Come enjoy the spectacular Idaho backcountry with Sun Valley Heli Ski. Located in historic Sun Valley, SVHS has exclusive helicopter access to an amazing playground of 750,000 square acres, which is by far the largest heli terrain in the lower 48 states. Their intimate state-of-the-art A Star B3E helicopter will be your chariot as you ascend over the majestic mountain peaks of the Smoky, Boulder, Pioneer and Soldier Mountains in the Idaho backcountry. SVHS’s legendary terrain offers runs for intermediate and expert skiers and riders.
You will feel your heart pumping as the helicopter lifts off and you begin your journey. You will find yourself glued to the windows as you gently gain altitude and go eye-to-eye with the mountains as you rise with them. At cruising altitude, you will be awed by the majesty and immenseness of the Idaho mountains. The helicopter will then begin its final descent (“the short and final,” as the pilot calls it). Then, it will typically circle around once or twice and eventually descend on the top of the world. The excitement, views and camaraderie are second to none. Now, the best part: You are about to go ski the spectacular Idaho backcountry for the rest of the day!
Sun Valley Heli is the oldest heli ski operator in the United States. It offers full and half-day heli-skiing and riding as well as private charters. It also offers helicopter-assisted ski touring, where guests get a single flight in the morning and then enjoy guided backcountry skiing and riding for the rest of the day. For the non-heli-skier, Sun Valley also offers scenic morning helicopter rides to the top of Bald Mountain, Sun Valley’s famous ski resort.
Sun Valley Heli’s runs range from 1,500 to 3,000 feet. Their guests fly in an A-Star B3E, the unquestioned king of helicopters for helicopter skiing. Groups are small with an intimate guest-to-guide ratio of 4:1. All heli skiers and riders are provided state-of-the-art Mammut air-packs and avalanche transceivers.
The day starts in Sun Valley Heli Ski’s headquarters at the historic Sun Valley Gun Club. The Gun Club’s walls are adorned with pictures of Ernest Hemingway and other historical figures next to awesome powder shots and maps of where your journey will take you. Guests will be given a safety briefing from SVHS’s staff and then jump into the roaring helicopter!
Once in the field, SVHS’s guests get to experience the diversity of SVHS’s massive terrain. This includes gentle ridge top lines for warm-up runs and intermediate skiers, open cirques and bowls, trees and gladed skiing and other high alpine terrain features. Extra runs are available for an additional fee. Lunch is served in the field mid-day, usually in a sunny and wind-protected area with exceptional views and camaraderie. Needless to say, the views are breathtaking. Numerable high fives are a must!
SVHS is also fortunate to have the luxurious Smoky Mountain Lodge, the only remote fly-in heli-ski lodge in the lower 48 states. It has four guest bedrooms and can accommodate up to 8 persons. The Lodge is great for family and friend trips, corporate incentives and awards, continuing education programs and other retreats.