Heliski Russia - Caucasus
The Caucasus Mountain range is the natural border between Europe and Asia, complete with glaciers and endless fir forests. The highest mountains in Europe are here, with the dormant volcano Mount Elbrus looming at 5,642 m above sea level, the 10th highest peak in the world.
The best heliskiing terrain in the world are in places where moisture comes off a body of water, hits steep mountains along a coastline, and drops heavy powder. In Southern Russia, the area where Heli Ski Russia is based is in the Caucasus Mountains between two bodies of water - the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, creating a powder rich environment with a base camp in the small town of Arkhyz.
Facts & FAQ
Base Camp in the Caucasus Mountains is in the town of Arkhyz, sitting at 1450 meters high and just 70 km inland from the Black Sea. The mountains surrounding the town rise more than 3000 meters high, including Mt. Elbrus at the extreme elevation of 5,642 meters, the 10th highest peak in the world. In this pristine wilderness, you will ski both glacier runs and tree lines through expansive fir forests, and can expect to see eagles, bear and goats along the way!
Heli Ski Russia provides about 2.5 hours of flight time each day in either a Eurocopter AS350B3 Ecureuils or Aérospatiale SA 315B Lamas helicopter, with vertical descents between 7,000-10,000 meters long. If weather interferes with the 11 hours of flight time included in the 6-day package, you will be reimbursed for the unused hours.
From Moscow, you will leave on Sunday morning via a 6.5 hour Aeroflot flight to Mineralnye Vody. Moscow is served daily from Europe by Aeroflot, or Air France from Geneva and Paris. In addition, Alaska Airlines via the east or west coast of the U.S.
At the airport in Mineralnye Vody, a Heliski Russia team member will meet you and escort you via a 3.5 hour bus ride to your base hotel on the Elbrus tour, or to the Dacha Gorbachev in Arkhyz on the Arkhyz tour.
HeliSki Russia offers two distinct packages for your Caucasus Mountains adventure.
The Arkhyz "Essential"
This trip allows for a generous 11 hours of flight time, promising long days of skiing. Arkhyz is located just west of Mount Elbrus. You will likely be in two groups of 3-4 skiers with 2 guides in either a Ecureuil B3 Eurocopter or a Aerospatiales SA 315B Lamas, with pick up right at your hotel. Your accommodations in Arkhyz include the Dacha Gorbachev, the former president of the Soviet Union's winter estate, hidden in a century-old forest.
This famous dacha is where President Gorbachev and German Chancellor Helmut Lang negotiated for the reunification of Germany in 1990. The estate is spacious and luxuriously decorated in former Soviet elite influences. And your helicopter will pick you up right in the garden in front!
Elbrus: This is the "Exploration" package in the Caucasus Mountains.
With Elbrus, you receive 18 hours of flight time, allowing for lots of exploration and transport to the mighty slopes of Mount Elbrus. This tour is more nomadic in nature, more like a Ski Safari. With 6 people, you will be divided into groups of 3 with 2 guides. Using a B3 helicopter, your Base Camp will be in the Republic of Karachay-Cherkessia and each day you will awake to a new adventure skiing the vast terrain between Arkhyz and Dombay, the most well known ski resort in the Caucasus range. Because of the nomadic nature of this tour, and to provide the best skiing depending on daily weather conditions, you will stay at multiple 3 and 4 star hotels and even more basic lodges throughout the area
If the weather doesn’t allow for heliskiing in either location, then the guides keep their guests active. That can mean ski touring, resort skiing at a nearby resort, or tours of historic and cultural interests with everything from ancient Byzantine temples to modern observatories. Arkhyz also allows for ski touring when the weather won’t let helicopters fly, and there are ski resorts near each area so you can ski groomed slopes as well!
Book a Trip to Russia Today and Go Heliski the Caucasus!
The heli ski packages offered by Heli Ski Russia in the Caucasus Mountains are definitely unique. Whether you prefer a nomadic adventure of getting in a helicopter and skiing a different mountain each day and staying in a different hotel each night, or the more luxurious Dacha Gorbachev as home base for 6 nights with skiing closer to the village of Arkhyz, Heli Ski Russia has an option for you.
And with the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea so close, the snow in this area of Russia is deep and plentiful, whether skiing the vast expanse of a glacier or a fir-lined tree run.
Russia has much to offer when considering heliskiing, so to view all your options, browse our Heliskiing Russia Operator Directory.
Reviews & Comments
Please share a comment or review, if you have skied here! This REALLY helps the heliskiing community! Thank You!
BRADY
7/31/23
Brady is an avid skiing & backcountry enthusiast, aging "big wave" surfer and is totally addicted to heli skiing!
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