{"id":4136,"date":"2016-06-24T12:57:59","date_gmt":"2016-06-24T11:57:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skiinluxury.com\/blog\/?p=4136"},"modified":"2016-09-21T11:58:32","modified_gmt":"2016-09-21T10:58:32","slug":"linking-your-bucket-list-and-ski-holiday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.skiinluxury.com\/blog\/linking-your-bucket-list-and-ski-holiday\/","title":{"rendered":"Linking Your Bucket List and Luxury Ski Holiday"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Bucket<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cEvery man dies \u2013 Not every man really lives.\u201d – William Wallace.
\nI read this quote recently and it really got me thinking, have I lived?
\nIn the office last week Andy asked me how old I was and it took me a while to work it out. I had only celebrated my birthday a couple of months ago but I could not recall how old I was. Why? Does it matter these days? Age is but a number, isn\u2019t it? I did some quick maths and worked out I was 28. In my lifetime I have been very fortunate to travel to some jaw dropping destinations and have experienced activities that really got the adrenaline pumping through my veins, yet I feel I haven\u2019t accomplished everything I want to achieve. The world is so vast and the list of activities and sights to see is endless. With this in mind I decided to write myself a bucket list.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Intrigued by what I was undertaking, my girlfriend, Rachael, also took a wander into the land of dreams and she too decided to make a list of her own. We decided to write it completely independently and would then compare the results afterwards.<\/p>\n

After what seemed like 10 minutes but in reality was probably closer to a couple of hours we each had a long and satisfying list of hopes and visions. We had a couple of matches but, by and large, our selections were very personal to us and unique.\u00a0What really stood out to me though was how many of these activities could be experienced in a ski resort on an annual ski holiday.<\/p>\n

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Fly in a Helicopter<\/strong><\/p>\n

These days the whirring sounds of a helicopter\u2019s rotor blades are as common in a ski resort as the sound of the bleeps of a GoPro.\u00a0Why is that? We all know that they are there to serve an operational purpose like airlifting an unfortunate casualty from a remote location, but they are also very much utilised for their recreational benefits.<\/p>\n

A dream of mine has always been to go heli-skiing. My love for skiing is as much about the peace and tranquillity of getting away from the city and into areas of staggering beauty and utter breathlessness as it is about the thrill of skiing itself. To soar up and see this panorama from the air just seems like such a magical experience and one I am determined to fulfil sooner rather than later. The flight is just the start of the adventure though.\"Heliskiing\"
\nThe best part of a snowstorm or a white out day is knowing that when the storm has passed you will be left with fresh powder to go and attack and enjoy. Heli-skiing allows you this opportunity but without the need to rely on inclement weather conditions. To pitch up on the side of a deserted mountain with only a chilling wind for company and mile after mile of untouched snowfields covering the horizon sounds like my idea of heaven.<\/p>\n

For the best heli-skiing opportunities you are best heading over to North America<\/a>. In North America, a helicopter can drop you just about anywhere you fancy where you can ski between the trees down a vertical drop off a mountain. In Europe, the sport has much tighter controls and fewer drop points but it still offers the thrill of going off the usual beaten track.\u00a0If you really want to experience heli-skiing but aren\u2019t keen on heading over the pond then Switzerland<\/a> tends to offer the best opportunities in Europe where regulations aren\u2019t quite as tight.<\/p>\n

If you are looking for the buzz of riding in a helicopter and taking in the stunning vista but don\u2019t feel confident enough to head in to the backcountry, then how about taking a heli transfer <\/a>to your chalet? Transfers are often a means to an end and are seen as a necessity but they don\u2019t have to be that way. They can be as much a part of the holiday as the skiing itself. This is something that we can help you arrange in advance.<\/p>\n

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Take on a Bobsleigh R<\/strong>un<\/strong><\/p>\n

My favourite film as a child was Disney\u2019s Cool Runnings. There was something about the film that just made me smile. Was it the lucky egg or just the fact it was loosely based on a true story? Whatever it was, it made me determined to take to the ice track myself and experience bobsleighing. I was lucky enough to experience this whilst working in Austria<\/a>. The Olympiaworld<\/a> run in Igls hosted the Olympic bobsleigh in 1964 and 1976 and today just about anybody can give it a go. The thrill and ecstasy of hurtling down an ice track at speeds approaching 75mph means even the most extreme of adrenaline junkie will find their heart pounding.<\/p>\n

\"Olympia-Bob--und-Rodelbahn\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The track is just a short distance from the city of Innsbruck meaning it can be accessed from most of the Austrian\u00a0ski resorts<\/a> that we offer.\u00a0If you are staying in France <\/a>then La Plagne<\/a> was the host venue for the Albertville 1992 Winter Olympic bobsleigh competition and also offers you the chance to enjoy this exhilarating sport.<\/p>\n

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Paragliding and Speed Riding<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rachael and I met whilst living and working in the resort of Olu Deniz in Turkey, this is one of the world\u2019s best known destinations for Paragliding so we were both fortunate enough to experience this first hand whilst living there. The thrill of floating in mid air and soaring like a bird is always difficult to describe.<\/p>\n

\"the-unrideables-alaska-range-speedriders-1024x683\"<\/a><\/p>\n

What neither of us have experienced is the combination of paragliding and skiing which has the typically extreme name of Speed Riding.\u00a0Speed Riding is very different to its Paragliding cousin. The aim in paragliding is usually to ride the thermals to try and get as high as possible to make the flight last as long as possible, Speed Riding is almost the complete opposite. After leaving the mountain you sweep down as close to the snow as possible, the closer the better, and with your skis on you skim the snow at great speed.<\/p>\n

Most resorts these days offer paragliding, but Speed Riding is a little more specialist and is usually undertaken more by solo professionals than tandem skiers, but there are still destinations where you can enjoy this opportunity in tandem with an experienced speed rider.\u00a0Resorts where you can tandem Speed Ride are quite few and far between, but Grindelwald in Switzerland<\/a> is one such place.<\/p>\n