Kazakstan & New Zealand Adventure Travel - Elevator, Going Up

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Outside Magazine March 2003

DESTINATIONS Special: Nomads Have More Fun
Elevator, Going Up
Three helicopter epics


	(Illustration by Mark Matcho)

MOUNTAIN-BIKING THE CELESTIAL MOUNTAINS [KAZAKHSTAN]
Just as your quads begin rebelling during this two-week, 300-mile traverse of the Tien Shan—the fabled 21,000-foot mountain range that separates Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan from China—a midtrip bonanza brings relief: A Communist-era cargo helicopter will whisk you to the top of the 12,000-foot "hills" for two days of screaming singletrack and goat-trail descents. Outfitter: KE Adventure Travel, 800-497-9675, www.keadventure.com. When to Go: July-August. Price: $2,395. Difficulty: strenuous.

RAFTING IN THE HOOKER RANGE [NEW ZEALAND]
Rarely boated, the upper reaches of southwestern New Zealand's Landsborough River and the nearby Waiatoto are so remote that the only way to the put-ins is by helicopter. You'll spend seven days roaring down Class III and IV rapids on both rivers, fishing for brown trout, searching for keas (the world's only alpine parrot), and camping under the gazes of 10,000-foot peaks Mount Deacon and Mount Aspiring. Outfitter: Mountain Travel Sobek, 888-687-6235, www.mtsobek.com. When to Go: March, December. Price: $3,190. Difficulty: moderate.

SHOOTING THE COLUMBIA MOUNTAINS [BRITISH COLUMBIA]
Spend four days coptering from Adamant Lodge in the Selkirks to remote 10,000-foot hiking trails in the Columbia Mountains for a photography workshop with widely published outdoor lensmen Chris Pinchbeck and Paul Lazarski. After pointers on lens selection and composition, shoot sunrise-lit alpine meadows till your film runs out. Outfitter: Canadian Mountain Holidays, 800-661-0252, www.cmhhike.com. When to Go: July. Price: $2,360. Difficulty: easy.

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