Heli skiing in Switzerland, and why not in France
Where the helicopter may legally set you down in the Alps, how good you really need to be, what you carry, and how a guided day is put together from a chalet in Verbier, Zermatt or St. Moritz.
Heli skiing means taking a helicopter, rather than a lift, to the top of an off-piste descent, then skiing down with a certified mountain guide. In the Alps it is legal in Switzerland, but only on a fixed list of designated mountain landing sites; in France it has been banned since 1985, and since 2022 the helicopter may neither drop off nor pick up skiers in French mountains. You need to be a strong, confident skier, comfortable in deep and variable snow, and to carry full avalanche kit.
That is the short answer. The rest of this guide is the practical one: the rules country by country, an honest test of whether you are ready, the safety kit and the guide’s role, what the day actually looks like, and which of our resorts suit it. Verbier is the most natural base, with two permitted summits above the 4 Vallées ski area; Zermatt and St. Moritz follow; Courchevel guests can take part too, but only by crossing a border.
One principle runs through everything below: the guide decides. The helicopter is only a taxi to the start. Snow, visibility and the avalanche bulletin decide whether you fly at all, so heli-skiing belongs in a ski week as a flexible option, never as a fixed appointment.
Heli-skiing rules in the Alps, sourced
Checked against official sources, so you can plan with confidence.
In France, the ban on leisure drop-offs by motorised aircraft in mountain areas dates back to the Loi Montagne of 9 January 1985 and sits in article L. 363-1 of the Environment Code, revised by the Climate and Resilience law of 2021 and the 3DS law of 21 February 2022.
Source: Banque des Territoires (Caisse des Dépôts)The 3DS law of 21 February 2022 confirmed an absolute ban on helicopter-borne leisure and sport in French mountains, covering both setting passengers down and taking them on board, and prohibits advertising such activities.
Source: Fédération Française de la Randonnée PédestreSwitzerland has 42 mountain landing sites. In 2018 the Federal Administrative Court found serious legal flaws in how they were set in 2014, so 20 sites in protected areas had to be reconsidered.
Source: CIPRA (International Commission for the Protection of the Alps)Elsewhere in the Alps, Germany and Austria ban heli-tourism, with an exception in the Arlberg, while Italy takes a regulatory approach similar to Switzerland’s.
Source: CIPRAAround Verbier, heli-skiing is permitted on Rosablanche and Petit Combin. The tourist office strongly recommends carrying safety equipment and knowing how to use it, and hiring a mountain guide.
Source: verbier.ch (tourist office)The Swiss avalanche bulletin is produced by the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, published in the evening and updated in the morning.
Source: slf.ch (WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research)Heli skiing in the Alps: where it is legal
The Alps are one mountain range with five rulebooks. If you are planning a trip around heli-skiing, the border matters more than the resort’s reputation, because a world-famous French resort is simply the wrong side of the line.
| Country | Status | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | Allowed on designated mountain landing sites only | Your guide chooses among the permitted summits near your resort; landing anywhere else is not an option. |
| France | Banned since 1985, tightened in 2022 | No drop-off and no pick-up by helicopter for leisure in French mountains, so the whole descent happens abroad. |
| Italy | Permitted, with rules CIPRA compares to Switzerland’s | The usual answer for skiers based in the French Alps, reached by road. |
| Austria | Banned, with an exception in the Arlberg | Very limited, and not relevant to our resorts. |
| Germany | Banned | Not an option. |
Status as reported by the sources listed above. Rules can change, which is one more reason the guide confirms each landing site before you book.
Why you cannot heli-ski from Courchevel
The French ban has a long history. The Loi Montagne of 1985 prohibited leisure drop-offs by helicopter in mountain areas, to protect quiet and wildlife. Over the years, operators found ways round it: setting skiers down on a summit just across the border, then collecting them at the bottom of the descent on the French side. The 3DS law of February 2022 closed that loophole by banning taking passengers on board as well as setting them down.
In practice, a Courchevel guest who wants a heli-ski day travels to it. The Courchevel tourist office’s own website lists an outing in Italy, and Swiss options are possible on a longer journey. Our concierge organises the road transfer, the guide and the timing so that the day starts early enough to make the most of the weather window. For the skiing at home in the Three Valleys, our guide to skiing in Courchevel covers the off-piste you can reach by lift.
There is one honest trade-off: a cross-border heli-ski day takes more of the day in transfers than one that starts from a Swiss chalet. If heli-skiing is central to your trip, a Swiss resort is the simpler base.
What level you need for heli-skiing
Heli-skiing is not reserved for professionals, but it is not a step up from blue runs either. Guides choose the descent for the group, yet ungroomed snow is harder than any piste, and there is no lift to bail out on. Use the table below as an honest self-check before you ask us to arrange a day.
| Check | Ready | Not yet |
|---|---|---|
| On piste | You ski black runs with controlled, linked turns | You still pick your way down steep reds |
| Off-piste | You have skied powder and crust, ideally with a guide | You have never left the groomed runs |
| Fitness | You can ski several long descents back to back | Your legs go after two hours on the slopes |
| Avalanche kit | You know what a transceiver, shovel and probe are for | You have never worn a transceiver |
| Snowboard | You ride powder and can handle flat sections | You only ride groomed runs |
If most answers fall in the right-hand column, start with a day or two of guided off-piste from the lifts. Your guide will tell you when the helicopter makes sense.
Safety kit and the mountain guide’s role
Every heli-skier carries the same three items: an avalanche transceiver switched to transmit, a shovel and a probe. Many guides also ask for an avalanche airbag pack. If you do not own the kit, it can be hired in the resort; the point is not owning it but knowing how to use it, so your guide runs a transceiver check and a short search drill before the first flight.
The guide is the most important choice of the day. Look for a guide holding the international mountain guide certification (IFMGA, also known as UIAGM), which the federation describes as the highest guide certification. Guides read the avalanche bulletin, which the Swiss institute publishes in the evening and updates in the morning, and they make the call to fly, wait or cancel. Their decision is final, and a good guide cancels more often than clients would like.
- Around the helicopter: approach only when the pilot or guide signals, from the front and in the pilot’s sight, crouching, with nothing held above your head.
- Skis and poles: the guide loads and unloads them; you stay low beside the pile at the landing spot until the helicopter has left.
- On the descent: ski one at a time where the guide asks, stop where you are told, and never ski below the guide.
- Clothing: helmet, goggles, a warm layer in the pack, sun cream; landing sites are high and exposed.
Heli skiing from Verbier, Zermatt and St. Moritz
Heli-skiing is arranged on request with our concierge, who works with local certified guides. What changes from one resort to the next is the terrain on the doorstep and how the chalet’s own team supports the day.
| Resort | The terrain | How we arrange it |
|---|---|---|
| Verbier | Heli-skiing permitted on Rosablanche and Petit Combin, above the 4 Vallées | Arranged on request at Chalet Orizon and Chalet Auron, both in Verbier; the chalet chauffeur takes you to the meeting point. |
| Zermatt | High-mountain terrain around the Matterhorn | Heli-skiing experiences and private mountain guides can be organised at Chalet Zeyr, Zermatt. |
| St. Moritz | The Engadin, with guides who know the valley’s options | Our concierge asks local guides which landing sites they can use during your dates and builds the day around them. |
| Courchevel | None in France | A guided outing across the border, with the transfer organised by our concierge. |
How a guided day is put together
- Tell us when you book
Mention heli-skiing to Nathalie Nguyen or Adam Haddad with your dates, the size of the group and each person’s level. Guides are in demand in high season, so early notice helps.
- We match a guide to the group
The concierge books a certified mountain guide who knows the local landing sites, and shares your levels so the guide can plan suitable descents.
- Warm up off-piste first
Most guides like to ski with you from the lifts on the first day or two. It tells them what you can handle and lets you test your kit. Our chalets in Verbier are well placed for this, with pistes and lifts a few minutes away.
- Keep two or three possible days
Flights depend on visibility, wind and the avalanche bulletin. The guide picks the day the evening before or that morning; the others stay ordinary ski days.
- Kit check and briefing
On the day, the guide checks transceivers, shovels and probes, runs a short search drill and briefs you on moving around the helicopter.
- Fly, ski, repeat or return
The helicopter sets the group down at the landing site, you ski the descent with the guide, and the day ends with a pick-up or a run back towards the resort, depending on the plan.
Chalets where heli-skiing can be arranged
Three of our Swiss chalets list heli-skiing among the services arranged on request.
Verbier and Zermatt side by side
Space, bedrooms and wellness, for the evening after a big day off-piste.
| Residence | Guests | Bedrooms | Bathrooms | Living area | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chalet OrizonVerbier | 16 | 8 | 9 | 1,000 m² | Indoor Pool, Cinema Room, Hammam, Sauna, Massage Room |
| Chalet AuronVerbier | 14 | 7 | 8 | 1,150 m² | Indoor Pool, Wine Cellar, Hammam, Sauna, Massage Room |
| Chalet ZeyrZermatt | 12 | 6 | 7 | 565 m² | Sauna, Massage Room, Jacuzzi, Gym, Elevator |
Rates are on request and depend on dates and services. Your advisor confirms availability and the final details of every residence.
Heli-skiing without the logistics
The flight is the easy part; the planning around it is where we help.
Guides, not just flights
We start with a certified local guide who knows the landing sites, then let the guide plan the flying.
Flexible by design
We keep the day movable across your week, so a bad forecast costs you nothing but a change of plan.
The chalet team in support
Early breakfast, the chauffeur to the meeting point, the ski room for kit and a spa waiting for your return.
Honest advice on level
If the group is not ready, we say so and suggest guided off-piste from the lifts instead.
Heli skiing questions
Anything else? Our team in Paris answers personally, usually within the day.
Ask our teamWhat is heli skiing?
Heli-skiing is off-piste skiing where a helicopter, instead of a lift, takes a small group and its mountain guide to the top of an ungroomed descent. In Switzerland the helicopter may only land on designated mountain landing sites. You then ski down with the guide, either to a pick-up point or towards the resort. It suits strong skiers who already enjoy powder and want terrain no lift reaches.
Is heli-skiing legal in France?
No. Leisure drop-offs by helicopter in French mountains have been banned since the Loi Montagne of 1985, under article L. 363-1 of the Environment Code. The 3DS law of February 2022 extended the ban to picking passengers up, which closed the loophole of landing abroad and collecting skiers in France. Guests staying in Courchevel therefore heli-ski in Italy or Switzerland.
Can beginners go heli-skiing?
Not true beginners. You do not need to be an expert, but you should ski black runs with control, have some experience of off-piste snow and be fit enough for several long descents. If you are not there yet, a few days of guided off-piste from the lifts is the right first step, and your guide will tell you when you are ready for the helicopter.
Is heli skiing dangerous?
It carries the risks of any off-piste skiing, above all avalanches, plus those of flying in the mountains. Those risks are managed, not removed: a certified mountain guide, a reading of the avalanche bulletin, full avalanche kit for everyone, a search drill before the first flight and strict rules around the helicopter. The guide may cancel on the day, and that decision is final.
Where can you heli-ski in Switzerland?
Only on the country’s designated mountain landing sites, which CIPRA counted at 42 in 2018. Around Verbier, the tourist office lists Rosablanche and Petit Combin. From our chalets, heli-skiing can be arranged on request in Verbier and Zermatt, and our concierge checks with local guides what is possible from St. Moritz during your dates.
Can snowboarders go heli boarding in Switzerland?
Yes, the same landing sites and rules apply, and guides regularly take snowboarders. Tell us in advance so the guide can avoid descents with long flat run-outs, which are tiring on a board. Riders need the same avalanche kit as skiers and should already be comfortable in powder.
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Plan heli-skiing with us
Tell Nathalie Nguyen or Adam Haddad your dates, your resort and each skier’s level: they will suggest the right chalet, including residences not published online, and have our concierge line up a certified guide and a flexible day. Prices on request. WhatsApp +33 7 80 98 05 43 or contact@lutetia-group.com; we usually reply within the day.