Is this the future of Heli-skiing?

Many of us love heliskiing, the ability to get into the remotest parts of the mountains and experience complete solitude with the rawest exposure to untouched nature.

It simply gives you easier access to places you would never be able to go to. It is the complete James Bond experience, leaving from remote lodges with highly skilled guides after safety checks and security briefings and flying to ski or board in areas where no human may ever have been before.  The buzz of it, the complete adrenaline release, the photos, video opportunities, the commandery and bonds formed with your fellow adventurers.  I could go on and on…

So what is not to like about Heli skiing, it’s cool and fun, albeit a tad expensive perhaps?

Well yes, this is all undeniably true apart from one very important point called CO2.. The complete experience gives the nature lover everything they wish to experience apart from the fact it has an environmental impact albeit small in the grand scale of things BUT it is still there.

Today’s conventional Heli’s are powered by engines that use fossil fuels to convert to energy. Long considered ideal for air travel because of their ability to generate large quantities of power with a limited mass of fuel, fossil fuels are likewise notorious for producing emissions such as nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide.

All that said, the versatility of a Helicopter in the mountains not only means heliskiing but also search and rescue including flying in search dogs in Avalanche situations, vital medical gear not to mention the quickest route off the mountain to the nearest hospital. So, they are especially important to us skiers indeed.

Imagine having the best of both Worlds!

ALIA-250

ALIA-250 is the result of 3 years of precise design and development. ALIA takes inspiration from the Arctic tern. Terns migrate further than any other bird, visiting every ocean and the vicinity of every continent on earth. ALIA began as a simple sketch, designed on basic principles of engineering to fly in the most efficient manner possible. Its ability to take off and land vertically and then transition to long-range flight is a defining characteristic.

Vermont based company BETA may well have the answers with their BETA Alia eVTOL.

So what is an eVTOL, quite simply put it is an electric Vertical Take Off and Landing craft or in lay man’s terms an electric helicopter capable of carrying passengers and cargo. The team and engineers at BETA also just happen to be skiers, boarders and outdoor enthusiasts and were more than happy to hear from Powder Mad to explain and show us some collaborations with Burton and others.

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