Monte Rosa, Where the Alps Still Allow Heli-Skiing
France banned it in 1985 and Austria limits it to one corner. On the Italian side of Monte Rosa, the helicopter still flies.
Heli-skiing in the Alps is becoming a matter of geography. France banned it in 1985 under its Mountain Law. Austria allows it only in the Arlberg around Lech, and the regional government has said that permission will last until 2027, under conditions. Switzerland permits it at 40 designated mountain landing sites, 19 of them in Valais. Italy has no national law at all, so the rules are set region by region and valley by valley. That gap is why the Italian side of Monte Rosa remains one of the best places in Europe to be dropped on a glacier.
The day
The classic outing starts in Cervinia, according to the mountain guides of the Guide del Cervino. Skiers take the lifts to Plateau Rosa at about 3,500 meters, and an Air Zermatt helicopter then flies them to the Silbersattel, a glacial saddle above 4,100 meters between the Dufourspitze and Nordend. From there it is a long freeride descent across the glacier and down the moraine, finishing at Furi above Zermatt. The guides list it at €440 per person, including the flight, the guide and a full safety kit, with lift passes extra. The season runs from January to May, depending on conditions.
From Alagna
On the Valsesia side, Alagna is the freeride village. The British operator James Orr Heliski counts almost 30 established landing sites on Monte Rosa, the highest above 4,000 meters. Descents from Punta Indren (3,275 meters) of 1,500 vertical meters are typical, and 2,000 is not unusual. The terrain ranges from steep couloirs to open bowls and long tree runs.
It is not for the merely keen. You need confident off-piste technique, a certified guide and a tolerance for weather days. The payoff is a top-to-bottom run few skiers will ever get to make.
