Heli-Skiing/Heli-Boarding

[rotormandan]

Is there anyone out there that is working for a heli-skiing/heli-boarding company? I've been trying to find out what it takes to become a pilot for one of those companies. I'm a 700 hour cfii who loves to snowboard as well. I'm trying to get an idea on what to expect, how long it'll take to be employable in that field, and if there are any jobs i should pursue 1st as a path the the heli ski/board industry. Also about how much approximatly do those pilots make and what kind of hours do they fly per month? Any other info. would be great. Thanks in advance.

[NorCalHeliKid]

Is there anyone out there that is working for a heli-skiing/heli-boarding company? I've been trying to find out what it takes to become a pilot for one of those companies. I'm a 700 hour cfii who loves to snowboard as well. I'm trying to get an idea on what to expect, how long it'll take to be employable in that field, and if there are any jobs i should pursue 1st as a path the the heli ski/board industry. Also about how much approximatly do those pilots make and what kind of hours do they fly per month? Any other info. would be great. Thanks in advance.

 

I looked into this a while back...Most heli-skiing business is part time (seasonal) in the US. The companies who do it are usually not exclusively a Heli-Skiing company, they are usually from what I know Utility/Pipeline patrol and Communications ships(remote cell phone towers) that do heli-skiing part time. If you go to Whistler/Blackcomb and some places in the Swiss Alps you will find dedicated ships for heli-skiing but not many of them. What it takes, alot of AS350 time usually.

[brightforest]

Is there anyone out there that is working for a heli-skiing/heli-boarding company? I've been trying to find out what it takes to become a pilot for one of those companies. I'm a 700 hour cfii who loves to snowboard as well. I'm trying to get an idea on what to expect, how long it'll take to be employable in that field, and if there are any jobs i should pursue 1st as a path the the heli ski/board industry. Also about how much approximatly do those pilots make and what kind of hours do they fly per month? Any other info. would be great. Thanks in advance.

 

As far as I know in the U.S, some utility company like Classic Helicopters-UT, Era-AK, Evergreen-AK, Helicopter Express etc has Heli-ski ops in the winter. They all do fires in the summer season. I guess better to go to fire/utility route. Most of heli-ski flights are same route, same LZ, hot loading/unloading, short distance flight over and over. Landing on fresh power is quit a fun though but scary too if you are not careful.

 

Good luck

[rotormandan]

Thanks. That helps alot.

[polar bear]

Heliskiing in Alaska:

Do to the location and maritime influence, lots of sitting around and waiting for the weather to clear (like today). Sometimes, blades don’t turn for a whole week. Timberline is fairly low and not much references above 2000ft and therefore flat light is always a concern.

Once you get a blue bird day you are going to be busy. As already posted you do a lot of up and downs as fast and efficient as possible. Most likely we end up with 4 or 5 groups per ship and that keeps you going all day. It’s very common you do a 100+ landings a day and 1 engine start. Everybody wants fresh lines and good powder and therefore you don’t stay in one area too long. You keep moving around and constantly land where you haven’t been before. It can be very challenging but its fun.

Operators look for mountain time, deep snow, AS350,… It’s not exactly an entry level job. Your best bet would be to get on with one of the AK outfits and go from there.