The Terrain | Mt Cook National Park and beyond
Wilderness Heliskiing has runs for all levels of heliskiing ability: from experts to first-time heliboarders and heliskiers.
Wild and Remote
The Aoraki/Mount Cook region is an area of huge and heavily glaciated peaks, located at the heart of the Southern Alps, South Island, New Zealand. Our heliski terrain is close to the Main Divide, and receives more snow than any other alpine area in New Zealand.
Terrain FAQ
- Over 800 square kilometres in 3 mountain ranges
- Over 200 named runs
- All terrain is high-alpine. The tree-line is thousands of feet below
- Extensive glaciation increases the range, variety, and quality of the runs available.
The best terrain for expert skiers and riders
Wilderness Heliskiing offers more terrain for expert riders and skiers than in the hills around Queenstown and Wanaka. We group our heliski loads based on ability, so there's no need to worry about getting out of your depth.
Wilderness Heliski Terrain Map
The terrain map is a work in progress. We're always adding new runs, and still catching up with the back catalogue!
Run vital statistics:
- Highest landings: Mount Chudleigh & Mount Hamilton - 2,800 metres
- Highest Vertical Drop: "Whip of Love" 1,300 metres
- Longest Run: "Ridge Run" 4 kilometres over a 1,100 metre descent.
The Mount Cook Region
We heliski amongst the Liebig, Malte Brun and Mt Cook ranges, just east and parallel to the great peaks of the Main Divide itself - Aoraki/Mount Cook and Mount Tasman - being the most famous.
This extensively glaciated region contains 29 peaks over 3000 metres. Aoraki/Mount Cook rises to a height of 3,754 metres - 3 kilometres above the valley floor!
Snowpack
The Southern Alps has a maritime snowpack. Expect variation in snow conditions and cover throughout the season. Powder is more common earlier in the season, with spring snow from late August.