A Daring, Adventurous Ski Sport Popular In Colorado And Alaska Is Finally Coming To California

You might have heard of ski touring — a form of backcountry skiing that gives skiers free rein over boundless slopes — but there's an even more audacious version of backcountry skiing that involves a helicopter dropping you onto remote, high-altitude slopes to zoom down untouched terrain. Heli-skiing, as the sport is called, has been embraced at a few well-established resorts in Alaska and around the Western United States (particularly Colorado, crowned America's best state for a luxurious winter). But in California, despite being home to some world-class ski resorts, the sport hasn't taken hold. According to a press release from Sweetwater Heli, the new heli-skiing business will be the only one in the state to offer helicopter rides up to the slopes, starting at the end of January 2026, in the Sweetwater Mountains.

Though not a particularly lengthy range, the Sweetwater Mountains are no mellow undertaking: Their highest peak, Mount Patterson, has an altitude of over 11,600 feet, and they're mostly known as a remote sweep of wilderness. The closest airport is Mammoth-Yosemite Airport, about a 90-minute drive away, though many will likely have to fly into Reno-Tahoe International Airport (two hours away) for more viable flight connections. That untouched wilderness lends the range stunning scenery, though. On one end, it's punctuated by the jewel-like Topaz Lake, with camping and a casino, and from the mountains' snowy ridgelines, you can see the neighboring peaks of the Sierra Nevada. Combine the off-piste, backcountry character of the mountains with their magnificent scenery, and you've got a perfect heli-skiing playground.

As the Sweetwater Heli press release stated, the service will carry skiers to over 180,000 acres of open terrain to shred. The launch sites will be based in the underrated vacation town of Bridgeport, though it will also offer helicopter transfers (for an extra charge) across the Mammoth-Tahoe region and even deliver ski gear to local mountain homes or hotels. Each skier, with a small group, will get to do six to eight runs in a single day, at a premium cost of $1,800 per day. The terrain roster will feature a mix of high-alpine bowls, smooth hills, and easy-going glades.

Even though Sweetwater Heli will have extensive safety rails in place (including the use of avalanche safety gear), heli-skiing isn't for the faint of heart and requires a bit of baseline training. Because it involves going down powdery, ungroomed slopes, "it's not like skiing in a resort," said Peter Macpherson, the director of a heli-skiing resort in British Columbia, in Ski Magazine. "If you can, get into not just groomed and/or mogul snow, but try to get into soft snow," he recommended for curious heli-skiers to prepare. Another factor to consider is that the backcountry slopes, lacking maintenance, are dependent on natural weather patterns for their ski-readiness. Consistent, stable snow is needed for tenable skiing conditions. As such, Kirschenmann told the San Francisco Chronicle that he plans to only keep Sweetwater Heli active during February and March, when there's sufficient snowpack.