Heli Skiing Europe

Heli-skiing is definitely nirvana for skiers & snowboarders & in Europe it is no exception. Whether it be in parts of the Alps, Pyrenees, above the Arctic Circle, Albania, Iceland, Georgia or Türkiye, heliskiing can absolutely be the best high a powder hound can experience! Become intoxicated by the spectacular vistas as you ride up in the helicopter and then revel in the complete euphoria of riding down virgin powder.

But with intoxication comes a price! Heli skiing costs significantly more than a lift ticket at one of the Europe’s ski resorts or cat skiing in its more remote environs; so forget about saving for your retirement. With heliskiing you get so much more pow for your pound or euro or kroner or dollar, but you will certainly spend quite a few of them! If the cost is too daunting, the noise too much, or the environmental impact is deemed too great for you, try cat skiing or better still, get some skins and use your own power to truly discover the best snow in the mountains.

Where to Heli-Ski in Europe

Despite the massive profile of skiing in Europe there are relatively few heliski operators, so the perennial question of 'where can I go heliskiing in Europe' is a reasonable one. Europe's high population density & strong local traditions (particularly in the Alps & Pyrenees), have led to a highly regulated industry, limiting expansion (fair enough too!). In the Alps, heli skiing is effectively banned in France & Germany, severely limited in Austria & becoming more restricted in Switzerland. In Italy, heliskiing is widespread, but particularly based around the high peaks of the Aosta Valley

Unlike heli-skiing in other parts of the world, the western Europe heli skiing operators cannot just land anywhere within their tenure (there are exceptions!!). Heavy regulation has led to designated landing sites which provide a finite number of lines, contributing to the exclusivity of European Alps heliskiing, but also effectively limiting the amount of freshies one can get. However, the further one travels east (out of the Alps) and north to the Arctic Circle, the wider the terrain and lesser the imitations. The pinnacles of Europe heliskiing are in Iceland, the Kaçkar mountain range in eastern Turkey, Greenland, Sweden and Georgia. Heliskiing in Spain is thought to be similar to the freedom one might find in Canada, so is possibly a 'go to' location. Iceland, Sweden & Greenland are late season nirvanas for powder seekers providing skiing from summit to sea from late February to May or even June. New opportunities are always arising, with a new heliskiing operation more recently starting in the wild mountains of Albania in the Balkans. High adventure indeed! There are also at least a couple of heliski operations in Romania and other locations in eastern Europe.

Iceland

Relatively unknown until the last decade, the Troll Peninsula in Iceland has now reached near mythical proportions for its late winter & spring powder skiing. At least three heli-skiing operations fly the expansive terrain on the peninsula, providing a plethora of options for visitors. There are several long established & highly credentialed operators, run by local Icelandic teams. A journey to Iceland combining the dramatic landscapes, volcanic features, thermal pools, local traditions, ski touring & heliskiing is an unforgettable holiday experience.

See all the Heliski Packages in Iceland on Powderhounds ->

Greenland

It may be remote & logistically difficult, but Greenland represents one of the world’s last frontiers in heliskiing. Endless peaks provide endless fresh lines plus opportunities for endless first descents. Greenland’s extreme northerly location make it a perfect spring skiing destination with the high mountains & glaciers close to the coast providing a multitude of possibilities from mid-March to June. Greenland heliskiing is a fascinating experience, but one that does come with a requisite price premium!

See all the Heliski Packages in Greenland on Powderhounds ->

Sweden

The Swedes have heliskiing down to a fine art AND offer some of the best value in Europe. Way up north past the Arctic Circle amongst the highest peaks in Sweden, heliski operation is totally unfettered. There are heliski operators based out of the legendary ski resort of Riksgränsen & near the 'Northern Lights' hotspot of Abisko, as well as an awesome one on the eastern side of Kebnekaise in the Sami village of Nikkaluokta. Due to its extreme northerly location, operation is usually from March to late May.

See all the Heliski Packages in Sweden on Powderhounds ->

Albania

One of the newest heliski locations in the world, the high peaks of northern Albania have some of the highest winter precipitations in Europe. Remote & wild in winter, an adventurous operation out of the small village of Vallbone for a short but sweet season.

See all the Heliski Packages in Albania on Powderhounds ->

Georgia

The Svaneti region of northwest Georgia has incredible mountains that are perfect for heliskiing. Operating out of Mestia, single drops on nearby glaciers, full days are further afield, or weeklong all-inclusive packages are available.

See all the Heliski Packages in Georgia on Powderhounds ->

Italy

Italy is the stronghold of heli-skiing across the Alps. Italy has Europe's best variety, best value & highest number of heliskiing operators & locations. Heli skiing operators work out of ski resorts and remote valleys from Sestriere in the Val de Susa, the Aosta valley, up & around all the way east to Livigno and then beyond to the Dolomites.

In the Dolomites, helicopters are mostly used as transport for wealthy clients or as transfers for guided tour guests between ski resorts. Going from a ski area to the top of Marmolada is typical of this approach and an impressive way to skip the line at the cable cars in the morning. The options to undertake true heliskiing in the Dolomites have seriously diminished in the last few decades.

At Sestriere the helicopter picks you up right in the middle of the resort and whisks one away from the great unwashed into the mountains.

Further north, the Aosta Valley (Valle d’Aosta) has the greatest concentration of heliski operators in Europe. Heliskiing is possible from La Thuile, Valgrisenche, Courmayeur, Cervinia and Monterosa.

Elsewhere to the east, the remote valley of Formazza has serious backcountry heli-skiing for the adventurous.

Further afield, heliskiing out of Livigno ski resort is very popular & reasonable value.

Spain

In the Spanish Pyrenees, one heliski outfit operates in the Val d'Aran out of Vielha near the large ski resort of Baqueira Beret. It utilises terrain up to 3,000m elevation for a skiable vertical on any one run of up to 1,500m. As far as we can tell it is the only heli-ski operation in Spain.

Switzerland

The 'fun police' haven’t prohibited heli skiing in Switzerland (yet, but it possibly coming!) and this country has the second most helicopter skiing opportunities in the Alps behind Italy. because it is Switzerland the rates are the highest in Europe.

Swiss heliskiing companies operate out of Zermatt, Verbier, Crans Montana & smaller locations like Arolla. They offer the “traditional Europe-style heli skiing” with single drops. You usually have to get a taxi back to the heli pad if you want to do multiple runs. They also provide multi-day heliski safaris where you ski to different villages and your luggage is transported each day to the hotel you’re staying in. Sounds cool!

SwissSKIsafari offer a range of superb multi-day heli skiing trips as well as customized heli skiing packages. Due to the proximity to Italy and France, some of the itineraries travel across the three countries, whilst others focus on just Italy or France. Some trips combine heli skiing with lift accessed backcountry riding, staying in different hotels and backcountry mountain huts.

There is a limited amount of heli-skiing in the Engadin region, with some single drop options available out of St Moritz ski resort.

Türkiye

The Kaçkar mountain range in eastern Türkiye has a few heliski options in the high mountains that get deep snow from moisture off the black Sea to the north. Combine a trip with a few days in Istanbul & Cappadocia to round it out.

Heliskiing in Other European Locations

Austria

The world’s powerhouse when it comes to the best ski resorts on the planet, in the realm of heli-skiing, Austria is limited to only a couple of landing sites. Heliskiing is available in the Arlberg region (near Zurs and Lech) where single heli rides (with a guide) can be purchased to ski from the drop zones on Schneetäli and neighbouring Mehlsack peaks, but it is probably better to save your coin & go skinning up the endless peaks to find your own private powder stash!

France

Heli skiing in France is banned but a few loopholes exist, so you can still enjoy the joys of heli skiing when staying at French ski resorts such as Tignes, Val d'Isère & Courchevel. It is legal to use helicopter lifts out of France and to heliski down French peaks and glaciers as long as they don’t land the helicopter in the French mountains. For example, heli skiing is available out of Chamonix with heli drops over the border in Italy & Switzerland.

Characteristics of European Heli Skiing

Heliskiing in Europe, particularly in the Alps & Pyrenees, can differ somewhat from the traditional convention of heli skiing in Canada. Rather than being destination heli-skiing with a week-long trip where you stay in a remote backcountry lodge, most western Europe heliskiing is based at a ski resort or local village. This provides the huge advantage of being able to combine heli skiing with resort skiing. You can stay with your family or friends and also enjoy the famous European après ski, nightlife and excitement of an alpine village.

The traditional European Alps style heliskiing consists of just a single heli drop or perhaps two to three heli drops in one day. Multi-day heli trips are available in Europe, but they are not the norm & aside from the heliski stronghold of Italy, tend to be in far off locations like Iceland, & and above the Arctic Circle in Sweden. The accommodation is mostly in hotels, but some utilise mountain lodges in the more remote parts of Europe. Some provide heli safaris where you stay in a different hotel each night and your luggage is transported via road. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule and one can do anything for the right price!

The Alps heliski terrain is largely up in the treeless alpine zone, often utilising glaciers. Several operators do include tree skiing opportunities. Heliskiing in the Arctic nations can include runs all the way to the seashore.

In the Alps, the heli-ski runs are generally longer than heli skiing elsewhere, but the downside of this is that the snow conditions can vary significantly along the vertical of the run. Skiable vertical of over 2,000m is possible. The snow quality in the Alps is generally not as good as what you may find with North American heli-skiing locations but everywhere is good on its day - you’ve got to be in it to win it and pay the requisite €€€!

Why Go Heliskiing in Europe

Europe provides diverse & magical cultural experiences. Combine this with the age-old tradition and majesty of skiing in the Alps, and the festivity of many of the European alpine towns and villages. Far away from the groomed perfection of the Europe ski resorts and the elbowing that occurs in the lift lines, heli skiing provides the MOST amazing skiing or snowboarding experience, but there are questions over its cost & environmental friendliness. Increasingly, as new operators start up in more distant lands, heli-skiing in Europe is also providing ski travel adventures to places previously seldom visited in winter. You don’t have to 'pant' for your powder, the views are stupendous and heli skiing provides line after line of pristine virgin snow…………. most of the time!

More Info

If you have a question about heliskiing & heliboarding in Europe, CONTACT US.

And this is worth repeating ...... With heliskiing you get so much more pow for your pound or euro or kroner or dollar, but you will certainly spend quite a few of them! If the cost is too daunting, the noise too much, or the environmental impact is deemed too great for you, try cat skiing or better still, get some skins and use your own power to truly discover the best snow in the mountains.