How Much Does it Cost to Go Heli Skiing?
What does heli skiing cost?
A good rule of thumb is heli skiing cost is $1,500/day/person US ($2,000 Can.). But costs vary A LOT! The cost of heli skiing in Canada for a week, 6-7 days, ranges from $10K-$16K USD ($12K – $20K Can.) per person.  A Private week of heli skiing costs 2 to 3 times that number! Read details below. Is it worth it? Watch this video and tell me!
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Also see our blog post:Â Heliskiing vs. Resort Skiing, We Do the Math
What determines heliskiing cost? Â
How much does it cost to go heli skiing?
Heli Skiing Prices vary by:
- The time of year (early and late season the cost to go heli skiing is significantly less)
- The scale of the operation (large helicopters are less expensive, and boutique operations are more expensive)
- The number of days (some weeks are 6 days of skiing, some 7). Longer heliskiing trips cost less per day
- The number of groups per helicopter (fewer is better – less waiting, but more expensive). Some operators ski four groups per helicopter, some two. Private is one group per helicopter.
- The amenities and the travel options (some fly you in by helicopter; some include a hotel in Vancouver or Calgary). Most require an additional flight from Vancouver into British Columbia which can add $4 to $500 Can. to the trip cost.  Some fly from Calgary. Some airlines fly to Kelowna BC from the US, which can reduce the travel cost)
- Location: Heli Skiing Alaska often costs less, but there are reasons which we can explain. Â
Helicopter skiing cost is largely a function of the helicopter cost. Â
- Helicopter cost is a function of the flight time of the helicopter. Longer trips cost more (including fuel runs, first/last runs, changing ranges, etc)
- The amount of heliskiing is primarily measured in vertical feet or meters. Operators guarantee a minimum, below which one gets a credit or refund. Â
3 Helicopter Skiing Pricing ModelsÂ
- One pricing model includes a set amount of vertical feet, typically 100K feet per week; 70K for 5 days; 60K for 4, 45K for 3 days (roughly, but it’s important component of the cost). Over that, one pays $37 to $56 per thousand feet Canadian Dollars. ( $28 to $42 USD). Again, the difference in the additional vertical price can have a big impact on the cost of a heli skiing trip. Here are the average base price costs for 4, 5 and 7 day trips, organized by season – early, high, late. Note that extra vertical increases the final cost. Â
- Prices are Canadian Dollars
- Other operators charge a higher base price but include unlimited vertical – Heliski as much as you want!  This is great if you ski fast and works better when the days are longer – think March. Below is a graph of the average price of 4, 5 and 7 day unlimited vertical trips by season.
So Where is the Breakeven for Unlimited Vertical vs. Base Price Plus?
- That’s the 100,000 foot question.  Here is a comparison of the average price for unlimited vertical for 7-day trips in Peak Season (in black), compared to the price of base plus offerings: lowest (green), average (yellow) and highest (red). Â
- From the chart below you can see that the breakeven varies. For the lowest base + price operator, the breakeven is not reached until over 200K vertical! Below 200K, the low base price + is less expensive!  Which operator is that? Email us!
- However, for the highest base + price operator, the base price + is more expensive beyond 120K vertical is reached! And it can be a lot more! At 200K, the extra vertical charge is $5K, dwarfing even my bar tab! Which operator is that? We can tell you.
- For the average base price + offering, the breakeven occurs at 140K vertical. Beyond that unlimited is the less expensive option with most operators.
- Conclusion? Not all pricing models are equal. It pays to do the numbers. We are happy to do it for you.  Email us!
 