Helly Hansen

"Alaska virgins. After ten dozen last minute phone calls, desperate e-mails, and a lot of stress, I finally found myself sitting on the plane to Alaska. A dream was about to come true. I was going heliskiing in Haines, Alaska. I'd seen all the pictures, all the movie segments, but was it really as good as everyone claimed? After landing in Juneau, I could only confirm that all of my luggage had disappeared on the way, a really good start to the trip. Shortly after, I ran into Tanner Hall, who had suffered the same destiny. At least we were two in the same boat... After a crazy small-plane flight, I met up with my buddies in Haines, needless to say we were all pretty stoked just to be there! All of a sudden, things started to happen. My baggs arrived, we signed the registartion paperwork, went through the helicopter breefing and were ready to go. The next day, we laid down the first turns in Alaska. It was only a warm up run, and the snow was a bit wet, but it was enough to drop the shoulders and I felt way more relaxed. And we got to see how big the mountains really were. They were big, really, really big. I was ready to throw down the big lines. The following days, were spent \"chaising rainbows\", flying out to mountains and waitnig for the light. We got to ski some lines on really good snow, but not too many. A lot of the time went by, waiting for the sunlight. A coupple of days later, we finally hit bluebird. Expectations were skyhigh, and they didn't get any lower after a quick warm-up run. The snow was some of the best I'd skied in years!! I decided to go for a badass line straight away, and after a quick discussion with a slightly sceptical guide, I was airborne. The top of the peak that I had spotted, wasn't big enough to land the heli, so ex-vietnam pilot \"Al\" (Mr steadyhands himself!!) had to put me down on a \"toe-in\". This means that you have to get out of the heli, while it's basicly hovering above the ground. A bit scary. I said to Al^ \"Can you put me down over on that little ridge?\" He replied: \"Sure I can, but I'm glad you're the one gettin out there, not me!\" Not a big comfort, when you're about to ski your first big AK line.... After a bit of struggle to get my gear on, nervous as hell, Yvon \"Frenchie\" (our excellent guide!) counted me down on the radio, and I dropped in. A few moments later I came \"hauling-ass\" over the bergshcrund, and out on the bottom glacier, screaming of joy. The line worked out perfectly, and was one of the sickest I've ever skied!!! A few hugs and a lot of high five's later we moved on to hit more lines. We managed to get some really good stuff on tape, unfortunately for me the day ended with a twisted knee, that kind of said \"snap\"..... I got the knee checked out by a doctor, and luckily nothing was torn. It was just a matter of, rest, ice, and crossed fingers. That day turned out to be a real emotional rollercoaster. The next week or som went by slow-roastin'in the waiting game. There was quite a few hours spent on \"33 Mile Roadhouse\", a truckstop by the helipad, known for great burgers and bad coffee. The waiting game can be the hardest thing in Alaska, trust me when I say, there is not much to do on a weather day! After some heavy snowfalls, the weatherforecast smiled at us, claiming sun on our last days. Expectations were again skyhigh! Too bad the wind came in during the night, and killed almost every inch of powder. As we flew out there on the last day, we discovered that the only last few lines with good snow had such high avalanche risk, that tryin to ski them would be plain stupid. This was kind of the end of our trip to Haines, a bit sad, since we were hoping for at least one more good day in the crazy mountains of Alaska. Conclussion:We skied some of the biggest, scariest mountains on earth, I got to ski one of my best lines ever in sick powder. We played the waiting game full on, and got to hang out with some of the sickest rippers on the planet, sharing stories, beer and bad coffee. A special thanks to big moutain-pioneer and snowboard legend, Tom Burt. He shared all of his experience with a bunch of green-horns from Norway. But I also have a strong feeling that I have unfinished buisness with the mountains up there. Will I ever go back to Haines? Oh hell yeah!!! Per Mundhjeld"