World Heli Challenge

27/10/2024

In the break between the first edition of the World Heli Challenge that went from 1995-2002 and the second edition 2009-2014, the industry, professional freeridiing and equipment had evolved. There was a new generation of athlete, more refined, more suited to one discipline than a cross between speed, freestyle and big mountain like the initial competitions were. One of the most formidable people to compete in the Heli Challenge was Chris Booth from Australia. Here he is sending it on the Freestyle day of the 2009 event. I’ve never been one for fully believing that judging can be done on a mountain right then, right there and be fair to every athlete competing. I’ve occasionally felt bad about some results in the end, when you think back to how someone placed or hadn’t placed where they potentially should have. It’s by no way the fault of the judges - they are doing the utmost and very best they can to get it right - and we have to respect their decision. So, I made some changes in judging after this year and I really can’t believe why some other major free ride events won’t do the same. We filmed every competitors run, put it online and let a significant number of bonafide national and international athletes and accredited judges put scores to everyone run - and for the general public to do the same separately. An online judge had the chance to make notes, to replay the action and compare the other competitors runs to produce a score accordingly, taking in consideration the notes from a couple from our head judges who were on-course. I would love to see this type of judging debated within the industry, as I, and many other athletes believe it’s the only way to go in a modern world. Sure, the results aren’t known for a few hours later that night but why potentially screw an athlete over just cause a viewer, event organiser or the media wants instant gratification? The World Heli Challenge always did its best to put the athlete first, if I ever got the chance to do it again, it’s the only way it could be run.
Read more on the WHC in Defining Moments. Copies will be limited so get onto the pre-sale now to secure yours and check out the intro video here: https://harroart.com/pages/shop

24/10/2024

Dan Coffee from Alaska on the Extreme Day of the World Heli Challenge circa 1998.

Copies of Defining Moments will be limited so get onto the pre-sale now to secure yours and check out the intro video here: https://harroart.com/pages/shop

24/10/2024

It's been a whilst since I made a post but I reckon there's not one day in life I haven't reminisced about the World Heli Challenge, its people, what the athletes got up to, the friendships forged and the stamp it made on the progression of global freeriding. With that said, I'd like to share with everyone the opportunity to own their own part of the event throughout it's years. My "Defining Moments" book is now on pre-sale and will have a limited print run. Inside its 1200 pages is a big feature on the WHC, the journeys that followed with athletes who competed in it across the world: Japan, USA, Europe, Alaska, Greenland. Unfortunately I don't have enough room to put a full roll call of names of everyone who competed, but there's a shout out to all and a double page spread of faces who were in. Tomorrow I'll share the portraits of people I'd like to ensure I have their names spelled right but for now that I'm hoping you can comment on. I'd be stoked if you could check out the video and pre-sale of the book on this link, and check back for regular postings of content from the event over its lifetime. You never know, the stoke from everyone might just bring it back again... Never say never.. Check out the intro video and book pre sale here: https://harroart.com/pages/shop Here's Flo Orley celebrating his win with a fly by, with Harvey Hutton and the Backcountry Heli pilots in formation above.

27/08/2021

Most people who know me know the World Heli Challenge. But some might not know how the whole crazy thing got started. Back in early 1995 I had an idea. I’d invite a bunch of friends, many of the world's best freeskiers and freeriders to Wanaka, NZ where I was living at the time. We’d pile into helicopters, pick a remote peak and shred the mountain together. The thought of seeing some of the best snow talent on the planet making beautiful lines and expressing themselves on snow was a enough motivation. It was a basic plan. Barely a plan at all. I called some friends, we pooled our money to buy heli time, honed in on some incredible terrain and that was it. I had no experience running international events. My closest skills in my resume (if I had one) would have been getting collared by my elders when I was a salty grommet at the local boardriders comp, put in a chair and told to judge the next heat. Usually with salt water dripping out my nostrils onto the score sheet. I had no detailed plan about what the Heli Challenge would become. There was no focus group, no strategy, no event plan. It was an idea and it took on a life of its own. I think that’s why it worked and why skiers and boarders fell in love with it. It was freeriding, just for the hell of it. While we’ve been locked down I’ve been sorting and organising. I dug out the VHS tapes of the event and sent them to Anthony Valerio from Zoom Productions to digitise. Hard to believe this was 21 years ago. I’m just going to leave this here. I hope you enjoy this wild ride down memory lane as much as I did. When this pandemic is over who’s ready to have this kind of fun again?
https://harroart.com/Events/World-Heli-Challenge/4

28/01/2021

Freestyle Day of the Rip Curl World Heli Challenge. 25 years since it was born and the spirit lives on... Heres one of the Frenchies. Can anyone recollect who it is?

02/07/2016

Hi everyone! The World Heli Challenge crew have moved on and back home across the ditch to Mt Buller where we are staging Buller X - Australia's raddest freeski event. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, check the event out on www.bullerx.com.au and get ready to blown away by some radical ski action. XTM Performance

08/12/2015

Thanks for sharing Janina. Timely reminder for everyone heading into the massive snows in the northern hemisphere right now.

Know this stuff, revise it, train it and it might just save your life or your mate's.

Manuel Genswein has spent more than two decades burying himself alive and pushing shovels to their breaking point to ­determine the best ways to save snow-slide victims. His biggest challenge? ­Convincing the world’s most experienced rescuers that he’s right.

06/08/2015

Come along for a World Heli Challenge movie fix at Breakers Country Club Wamberal later this month and we'll bring the action, the big mountains and choppers to you! It's FREE.

The good folks at Breakers are raising funds for Cure Brain Cancer on the night. See you SATURDAY 22nd AUGUST - and wear your best beanie.