Epic Hikes of the World ( PDFDrive )

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HELI-HIKING AROUND THE WORLD
CANADA
Several heli-hiking operators offer trips in British Columbia, Canada’s westernmost
province. In addition to the Bugaboos trip, Canadian Mountain Holidays (CMH)
runs heli-hiking adventures in two other BC destinations. Multiday trips based at its
26-room Bobbie Burns Lodge, north of Bugaboos Provincial Park, give guests the
option to trek near the Conrad Glacier or tackle North America’s longest via
ferrata. The newest CMH trip, from the 28-room Cariboo Lodge, takes hikers into
the more remote Cariboo Mountains, west of Jasper National Park. If you don’t
want to commit to a multiday heli-hiking trip, try out the sport in Whistler, a twohour
drive from Vancouver. Though this mountain community is best known for its
skiing and snowboarding, it’s a year-round destination for outdoor adventures,
including Blackcomb Helicopters’ half-and full-day heli-hiking excursions. For more
heli-hiking options, contact Glacier Helicopters or Heli Canada Adventures, both
based in the town of Revelstoke, in eastern BC’s Selkirk and Monashee Mountains.
More info // www.canadianmountainholidays.com; blackcombhelicopters.com:
www.glacierhelicopters.ca; helicanada.com
CHILE
While the Chilean Andes have become a centre for winter heli-skiing, heli-hiking in
this South American adventure destination is still in its infancy. But if the idea of
heli-hiking in the world’s longest mountain range makes your heart beat faster,
here are a couple of operators in Chile who organise helicopter-based hiking
experiences. Lodge Andino el Ingenio, a small adventure lodge 40 miles (65km)
southeast of Santiago, offers guests an optional day of heli-hiking. A 15-minute
flight takes you into the Piuquenes Valley, where you’ll hike up for views of
turquoise lagoons and the towering Andes. Located in the Andes, 95 miles (150km)
southeast of Chile’s capital, between Río Los Cipreses National Reserve and the
Argentine border, Noi Puma Lodge enables its guests to heli-hike into the nearby
mountains. These day treks reward with vistas across valleys, glaciers and snowtopped
volcanoes.