Powder Mad Chronicles: Heli-drop heaven in Georgia!

This one is Top 5… maybe even THE BEST Powder Mad ski & snowboard day ever. Days like this don’t come often, but when they do, they’re the kind that stick with you forever.  

EARLY START. FULL SEND.

5:30 AM: Alarms shatter the silence. It’s still pitch black outside. Bleary-eyed but buzzing with anticipation, we roll out of bed. Gear packed, boots tightened, avy beacons checked. The minibus is waiting. We pile in and set off toward the heliport, excitement building with every mile.  

TWO HELIDROPS. PURE STOKE.

A Eurocopter arrives in the early morning cold to pick up the first group of four. The blades slice through the crisp air as we watch it lift off, carrying the first riders into the mountains. The second group waits, anticipation through the roof. Minutes later, the heli returns - our turn.  

The ascent is quick, the views unreal, and before we know it, we’re hovering over Chalaadi Glacier, Mestia, Georgia—3,400m.

Boots crunch into the snow as we hop out. The heli lifts off and vanishes over the horizon, leaving us standing in absolute silence. Just us, the mountains, and an untouched powder paradise. We boot-pack up to the cross, lungs burning, legs on fire, but this is what we live for. Every step is worth it.  

3… 2… 1… DROP!

Skis on. Boards strapped. Goggles down. The countdown hits zero, and one by one, we launch into perfect, bottomless, untouched POW. The kind of snow that billows around you, leaving a ghostly white trail in the air.  

Jamie is filming everything - GoPros mounted, drone buzzing overhead, capturing every carve, every face shot, every moment of pure bliss. This footage is going to be insane when it drops this spring.  

The first descent? Absolute magic. But we’re just getting started.  

EARNING OUR TURNS

More whoops, more high fives. Our guide, Gogo, leads us to another untouched line, but this time, we’ve got to earn it. Skins on, heads down, 400m of vertical to climb.  It’s a grind, but every step takes us closer to something even bigger. Jamie keeps the drone circling as we ascend, capturing the team making their way up the pristine ridge. In between gasps for air, he’s grabbing GoPro clips of the crew pushing through the climb.  

We reach the top, transition quickly, and stare down at our next reward.  

THE DREAMIEST OF DESCENTS

What follows is pure magic.A 2,000m+ descent of absolute perfection. Wide-open faces where we can "let it rip" followed by steep, technical couloirs that force us to stay sharp. Lower down, the terrain shifts - trees, pillows, natural features begging to be hit.

Somehow, the snow stays perfect from top to bottom. Every turn sends up clouds of cold smoke. It’s fast, floaty, and everything we could’ve hoped for.

By the time we reach the pickup point, we’re spent.Legs screaming, hearts pounding, but the stoke is maxed out. High fives everywhere.  

A MASSIVE THANK YOU TO SVANETI HELISKIING!

These guys delivered exactly what we asked for - not just a heli-skiing experience, but something much rarer: a heli-drop and a skin-up. Heliskiing is already epic, but "solo helidrops?" When the heli disappears, leaving just you, your crew, and an endless sea of untouched terrain, that’s next level. Huge respect to their team for making it happen.

THE PERFECT END TO A PERFECT DAY

The only way to wrap up a day like this? BBQ, beers, and Powder Mad’s legendary “fines & rewards” session. Laughter, stories, and endless replays of the day's GoPro and drone footage.

Heli days don’t get better than this.  

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