© stevehicks / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0What to pack for a helicopter return from the trail
Heli Nepal · · 4 min read
You are going from a teahouse at 4,000 m to Kathmandu in ninety minutes. Pack for both ends, and for the twenty minutes in between.
A helicopter compresses a four-day walk-out into an hour and a half, which sounds simple until you are standing on a helipad at dawn in a fleece you packed for Kathmandu.
Wear the warm layer, do not pack it
The landing site is cold, exposed and often windy from rotor downwash. Put your insulated jacket, hat and gloves on before you get to the pad, not in your duffel.
Sunglasses are not optional at altitude on snow. Neither is sunscreen.
Keep the weight where it belongs
One day bag on your lap, everything else in the hold if there is one. Confirm the baggage allowance when the operator confirms the flight — it is usually 10–15 kg per person and it is enforced.
Documents and cash
Photo ID for every passenger, your permits, and your insurance policy number somewhere you can read it without a signal. Carry small-denomination rupees; landing sites have no card machines.
