In times of a worldwide fight against climate change, most people are asking themselves how much impact their lifestyle has on global warming and the mass extinction of flora and fauna. There is so much that every one of us could and should do for a chance to protect the unique planet we call our home. 

Within all the bad news, we do have a good one for you: The impact of heli-skiing on nature is very minimal. Every group that skis with us explores the terrain with one of our experienced guides and those guys value and protect nature with every bone in their body. “We always make sure that we leave nothing behind but track”, explains HMH manager Hugh Barnard. “At the end of the day we take everything with us, waste, food, even the last bread crumb will come back into the valley.” The helicopters only land on bare rock and don’t destroy any soil during landing and take-off. 

Compared to other heli-skiing terrains on the planet New Zealand is fortunate enough to have a mountain area without any alpine mammals that could be disturbed by the heli-skiers. We sometimes come across the famous mountain parrot Kea but we never feed them or interact with them in a way that could harm them. 

Due to the isolation of the Southern Alps, heli-skiers can feel like they are the only people on the planet. “That can be a real eye-opener for some of our guests who usually don’t come that close to nature”, says Hugh. “The beauty of the mountains is so present and overwhelming in our terrain that it leaves most of our clients in awe. Hopefully, they can take that feeling with them and try and protect this nature more afterwards.”