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HELICOPTER SKIING

OPERATIONS AND AGENCY ADMINISTRATIONl

H. Peter Wingle2

Abstract.--Helicopter skiing has become a small, butdesired adventure sport in North America. The degree ofcontrol by the land manager varies, but operators areresponsible for client safety and meeting land use permitterms. Operating plans are required on National Forestlands and are monitored. Permits can be revoked for goodcause.

INTRODUCTION

Helicopter skiing is one of many adventuresports that occur on public lands of Canada and theU.S. It is possible for a helicopter to liftskiers more than a dozen times a day so they canexperience skiing on undeveloped and untracted skislopes. Unlike most sports, virtually all heli­skiers are led by professional guides. The scopeand arrangements for heli-skiing differ betweenthese countries, but operations, with someadministrative differences, are similar. Thefounder of the worlds largest heli-skiing operationis attending this workshop, along with others fromCanada and several states. The slides are mostlyof this Canadian Mountain Holidays operation, whichI am presenting today. Prior speakers have present­ed facts about snow and avalanche technology. Thispresentation is an orientation to the sport, whatit is, when it started, why it ~ttracts people,safety and operating procedures, stand~rd3 develop­ed by some of these operators, agency expectationsand requirements, as well as operator responsibilit­ies. I'll also ask you for hel?ful action.

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Figure 1.-- Helicopter skiing has two mainoperations, the guided part and thehelicopter use. Both have unique safetymanagement requirements.

It is an expensive sport and it has itsaddicts. For most, the quest for powder snow(fig. 2) alone can't be the driving force, becausepowder can be found for less money. When youconsider the scenery, the mountain atmosphereand isolation, the unique terrain, the challen~ ofsteep powder slopes, the pull of gravity whichallows you to merely guide your skis instead offorcing turns, the open treed slopes and chutes,the sudden drops or the rolling pitches give yousome idea of the attraction. For those who canafford it, it can also be a family sport.

-" .....~;::"~

Figure 2.--Virtually all commercial helicopterskiing operations in the U.S. and Canada areguided. Guides need special skills in orderto ensure client safety.

Paper presented at International Snow ScienceWorkshop, Aspen, Colorado, October 24-27, 1984.

2 H. Peter \Jingle is the Director of Recreationand Lands, U.S.D.A, Forest Service, RegionalOffice, Lakewood, Colorado.

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In British Columbia, where all of this startedin earnest, it has become something verysignificant to the Province's economy and veryprofessional. Also, the Canadian operators haveassumed a great deal of responsibility. Two verysignificant differences between the Canadians andthe Americans is that they have a strongassociation of helicopter skiing operators whichwork together to improve the sport and they havethe benefit of a good and well disciplined mountainguide certification program. In the U.S. we haveneither.

The background for this paper came in partfrom experience, but more significantly from peoplelike Lloyd Gallagher who used to run the CanadianMountain Holidays Cariboo Mountains operation, wasco-leader of the Canadian Mount Everest Expeditionand now is the Alpine Specialist for the Provinceof Alberta's Kananaskis Park area near Banff. Iderived much of what we expect of operators on theNational Forest lands here in the U.S. from theBritish Columbia state-of-the-art material.

Hans Gmoser, who is here for this meeting,started commercial heli-skiing in the BugabooMountain area of B.C. and operated out of thissmall deserted logging camp. This was 1965. Ittook a long time to haul skiers to the slopes inearly day helicopters. Business got rolling in1968 when he built a lodge and was able to use ajet turbine-powered Allouette II, but it still tookseveral loads. Later he switched to a 10 passengerBell helicoptor and about that time more operatorsgot involved. Still, in the U.S., smaller shipsare used and it takes several loads before a guidedgroup is together.

There are about nine significant locations inB.C. where you can heli-ski, and up to a dozen anda half here in the U.S., depending upon the year.~fhat happened three years ago in France is important.The environmental organizations were able to convincethe Ministers to ban helicopter skiing throughoutthe country. Here in the U.S., it isprohibited by law in Wildernesses and may berestricted in both the National and ProvincialParks of the U.S •. and Canada. The following givesyou an idea of how the operat.ion works.

A. PLANNING1. Planning.--Before any skiing starts, a lot

of planning and organization is needed. I'll hitthe highlights. An outline for an operating planwhich I have as a hand-out essentially shows whatthe industry state-of-the art involves. This is acondensation of that outline but it shows the majorelements.

Figure 3.--oPERATING PLANS

ResponsibilityOrganizationClient OrientationGuide QualificationsSnow, Runs, Maps, etc.Avalanche ForecastingDaily ProceduresHeli-Operations

CommunicationsEmergenciesExplosivesInternal Controls

2. Guiding.--Guides have a difficult andresponsible job. In the U.S. we have nocertification program. When issuing permits to useNational Forest land, we rely on judgement,resume's, operating plans, performance and therecognition that it is the operator and client whoare responsible for safe operations. It is not theForest Service nor the B1M. We set proceduralstandards and monitor operations.

B. CLIENT ORIENTATION--AII skiers must be givenexplicit instructions before being allowed toheli-ski. Briefings include:

1. Tranceiver use.--John Lawton invented theSKADI, a transceiver which we all use so we can befound in case we get buried in ftn avalanche. Thedevices are made by several manufacturers.Unfortunately, some have different frequencies butthey are very effective for finding buried peoplewho still have them on. All clients must be taughthow to use them and practice before going skiing.

2. The Helicopter.-- The pilot is responsiblefor clients using the helicopter. Clients must knowwhy and how to do certain things. For example, theymust never put skis on their shoulders because theymight hit the rotor blades. They should drag them.They must know how to approach the helicopter withtheir skis and poles so they can be positivelyattached to the skids or enclosed in a basket by theguide. They must know where to stand when they getout of the helicopter and where to stand when beingpicked up so they won't be hit by the ship when itlands. They must hang on to loose clothes so theywon't be drllvlr. '.:1:' ;~to the rotor blades.

C. OPERATIONS--Guides and pilots must be familiarwith the country they operate in, and have goodmaps and preferably photos of the ski runs.Picking a pilot that can fly in mountains duringthe winter safely is as important as picking aguide. The FAA has no requirements for this and isnot likely to have them. It is important to knowthat guides should know the terrain as it appearsboth summer and winter so that they know what thesnow is sitting on.

They should know where the suitable landingspots are, and have maps showing all of the trailsthat get use.

They should know and record the condition andtrends in the snowpack, so they can predictconditions on the slopes. Normally this involveskeeping weather information at the base, gettingreadings from cooperators in nearby areas, andALSO, flying to the ski slopes before takingclients out unless they have reason to knowconditions have not changed from the previousvisit. Sometimes a group will fly beyond that areawhere current snowpack evaluation has beenperformed. Re-evaluation on-site may be needed.

They must have communications with otherguides, the helicopter, and distant sources to bewarned if condition changes warrant some specialaction, and their home base. There must be abackup guide and helicopter available for automaticsearch if a scheduled radio check is missed.

They must have emergency equipment with themand be able to handle a wide variety of situations,including evacuations and doing advanced First Aidor EMT work.

Route finding sounds basic, but can be complexwhen conditions change. There may have to be avariety of routes available on any run asconditions change. Glacier crevasses are anobvious problem but guides must be able to threadtheir way safely around them so they don't get intodead-ends.

Gullies can be a problem if snow slides off ofthe sides and buries a skier deep in the pack.

1. Avalanches.--Avoiding avalanches andmaintaining client confidence and control is acritical job. It is a difficult task to know thesnow well enough that skiers can have the fun ofskiing the loose snow, yet a void the hazardoussituations. Skiing the loose sliding snow can befun and no problem, if the location and conditionsare all right. Doing this near some trees could beanother matter altogether. Fatality statistics forhelicopter skiing in North America indicate thatabout 70 percent are avalanche caused, about 20percent are in tree wells or related accidents.

2. Client Happiness.--The brochuresusually show great snow conditions in the photosbut many fairly say that conditions can be lessthan perfect.

Likewise, all skiers may not like some kindsof tree skiing as they may detest breakable crustor wind slab. This is all part of the sport, andheli-skiers must learn to take the bad with thegood.

3. Helicopter Operations.--We've had someheli-skiing heli crashes in Colorado for the pasttwo years. I am not at all happy with thehelicopter operations in Colorado. The FAA here inthe U.S. does not check pilots out in mountainousterrain, much less winter flying conditions. Infact, these operations are becoming less regulatedeach year. Forest Service permitted heli-skioperations and have had several accidents inColorado during the past two winters at highelevations--one over 13,000 feet. A pilot waslanding a full load, generated a white-outcondition, lacked reserve power to liftoff anddrifted into the mountain. Fortunately nobody waskilled. The record in the other western States atlower elevations has been much better. Pilots inCanada I know subtract one passenger for every1,000 feet of elevation over 9,000 feet when usingthe Jet Ranger. In Colorado one heli-ski operatoruses a helicopter capable of operating to 15,000feet, such as the Llama. Other makes operate inColorado as well. Last month we met with the FAAand hope to develop a safety "ADVISORY" which,though not a regula tion, will provide some guidanceto this type operation.

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First of all, pilots should be picky aboutwhere the aircraft lands. The pilot must besatisfied that he won't be caught by an avalanche.

Special designs are fitted to the skids so thehelicopter will remain balanced when it settlesonto soft snow. Uneven landing spots or settlingcan put a narrow-skidded helicopter at an anglewhich precludes safe liftoff. Some operations donot allow a helicopter pilot to land at a site withpassengers, until he/she has tried the landing withan empty plane. There are many potential hazardsat landing spots, such as wind, uneven snow, crust,overhanging cornices or more commonly simplyvisibility due to dry blowing snow. Pilots shouldhave good depth perception during landing and thisis often provided by placing dark stakes atlandings. The pilot approaches a landing lookingat the stake or, at the pick-up point, by watchingthe guide. It isn't possible to watch both theclients and the guide at the same time, so it isimportant that skiers keep a proper distance andkeep an eye on the ship. Pilot visibility atlanding can almost disappear when the snow isloose. This need not be a problem if there is amarking. We feel these are needed under certainconditions.

Liftoff at any location, with a full load orotherwise, can be a problem if the area is tightwith trees. Helicopters need running space inorder to gain altitude, unless they have plenty ofreserve power. This severely limits options forski run selection. In some cases, trees need to becut in order to provide safe helispots.

These have been only the highlights, ofcourse--only a fraction of what is actuallyinvolved.

D. AGENCY ADMIHISTRATION--I!ere, the Forest Serviceand BLM have the overall responsibility for all ofthe recreation uses on lands they administer andour laws require us to issue permits for the landuse. Outfitter and guide permits are issued andpermittees have an obligation to abide by thepermit terms. Permits (land use authorization andperformance agreement) are issued only after anEnvironmental Assessment is made. The use shouldhe needed and in the public interest, lawful, etc.The methods of administration, frankly, differamong the western Forest Service Regions.

We all feel the permittee has theresponsibility for the safety of the operation andthe Forest Service assumes a monitoring role. Insome cases it means flying and skiing with theoperator in order to monitor the operation.

In Colorado, we principally rely on operatingplans, on-the-ground work on guide proficiency, thesafety record, word of mouth complaints aboutperformance, etc. We don't feel we can or shouldspend time with every adventure sport permittee todetermine if he is proficient. We don't check outkayak instructor skills, the ability of a climbinginstructor to set ice screws, etc., nor have wedeveloped a cadre of specialists who could fairlyconsistently and accurately assess them.

Other Regions than this Rocky Mountain Regiontake a more participatory role by regularly flyingwith the permittees. Their safety record hasproven to be better, but this does not mean that wewill be making a shift in the Rocky Mountain Regionat this time. If permittees do not perform as theyhave agreed to, they may lose their permitspermanently. That is a large risk on their part.If they feel our requirements are unreasonable,there is a means of negotiating something that isreasonable.

I personally feel heli-ski operators here mustimprove their own op~rations if they are to remainviable and in business.

In the United States, we have no associationsof helicopter skiing guides. In Canada theassociations function to help improve theiroperations, although they may well have somelobbying strength also. The developed ski areaindustry here is very effective in sharing skillsand knowledge for the benefit of the entireindustry. I would hope that such an alliance canbe developed among guides represented here • It isunlikely that there will be an effective guidecertification program in the United States in theforeseeable future so it is essential that anyonewanting to stay in the heli-ski business on theNational Forest lands very long will need competentpeople.

The Forest Service wants successful outfitterand guide operations, as this is the only way toserve the general public. The average self-guidedperson can take care of him or herself for manysports, but this is not the case with helicopterskiing.

E. CONCLUSION--It is important for this group tounderstand what is occurring in the undevelopedareas of our forests. It is going to be eveneasier for the public to get access to avalanchehazard areas and perhaps even less expensive.Forecasting hazards is not a precise science andmay never be. Means that can be developed toreduce the risk may not only save lives, but maymake such operations more viable. There certainlyare profit making reasons for improving of thestate-of-the-art.

There are good reasons for commercialoutfitters and guides to have good operating plansand records if they expect to attract clients andto be allowed to use someone else's land for theirbusiness. Through the monitoring processes, theForest Service and the BLH have the responsibilityto determine if outfitters and guides are meetingthe terms of their agreement (permit). If they arenot, they can lose the priviledge of conductingbusiness.

In any case, there is a great deal involved inhelicopter skiing and this just skims the surface.No doubt you have visited with some of the peoplewho operate these companies and if you have not,you still have time before the workshop closes.Perhaps we will be seeing some of you on the slopesthis or some future winter.

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During the Workshop, the Forest Service wascriticized for not maintaining a strong avalancheforecasting and control presence nor keeping astrong cadre of winter sports experts. In fact,we feel we need better informed people, but fewerof them. The industry has come a long way sincethe Forest Service first got involved in administer­ing safety at ski areas. In those days the operatorswere not always willing or capable of this. Timeschange. For example, while the Forest Serviceperfected the parachute and smokejumping, publicinterest has advanced the state-of-the-art. Thereis no reason for us to be the leaders any longer.

In the free enterprise system, the private sectoris encouraged to take over roles of Government inmany instances. It simply is not the Forest Servicejob to perform the "doing" work for companies doingbusiness on National Forest land. It is true thatthe job of monitoring safety and permit requirementsmay become difficult if not impossible if we areunable or unwilling to maintain some high levelskills and if our line managers are unwilling toshare them with units having lesser workloads. Thefacts are that even in the old days, only theRanger Districts and National Forests with the heavyworkloads actually had the high level of skillsneeded and that the low volume units - though therisks may have been higher because of low operatorskills - actually lacked needed skills. It isimportant for this group to continue to includethe Forest Service, BLM and other involved agencypeople in meetings and to work with them so thisend of the business can be kept up to par.

There are certain political realities, andreduced budgets tied to growing legal demands innew areas are a couple of them. The role ofthe Forest Service and other agencies willincrementally change over time, just as thecapabilities and responsibilities of privatecompanies and organizations. will continue toincrease in areas such as ski area development.

1984-1985 SEASONOPERATING PLAN GUIDE FOR

HEL ICOPTER SK I ING

Rocky Mountain Region

RECREATION SPECIAL USES (for use In the1985 season)

Applications and Awards of Helicopter~

I. PROCESS

1. Receive application includingstatement of need.

2. Review existing managementguidel lnes (Forest Plan, etc.) to analyzeIf the proposal wi I I conform.

3. Review credentials of appl icantincluding knowledge of the proposed area.

4. Prepare Environmental Assess­ment. This should address:

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(1) Operations and SafetyPlan

Po I icya. Current Outfitter-Guide d. Permits and Approvals from

other agencies such as County, Municipal,FAA, etc.

b. Exclusive use for the area.If there is more than one appl icant forone area, a prospectus should be prepared.

c. Wi Id life

records.e. Detailed terrain and ski run

d.

e.Approvals

f.

g.

Conf Ii ct ing Uses

Other Government Agency

Forest Plan

Explosives

I I. OPERATING PLAN CONTENTS AND OUTLINE(Permittee's Plan)

Operating Plans may be entirely self­contained or refer to separate permitteedocuments. This also provides one basisfor monitoring and evaluating the outfit­ter and guide performance.

5. Statement of Need - This documentshould include the following instructionalo'ng with sufficient information aboutthe appl icants' credentials for an eval­uation of his/her abi lity to operate asafe hel icopter ski Ing program.

a. Avalanche Hazard

(1) Terrain identification.

(2) Snow stab iii ty eva I ua­tlon procedures and method of data accumu­lation and locations.

(3) Specific outline ofmethods of evaluating stabi I ity of snowprior to exposing clients to avalancheterrain, uti I izing decisions based on dataanalysis concepts.

b. Resource Impacts

(1) Need for and locationof landing zone improvement and vegetationremova I.

(2) Need for and locationof on-site improvements such as snow depthmarkers, reference poles, hel ispot mark­ings, etc.

(3) Flight corridors withconsideration of noise as it effects wi Id­life habitat areas.

(4) Other appropriate re­source considerations.

(5) Conformance withrecreation opportunity spectrum objec­tives in Forest Plans.

1. I ntroduct ion

a. Objectives of permittee andoverview of operations.

b. Clear statement of permitteeresponsibi I Ity for al I aspects of publicsafety.

2. Guide Qualifications

a. Show adequate experience andtraining in the fol lOWing:

(1) Advanced first aid andCPR <Current).

(2) Rescue capab iii ty ­mountain rescue, avalanche rescue, beaconuse.

(3) Avalanche hazard recog­nition - snow pack evaluation, terrainrecogn it Ion.

(4) Skiing ability.

(5) Hel icopter safety.

(6) Abi I ity to effectivelygive directions and communicate withclients.

b. Resumes of guides' exper­ience and documentation to substantiatethe above experience.

3. Company Organization

a. Internal, includingrespons ibI I it les.

c. Safety Considerations b. External support.

4. Snow, Climate, and Terrain

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e. Flight paths.

a. Each run or area used ­written description to include terrainidentification name or number, charac­teristics, location, aspect, elevation,gradient, configuration, ground cover, andavalanche history.

b. The above noted informationis to be drawn on a 7-1/2" USGS quad mapand an ob I ique photog rap h. Importantavalanche run out, starting zone, andother pertinent data should be added asthat information is accumulated.

5. Avalanche Forecasting

a. Detai led procedure to befo II owed for eva Iuati on of the stab iii tyof the snow pack prior to exposing clientsto hazardous areas. Decisions should bebased on these data.

f. Procedures for postingflight plan and regular check-in with basestation. Procedures for automatic checkby back-up hel icopter and guide if check­in is missed.

g. Refueling.

h. Establishing landing eleva­tion parameters for specific hel icopterused, for various or maximum loading.

i. Pi lot shall have mountainflying and landing experience in snowconditions.

j. Helicopter landing skidsshal I be fitted with snow landing attach­ment suitable for the conditions antici­pated.

8. Communications

10. Emergency Equipment

9. Emergency Procedure

Provide for communication amongguides, hel icopter, and base station.

b. Snow pack, meteorological,and current conditions procedure shouldshow how al I available data is formulatedinto stabi I ity evaluations and forecasts.

c. Records of data and proce­dures should be required and avai lable tothe Forest Service at al I times.

d. Process for notifyingothers, or receiving information (when infield or through company dispatcher) ofcurrent, significant hazard change.

6. Dai Iy Operating Outl ine

a. Go/No Go Procedure.

b. Basis for determining needfor field condition evaluation prior totaking cl ients to ski slopes.

c. Client orientation - rescueprocedures, rescue beacons, hel icoptersafety, ski ing procedure - group control.

a.b.c.

a.

b.

Sk i acc i dentAvalanche accidentHel icopter accident

Type

(1) Rescue(2) First aid(3) CI ient comfort

Location

(1) Hel icopter(2) Guide packs(3) Base location(4) Back-up

12. Explosive Use

b. Should clearly state thehazardous elements involved with back­country ski ing.

a. Identi fy that operator isunder Forest Service Special Use Permitauthorizing use of National Forest land.Forest Service shield and National Forestname on a I I brochures and maps.

d. Guide-CI ient ratio - musthave one guide in front and one to performsweep, or provide basis for deciding whena sweep guide would not be required.

7. Hei icopter Operations

a. Flight procedures.

b. FAA regulations andrequirements.

c. Loading and unloading pro­cedures for clients and equ ipment, inc Iud­ing "fail-safe" ski and pole tie-downs.

11.

c. Personnel trained in use.

Advert isement

d. Take-off and landing sites.Basis for deciding with marking wi I I beused at landing points.

The use of explosives foravalanche control and/or snow stabi I ityevaluation wi II consider the following:

a. Snow avalanche control pro­grams wi II be I imited in scope. It is notpossible to control avalanches with explo­sives as at a ski area. Permittees mustrely on the soundness of forecasts and theabi lity of the guides to avoid hazardousareas. After large storms, control teamscould be sent out on selected runs todetermine the accuracy of the forecasts.At that time, explosives could be used asan aid in determining stabi I ity within thesnow pack. In general, the control phi 1­osophy is if a slope must be control led byexplosives to make it safe to ski, then itwi I I not be skied.

b. Plan is to show how protec­tion of private property, wi Idlife, otheruers, and forest environment is provided.Extreme care is needed.

c. All appl icable regulationsregarding use and storage of explosivesmust be followed.

I I I. MONITORING PLAN (Forest Service'sPlan)

A good monitoring plan is one thatthe permittee can use in order to maintainneeded internal controls. The Forest Ser­vice may not need to monitor al I of these.

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1. Monitor procedures to implementthe safety and operating plan and otherspecial use permit requirements.

2. Periodically review the AvalancheForecasting Data and determine if fore­casters and guides are able to and havebeen correctly forecasting snow hazardconditions, and if their cumulativerecords are complete and subject toeffective analysis.

a. Pit datab. Weather datac. Field observations

3. Guide procedures and effective­ness in controlling clients to degreeneeded to maintain safety standards.

4. When monitoring indicates thatfield problems exist requiring on-sitemonitoring, Forest officers may visit thesite only in approved helicopters and withpi lots certified by the Forest Service.Forest officers ~dministering this useshould, as a minimum, be familiar with theterrain even if fixed-wing aircraft mustbe ut iii zed.