heliskiing trip to Kamchatka, Russia

Kamchatka! You lucky b*stard, Seb.

Legend had it that the numbers of grizzly bears outnumbered the local population...

Kamchatka is a 1200km peninsula, poking out into the Bering Sea, and until 1992 much of it was out of bounds to non-military personnel.
From a skier's or snowboarder's perspective, what makes it special is the chain of 200 volcanoes that stretch along its length - 29 of which are still active. Some of them offer 2000m descents, top to bottom, and in a good winter, you'll make your final turn close to a boiling geyser or an ocean wave.

The only way to access most of these runs is by helicopter. We flew in a MI8, a retired troop-carrier.