Austrian helicopter company launches heli-skiing in Georgia’s top ski resort

Austrian helicopter company Wucher Helikopter plans to launch heli-skiing tours in Georgia. Photo by Georgia's Ministry of Economy.
Agenda.ge, 25 Jan 2016 - 18:37, Tbilisi,Georgia

A leading Austrian helicopter company is coming to Georgia to offer heli-skiing in Georgia’s top winter resort.

Georgia’s Ministry of Economy confirmed Wucher Helikopter had requested to provide heli-skiing opportunities on the Gudauri-Stepantsminda route. 

The helicopter company has operated in Georgia since 2013 but has only offered passenger tours, not heli-skiing. Now the company said it would be focused on serving small tourist groups with its heli-skiing tours.

Heli-skiing is favoured by extreme skiers and snowboarders who use helicopters to transport them to high mountains, where they can access off-piste routes, steep slopes and untouched snow.

Wucher Helikopter announced it would operate flights on AS 350 B3 Ecureuil and AS 350 B Lama helicopters.

Flights will operate according to visual flight rules, which are a set of regulations under which a pilot operates an aircraft in weather conditions generally clear enough to allow the pilot to see where the aircraft is going.

The Ministry of Economy said Wucher Helikopter’s operation in Georgia would contribute to developing winter tourism and attract more tourists to Georgia’s ski resorts.