last section was still perfect, but we had to follow Kris's line much more closely, as he was navigating round the odd rock and a small creek which ran through the trees (during the day, if there was a flatter section, Kris would tell us well in advance and usually go first to bash out some tracks to help us along a bit). Before we knew it we were at the landing site and once we were all ready Kris explained the procedure for a "hot pickup". Continued on next page.