Coast to Peaks: A Kep Merli Heli-Ski Day
Morning breaks soft and blue over the Ionian. You wake in your sea-view villa, the pines a hush outside. Breakfast arrives warm bread, local honey, strong coffee—fuel for a very different kind of day.
A quick gear check with our concierge—boots warmed, beacon tested, layers right—then a quiet ride to our helipad. Rotors gather into a silver blur, guides give the final briefing, and suddenly the peninsula slips away beneath you: Butrint’s lagoon, the Ksamil islets, the coast turning from emerald to open blue.
Fifty minutes later it’s all white silence and wild relief—the Accursed Mountains (Albanian Alps) rising in sharp, untracked folds. Your IFMGA-certified guides mark a clean line on the ridge, avalanche gear at the ready. One deep breath, a tilt into gravity, and you’re dropping through powder bowls, playful gullies, and widely spaced trees—lift-free terrain that feels discovered, not developed.
Between runs, the helicopter ferries you along a sawtooth skyline. A pocket lunch—simple, warm, exactly what you want—then another descent where the snow stays cold and the legs remember. It’s coast-to-peaks in a single arc; the kind of day you measure in turns and light.
By afternoon the rotors lift you home the way you came: mountains to lagoon to sea. Back at Kep Merli, boards become barefoot. An in-villa massage unspools the shoulders; the charcoal grill by the water turns the evening golden. Dinner lingers, stars gather, and the only sound is the Ionian breathing deeper.
Season: Late January to April (weather-dependent).
Includes (via trusted partners): IFMGA guides, avalanche kit, helicopter time, staging logistics.
Level: Advanced/experts only; safety protocols strictly observed.
Enquire for Heli-Ski Dates & Rates | Coast-to-Peaks Itineraries at info@kepmerli.com
