In the eight winters since the regulation eased on direct ski-resort landings, the helicopter has gone from a luxury for the rare emergency to the only sensible option for any tight Alpine itinerary.
Geneva to Verbier in 30 minutes, Zurich to St. Moritz in 50, Sion to Zermatt in 18, Davos to Samedan in eight. The numbers are unremarkable on paper. In practice, they have removed the four-to-six-hour winter road transfer from the calendar entirely.
The routes that have changed our calendar
The H145, AW109 and Bell 429 are the same machines used by Swiss Air-Rescue, configured with executive cabin trim. Two-pilot operations, twin-engine certification, and direct-to-resort approval files held continuously since 2018.
Direct ski-resort landings remain subject to weather and authority approval. We hold standing permits for Verbier, Crans-Montana, Zermatt-Furi, St. Moritz-Samedan and Davos-Wolfgang.
When the helicopter is the wrong choice
Below 800 metres of visibility, the operation is grounded. In a Föhn wind above force 6, the operation is grounded. With principals who are uncomfortable in small cabins, the operation is wrong even when it would technically work.
The road option must be ready, fuelled, and staffed at the same time as the helicopter. Our standard practice for any helicopter mission is to prepare the road relay in parallel.
The Inner Circle
The Quiet Letter
Once a month, a short letter from our concierge: new destinations, off-season opportunities, and itineraries we'd otherwise reserve for repeat clients. No marketing, no noise, ever.
What we recommend, by route
Geneva ↔ Verbier: helicopter is the default. Road as backup. Sion ↔ Zermatt: helicopter is the default. Zurich ↔ St. Moritz: helicopter for daylight arrivals; road via Julier Pass for night.
Davos during WEF: helicopter relay from Zurich Kloten in the morning window. Outbound, plan a full day before the closing plenary.