Heli Ski/ Winter Mountain Ops...

[heli-havok]

Saw a recent post on mountain flying..... Thought there might be a few folks on here that might be willing to share some tips, tricks, lessons etc regarding heli skiing and winter mountain ops in general...

 

Try and avoid the condescending responses and pass some relevant hands on info along that might help a less experienced guy out down the road!

 

Appreciate it!

[freck]

How many hours do you have? How many hours do you have in the mountains? How many snow op hours do you have? Not trying to be condescending but you have to give a platform on which to answer.

[Whitestone]

So telling a guy who has experience flying ummm.... lets see, maybe pipe line patrol that he has no business flying in the mountains would be condescending?

 

Kind of like making fun of someone who is just starting out in the industry and does not have much industry relevant experience on their resume`? Might that also be considered condescending? Does anyone remember that? Isn't it funny how some people want respect but were the first to pile on like a mangy coyote and make fun of someone else who did no one any harm and was just trying to make their way in the world.

 

If others show that person some respect and answer his questions, would it be lost on him that it is more than he deserved?

[212wrench]

I know several exceptional drivers who have tens of thousands of incident free heliskiing under there belts who would love to mentor less experienced folks on the pros and cons of heliskiing. Problem is they no longer frequent this site as the are frankly embarrassed by the past goings on here.

[skullcap]

How many hours do you have? How many hours do you have in the mountains? How many snow op hours do you have? Not trying to be condescending but you have to give a platform on which to answer.

Hey Freck, as you must know in order to teach someone about a topic one must determine a baseline of knowledge prior to beginning the lesson. Seems some like lee are more interested in stirring the pot than try to understand the post. Good questions!

[heli-havok]

3000 or so hours total and about 1000ish in the mountains all in the summer time.....Hope that helps with the responses! But who cares how many hours anyone has....You can always learn from the experience from others even if its a thought that stays in the back of the mind till they get a chance to fly in the hills...

[freck]

Hey Freck, as you must know in order to teach someone about a topic one must determine a baseline of knowledge prior to beginning the lesson. Seems some like lee are more interested in stirring the pot than try to understand the post. Good questions!

I don't see it as stirring the pot but a legit question. You can see it any way you want. If he answers the question or even PM's me with his experience maybe I could help him maybe I can't.

 

I guess you could say now I see you stirring the pot. Its all perspective!

[freck]

PM sent Heli Havoc. Seems some are to sensitive for public forums.

[Guest DopeOnARope]

I think the point here is that flying in the mountains and in the winter is subjective. If your in the alps or in the arctic there are many situations that need to be approached the same way - like blowing snow. Rather than a baseline of experience the question should be what type of work you are looking to do, with that info a dialog could be opened on the common pitfalls that you could encounter which will inevitably lead to posts of close calls and lessons learned that are usually gold.

 

It's a shame that there has been a loss of the resource on this forum and maybe with some kind words, good advice and neighbourly behaviour (it's a small industry after all) those members can be enticed to come back and share.

 

DOAR

[Jamhands]

So I'll take the bait, apparently it's all tall order to ask for a bit of helpful advice here anymore. Pretty green in the heli-ski world myself but seeing as its all fresh ill share what I've learned as I'm eternally grateful to those that have been helping me out lately:

 

-learn your area inside and out, make mental and GPS (in that order) landmarks of bad weather routes and your outs to fuel caches, lodges or pickups. The weather WILL get bad and having a mental map in your head goes a long way.

 

-make approaches with options to break off and try again. 3 strikes is a good rule, after 3 tries and you don't feel comfortable find another option.

 

-be part of the team, listen at guides meetings and ask questions. Same as any job, if you know the ins and outs of the operation you're supporting it'll make your life easier.

 

-don't lose your reference no matter what. Use your flag, rock, tree or whatever. As long as you have something other than snow to look at when you're landing.

 

Otherwise just pay attention to wind and stay ahead of the helicopter in your head, again just like any other job. Most of all limit your food intake, it comes fast and delicious all day.

 

 

Im sure theres a lot more hints and tricks out there but as stated this is not advice from an expert but better than answering a question with a question.