Howl From The Heights

Heli-biking brings epic enduro, from snowline to valley bottom, to within a short flight from Kathmandu.

- Alex Treadway

WHERE COULD BE BETTER FOR BIG mountain riding than the biggest mountains of all? In the past, an enduro rider craving high adventure in the Nepal Himalayas might head for the badlands of other-worldly Mustang with its endlessly weaving singletrack descents. But now there’s an option right out of Kathmandu that has you up-and-back within two days.

That option is Gosainkunda in Langtang National Park, just a short hop from Kathmandu – if you take a helicopter. Heli-biking is common enough with deep-pocketed bikers in places like Europe and New Zealand, but now Nepal is getting in on the act, opening up access to full-on enduro-style trails.

Emerging above the smog of Kathmandu, your horizons explode outward and dozens of Himalayan giants crowd the windscreen. Just 15 minutes later, you step out onto snow at almost 4,400 metres, surrounded by peaks 3,000 metres higher. There’s time for a few selfies, and to grab breakfast in one of the tea houses, before you saddle up. Even for the unacclimatised, it’s safe to drop in at this height, as long as you don’t hang about too long.

The ride first hugs a dramatic contour trail for an hour or more to Laurabina. In snow, the pace is more measured, allowing time for views of the Ganesh Himal and Langtang ranges, before the action turns on for real.