It’s November! The highland roads are firmly closed and we’ve got the first of the season’s turns under our belt. The nights may be dark, but by the time spring comes, we’ll be fit and ready for the long days!
In this edition of our blog, we continue with our Guide Spotlight series. Today, get to know the multi-talented Helgi Jensson – a man equally at home charging pow, rafting thrilling whitewater, or leading alpine rock.
Tell us a little bit about your background and guiding history.
I started guiding in 2015 at Arctic Adventures as a rafting guide. Since then I have worked mostly as a adventure guide rafting, glacier hiking, kayaking, rock climbing, mountaineering and of course skiing. I got a diploma in Adventure Guiding from Thompson Rivers University in Canada, where I specialised in rock and alpine climbing. I have worked in Iceland, Canada and Japan as a mountaineering and ski guide.
What have you been up to during the summer?
This summer I worked as a raft guide in Hvítá river in south of Iceland, but I got a nice summer vacation for a month and a half to climb mountains around the town of Chamonix in the Alps.
What’s your favourite thing about being a heliski guide?
My favourite thing about being a heliski guide is definitely having skis on my feet and showing my guests the amazing backyard we have at Sóti Lodge. I absolutely love looking for new ways to use the terrain we have and enjoy every single turn. Then of course I can’t deny it is pretty fun to ride the heli.
Do you have a day that sticks out as being the most memorable as a guide? Tell us about it!
Japan takes the cake here, there is nothing like floating on a cloud down the mountains in Hokkaido with the Japanese old birch trees all around you and the feather-light snow everywhere. That is what paradise is!
What do you like most about skiing in Iceland?
Spring time is the time to be in Iceland, nice weather, lots of sun and corn snow! We might even get lucky and get a beautiful powder day skiing into the ocean.
Do you have a favourite ski run in the Troll Peninsula? Which one is it, and why do you like it so much?
It is definitely hard to choose a best run, it depends on so many aspects, what will be the best run at a given time. I love trying to figure out where we can find the best possible snow and stay out of harms way. However, one of my favourite days out, I have to say was at Skarðsdalur – Sigló’s ski resort. Shortly after a big snowstorm, lapping the steep mountains above the resort in relatively deep pow. I get goosebumps just thinking of it!
What would be your number one piece of advice for someone going heliskiing for the first time?
Enjoy every single turn as much as possible!
We love Helgi’s enthusiasm for adventure of all kinds! If you’d like to keep up with his travels, why not give him a follow on Instagram?
