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The 8 Best Heli-Skiing Destinations in the World

https://www.powder.com/ski-trips/best-heli-skiing-destinations

There’s an unmistakable thrill to being way out in the mountains and hearing the thump of rotor blades roaring over a nearby ridge and having your own personal helicopter land right in front of you to ferry you up a mountain for your next ski run. It’s one of the most exhilarating ways to experience backcountry skiing. Heli-skiing experiences come in many shapes and sizes. Whether it’s a weeklong stay at a remote Alaskan luxury lodge, adventurous exploratory skiing in Eastern Europe or South America, or a day of mellow powder skiing in the Canadian Rockies, there’s something for everyone.

Is Heli-Skiing Dangerous?

There is an inherent risk associated with both flying in a helicopter and skiing untracked powder in the backcountry. However, heli-skiing operations have teams of highly trained pilots, ski guides and ground support crew whose entire job is to ensure your safety so you can focus on the skiing.

While you may never see any part of this as a client, any reputable operation has layers of safeguards in place to make sure things stay safe. They have access to professional-level weather forecasts, assess avalanche and snow conditions daily (if not hourly), and have robust emergency plans in place in case something does happen. Play by the rules, and the operation will do everything in its power to keep you safe.

How Good of a Skier Do I Need to Be to Enjoy Heli-Skiing?

That depends on where you are planning to go. Most heli-skiing operations offer a huge variety of terrain to suit different levels of skiers. However, you should be comfortable skiing ungroomed snow in the backcountry, with a backpack, wearing fat skis. If that sounds fun, then you’ll have a blast at most operations. Some places, especially in Alaska, are set up to cater particularly to expert skiers looking to push their limits in extreme terrain, while others specialize in lower-angle powder skiing with long runs down beautiful valleys.

How Expensive Is Heli-Skiing?

It depends on what you’re looking for. Heli-skiing can be incredibly expensive, with prices at top-tier lodge-based operations coming in at multiple thousands of dollars a day per person. However, many operations, particularly ones based out of or near ski resorts, offer much more affordable packages, including single flights to get you to the goods. For example, Silverton Mountain, Colorado, offers single heli runs for under $200 a flight.

1. Haines, Alaska

Want to ski the classic Alaska spine lines you see in the movies? Welcome to Haines, Alaska. This small fishing town, tucked into a bay a few hours north of Juneau in Southeast Alaska, is home to a handful of heli-skiing operations that specialize in guiding some of the steepest terrain in North America.

The two largest, SEABA and Alaska Heliskiing, have spent years guiding film crews and professional athletes to the goods and routinely take guests to the same terrain. Both are relatively spartan operations, focusing on the skiing experience above all and foregoing some of the fancy luxury amenities of other ops.

2. Chugach Range, Alaska

Rising out of the ocean just outside Anchorage, Alaska, the Chugach Range has long captured the imaginations of big-mountain skiers looking to test their skills in its massive, glaciated peaks. The Chugach has a long history of heli-skiing operations dating back to the early 90s when pioneering pilots and guides started dropping skiers off on the high peaks around Valdez and Girdwood.

Now, operations like Chugach Powder Guides, Black Ops Valdez, Majestic Heli Ski and Points North Heli-Adventures cater to clients with options from day trips to week-long stays at luxury lodges overlooking the ocean. This is a great place to go for skiers of all ability levels, as most operations have massive amounts of terrain they can fly to depending on conditions, weather, and stoke.

3. San Juan Range, Colorado

It's not just the great white North that hosts heli-skiing; there's quite a bit of it in the lower 48 as well. Southwestern Colorado, particularly in the San Juan Range around Silverton and Telluride, is home to some of the best heli-access terrain in the States. Known for its steep terrain and cold, dry snow, the area is serviced by Telluride Helitrax, Silverton Mountain, and Aspen Heliskiing (conveniently based out of Aspen).

4. Sun Valley, Idaho

Home to one of the oldest continuously operating heli-skiing operations in the world, Sun Valley isn’t just endless groomers and blue skies. Surrounded by some of the most remote mountains in the lower 48, Sun Valley’s best powder skiing is easily accessible via helicopter. There isn’t all that much in the way of steep terrain here, but a day of skiing with Sun Valley Heli Ski will get you thousands of vertical feet of perfect powder turns through perfectly spaced trees, wide open bowls, and beautiful remote drainages.

5. British Columbia

The cradle of North American heli-skiing, British Columbia, is where things all got started in the late 1960s by pilot Art Patterson and Austrian mountain guide Hans Gmoser, who founded CMH Heli-Skiing. Did you know the first flights from CMH only cost $20 a day?

Today, there are dozens of heli-skiing operations around British Columbia, from CMH’s 11 locations to legendary operations like Bella Coola Heli Sports or Stellar Heli in the coastal mountains. There’s everything from mellow powder skiing based out of luxury backcountry lodges with delicious chef-prepared meals to day trips into zones featuring testpiece steeps amongst BC’s biggest and baddest mountains.

6. Switzerland

Great heli-skiing isn’t just confined to North America, in fact the Swiss Alps are home to the terrain of your wildest dreams, all with the comfort of cozy little alpine villages and luxurious chalets at the base. Sure, the wilderness of Alaska is as awe-inspiring as it gets, but there’s something about shredding thousands of vertical feet of powder via helicopter and then sitting down for a nice glass of wine and sharing a traditional raclette with your friends.

Heli-skiing in Switzerland is, for lack of a better word, very civilized. Check out Air Zermatt, one of the oldest and most established heli ops on the planet that ferries skiers around the massive glaciated peaks of Switzerland’s famous Valais region.

7. Georgia

If venturing way off the beaten path is more your vibe, and you want to mix a real mountain adventure with a cultural experience, consider a trip to Georgia. No, not the state; we’re talking about the small nation in the Caucasus, on the border between Europe and Asia.

Home to some of the highest and least traveled peaks in the world and recently host to a Freeride World Tour stop, Georgia has also recently become a hub for adventurous heli-skiing catering to skiers looking for first descents. In fact, Svaneti Heliskiing, an operator based in northwest Georgia’s ruggedly beautiful Svaneti region guarantees you will be the first person to make turns on whichever run you fly to.

8. Chile

It’s no surprise that there’s excellent skiing in South America’s Andes, particularly for anyone who wants to chase winter year-round. However, the remote nature of most of this massive mountain range has made it quite difficult for heli-skiing operations to get established.

However, a few guide ops like Powder South have been venturing into these mountains for years, chasing powder turns all summer long. More recently, Colorado-based Eleven (who also runs heli-skiing trips to Iceland) has started flying out of the Rio Palena Lodge, mixing world-class fishing access with high-alpine heli-skiing.