How Much Does It Cost to Go Heli Skiing?
There’s no doubt about it - heli skiing is an experience unlike any other. As you might expect, the price tag for such an adventure can be significant. The logistics of helicopter transportation in a remote alpine environment, coupled with professional guide service, contribute to the high prices.
The cost to go heli skiing can vary immensely. Every operator offers its own unique packages, with each including different amenities. Fortunately, nearly every skier can find a package option that fits within their budget if they’re motivated enough. We'll break down and break out all the important considerations, so you'll know everything about heli skiing costs, measuring flight time ("hobbs" hours), vertical guarantees, operator charges for additional vertical and and refunds due, when the helicopter can't fly.
Factors That Influence The Cost to Go Heli Skiing
From bare-bones heli skiing hot laps to all-inclusive resort-style vacations, there’s an option for every style of skier. Whether you’re a penny-pinching ski bum looking for the thrill of a lifetime, or you’re an affluent powder chaser seeking a luxurious getaway into the depths of the mountains, there’s a heli skiing trip out there with your name on it!
Every trip is different, each with its own set of included expectations. While there is no standard cost to go heli skiing, there are some typical factors that will determine the price. These include:
- Heli Skiing Package Size
- Number of People in the Helicopter Group
- All-Inclusive Accommodations
Package Size
Heli skiing packages come in all shapes and sizes and are the single biggest factor when determining the cost to go heli skiing. This is where you can really focus on your desired budget level. When referring to package size, we’re typically talking about the number of days you’ll be able to use the helicopter to get out in the backcountry.
Packages start as small as one single run and can go as long as a week-long, private trip. It’s important to keep in mind that not all package sizes are available in all heli skiing locations. You’ll want to check out all of the operator pages in the area to figure out if they’ve got your desired package.
Single-Day Heli Skiing
Single-day heli skiing trips are the most affordable for obvious reasons. Normally, these trips entail 4-6 runs, with the opportunity to purchase more at an additional cost. Single-day trips can be broken down into half or full-day outings, so it’s really up to you how long you’d like to be up in the chopper. In select locations, you can purchase single runs on an individual basis, but this is not the norm. Silverton Mountain Colorado is an excellent location for this.
The average cost to go heli skiing on a single-day trip is:
- Single Runs: ~$180-200
- Half-Day (2-3 Runs): ~$500-1,000
- Full-Day (4-6 Runs, Lunch Included): ~$1,100-1,800
Multi-Day Heli Skiing
If you’ve got a little extra cash to spare but are still looking for the ability to completely customize your trip to a budget, multi-day heli skiing is what you’re after. The advantage of multi-day trips is that the daily cost to go heli skiing decreases with each successive day you purchase. This is a great way to maximize the value of your trip. Trips can range from two to seven days, with some operators offering even longer durations.
Most multi-day trips include accommodations at the operator’s lodge. Here are the prices you can expect:
- 2-7 Day Pricing (Accommodations Included): ~$3,500 - $16,000+
Group Size
When selecting a heli skiing trip, you’ll normally have the option to pick your group size. This all comes down to personal preference and how many people you’ll feel comfortable sharing the helicopter with. Keep in mind that the larger the group size, the more you’ll have to tolerate other skiing abilities. If you’re a fast, hard charger, you’re likely going to have to wait for everyone to finish their run before you can get another in.
Some operators pride themselves on keeping their group sizes small, prioritizing a low skier-to-guide ratio. Others fit as many people as they can into the helicopter. As you can expect, the smaller the group size the more money you will pay.
Large Groups
The cost to go heli skiing is the cheapest with a large group of people. With these heli skiing packages, you can expect to be skiing with anywhere from 10-12 other individuals. Normally there are 2 guides assigned to the overall group to promote safety. To maximize fuel, all skiers will be transported in the same cargo-sized helicopter. A Bell 205 is typically used, offering a streamlined experience to the mountains for all participants.
Small Groups
Small, semi-private groups are a healthy middle ground between a massive 10-person outing and a completely private journey. Smaller operators stick with these group sizes as they’re easier for the guides to manage, and they offer a more intimate experience for the skiers. With a small group, you can expect around 4 other skiers. You’ll all be sharing one of the most commonly used helicopters for heli skiing - an A-Star.
Private Heli Skiing
Private groups drastically increase the cost to go heli skiing. In this situation, you can completely book the helicopter to accommodate you and your friends alone. You’ll receive a completely tailored experience with a guide that’s dedicated to the skiing goals of the group.
Typically, private heli skiing will be two to three times the cost of a standard package.
Accommodations
As mentioned, the cost to go heli skiing with a multi-day package includes accommodations to promote a vacation-like experience. This can be incredibly convenient, as you won’t have to organize hotel room reservations or be responsible for your own food. Lodging quality varies widely, with some operators providing a rustic, cabin-like experience, and others providing high-end spa treatments and luxury. Food and drink are always included, and most lodges have an in-house culinary team to serve up delectable fuel for the group. Most heli skiing lodging comes in three varieties:
- Group Lodging: The standard option you’ll find with most multi-day packages, group lodging features hotel-style rooms that you share with the party you came with. If you came alone, private rooms are available. With group lodging, you’ll have privacy in your room, but dining and recreation areas are commonly shared amongst all skiers on the trip.
- Private Lodge Reservations: Small lodges allow you to book the entire facility for your private group. This can be incredibly expensive and approach $100,000+ for a week-long heli skiing trip.
- Private Yacht Heli Skiing: As high-end as it gets, private yacht skiing features lodging on the open sea with direct access to an onboard helicopter. You’ll be able to wake up, eat breakfast, and hop in the chopper straight from the boat. The cost to go heli skiing with a private yacht reservation typically ranges from $250,000-$1,500,000+ for a week-long trip.
Facts About Hobbs Hours, Vertical Guarantees & Refunds
"Hobbs" hours is a term used in helicopter operations to measure the amount of time an aircraft's engine has been running. It's named after the Hobbs meter, a device used to record this time. Hobbs hours are a straightforward way to track the cumulative operating time of an aircraft's engine, and therefore how much heli-skiing your getting.
Many heli skiing packages are sold as an amount of "guaranteed flight time," or hobbs hours. It’s a more “pure” form of pricing heli skiing packages. Why? Because with a typical “Vertical Guarantee” from an operator, there is sometimes a noticeable incentive to slightly push quantity over quality. Yep...it's a business.
I have certainly felt this out in the backcountry. During a long less challenging run, you have the feeling that you’re kind of “burning up vertical,” without the feeling of making big, quality lines. A conversation with a guide who works with both Selkirk Tangiers and Arctic Heliskiing articulated this fact of the business model. He said, “With a Vertical Guarantee, that incentive to push longer runs and laps in the heli...well, that’s part of the equation for sure.”
With Hobbs hours, your paying for engine running time. So it’s your guide’s job to satisfy his clients by making that running time the most efficient. Stringing together quality runs close in geography is the goal. You would get frustrated pretty quickly if your guide was simply instructing the pilot to fly all over the tenure, looking for a viable descent. And there is very little incentive for that to occur. The cost over days of flying is the same, so why not get in as many quality runs as possible. It's not realistic to consider that a guide would just burn engine hours searching and not skiing, making you wanting more, so you would buy more engine hours to ski more.
Operators typically have a range of guaranteed vertical meters or feet. The low end is typically a target, where if it is unmet, a refund is due. And at the high end, say 10%-15% more vertical, is a target at which point above that, you get charged for additional skiing. This promise is to reverse some of the risk of no fly days, so the heli-skier doesn’t end up paying a large sum and not skiing. “Down days” or “No fly days” are a reality of the business.
If you spend enough time searching, you'll discover the vertical guarantee promises and the contrasting refund policies vary considerably throughout the industry.
It's something to consider, but don't get too wrapped up in it. If you're really concerned about the cost and getting ROI on your investment, you may want to consider cat-skiing instead. Or you can pick an operator like Ruby Mountain Heliski that has cat-skiing as a backup.
All operators who have vertical guarantee packages offer refunds for vertical packages that are unmet. However, the refund is never a “dollar-for-dollar” distribution of the percentage of the package paid, but guaranteed vertical unmet. They have overhead to cover, so a portion of the risk of down days and packages unmet is retained by the skiers. Heli skiing is a cruel business sometimes!
This refund policy can vary greatly from one operator to another. The operator's business models are not all equal. I have been very fortunate in my heli skiing trips so far, and have been relatively unconcerned about the refund policy. But if you plan enough trips, you will experience some no fly days. So given enough repeated efforts as a heli-skier, you'll be faced with this at some point.
OH...And if you are in a remote location with little to do…it can be maddening. On my first trip I was grouped with a very experienced heli-skier from the U.K. named Vince who explained this to me. I was unconcerned at the time...until It happened once to me. We only skied one day out of five, and Air Canada misplaced nearly ALL of the skiers luggage for most of the trip! SHOCKER...we drank too much. 🙂
An Unlimited Vertical Guarantee package, as the name suggests, provides the hard-core heli-skiers with unlimited skiing within a specified timeframe, typically several days or a week. This means you can ski as much as you want during that time without incurring extra charges based on vertical meters or feet.
You will typically pay a premium price for the Unlimited Vertical Guarantee package, which not surprisingly has a higher cost than a standard Vertical Guarantee package that has the same duration. However, this premium includes the freedom to ski without worrying about exceeding a vertical limit and then paying more for additional vertical.
This package can be ideal for skiers who often know each other and want maximum flexibility. This type of group usually intends to charge-hard, taking full advantage of their time in the backcountry!
Extra Vertical is the “cheapest heli skiing” you’ll ever get! This is typically the case with all operators. It's difficult to imagine that the helicopter flight time is not a dominant expense in the P&L of running a heli skiing operation. But given that they all want to fulfill your Vertical Guarantee and sell you more runs, it would seem that's the case. There is more juice left for the operator if they have time and sell you more skiing! I've seen it in the U.S and B.C. with multiple operators on multiple occasions!
Here’s good example from Ruby Mountain Heliski:
When I skied with them, they guaranteed “15-18 runs in 3 days.” The runs are bout 1500-2000 vertical feet, but that’s not the equation we’re measuring. Their price was about $6000 for three days, Do the simple math: $6000 / 18 = $333 / run - on the high end, for sure. Yet, ruby offers additional runs for $400 / heli lift. Split four ways, that's $100 / run! – CHEAP! Half the group I was with left for the airport and doubled my cost to $200 / run, and I made tow more. They were the best two runs of my trip! Thanks Mike Royer!
The Cost of Heli Skiing is Worth It...GO!
When looking at this kind of trip, often the first question is, “How much does it cost to go heli skiing this time?” As you can see, there is a massive price range that’s influenced by numerous factors. The advantage of this is that heli skiing can truly be accessible to everyone.
Whether you’re looking to spend $180 on a single run in Colorado, or want a million-dollar Yacht destination experience off the coast of British Columbia, there’s an experience out there for you.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Etiam urna nibh, imperdiet at commodo quis, dapibus et ex. Duis erat mauris, efficitur a nulla sit amet, tristique varius tortor. Nam condimentum luctus est sed lacinia. Nulla ullamcorper enim sed enim convallis hendrerit. Donec scelerisque, ex sit amet accumsan ornare, dolor lacus sagittis mauris, vitae ultricies enim lorem consequat ipsum.
Reviews & Comments
Please share a comment or review, if you have skied here! This REALLY helps the heliskiing community! Thank You!
BRADY
5/9/23
Brady is an avid skiing & backcountry enthusiast, aging "big wave" surfer and is totally addicted to heliskiing!
VIEW BIO
