Ride the best descents, rest in comfort, and let the heli do the hard work.

Every serious backcountry skier worth their salt knows about the Haute Route; first skied in 1911, it has become a classic pursuit of thousands of ski-touring fanatics each spring. And the actual route, from Chamonix to Zermatt, crossing the Alps’ biggest terrain, under famous peaks like Mont Blanc, the Grand Combin, pigne d’Arolla, the Matterhorn, and Monte Rosa, is undoubtedly the most spectacular traverse in the ski world. But the possibility of crowded huts, marginal weather and snow conditions, and long slogs in a whiteout can make the experience less of a ski-tour and more of an endurance badge of honor. But by basing out of some of the Alps’ best resorts, throwing in a heli lift to reach the best descents, and relaxing in historic hotels and cozy chalets by night, we have created the ultimate Haute Route adventure, highlighting the best parts and doing away with the hardship. And thereby making it accessible to everybody, not just hardcore ski mountaineers.

You begin your trip based in a classic chalet in Verbier, Switzerland – a mega-resort with some of the Alps’ best lift-accessed freeriding potential. With nearby heli drops on the Trient glacier, first up, the famous Arpette Couloirs deliver 3000′ descents, and the ability to lap adjacent chutes. A stop for coffee or even lunch at the historic Cabane du Trient to refuel before the final run down to Champex-Lac, a mom-and-pop resort with the Europe’s best tree skiing. The next heli day, you’ll go to the Petit Combin, landing on top at 3800m, with a view clear across the Alps. An adventurous glacial descent follows, and in ideal conditions, with a short skin-up, we can also access Mont Rogneux, one of Verbier’s most aesthetic lines, a truly magnificent run that you’ll be able to admire your tracks on from your chalet across the valley.

One fundamental difference between European heli-skiing and that found in North America, is that you’ll be based in historic resort villages, with all the amenities and services you’d need; yet when you’re delivered to the top of a peak like the pigne d’Arolla, you’re about as far from civilization as you can get in Europe. Then, the ability to ski into yet another isolated valley, where the locals speak a different language than where you began your day, and experience a different culture, that’s what totally makes the skiing in the Alps. You’ll rarely make more than 2 or 3 runs in a day, but each descent will take an hour or more, as you move through the alpine, negotiating glaciers and seracs, powder fields, and winding up in these remote villages. it makes for a true all-day adventure. And when weather shuts down the heli-access, we can use the literally hundreds of lifts in our backyard to find the best powder, or visit a secret resort with incredible backside runs. So you’ll never have a “down-day” unless your legs need one!

After 4 days in Verbier, it’s time to make the move, and when you set off in the heli, we’ll transport your gear over to Zermatt, where you’ll next see it in a historic hotel like the Mont Cervin Palace or the Hotel Monte Rosa. In optimal weather, your second drop will leave you with an incredible 2000m descent under the Matterhorn’s imposing North Face, right into the postcard-perfect village of Zermatt. You’ll spend the next four days picking off classic descents on both the Swiss and Italian side of the border, culminating with the highest heli-drop in the Alps, from 4200m on Monte Rosa. Returning home each night to the comfort of Zermatt’s best hotels, complete with spa and fine dining, you’ll never look at a heliski trip the same way again.

Check out out Heli Haute Route trips here…