The state's only helicopter skiing operation is trying to hold on to its exalted status.
Helitrax has been operating since 1995 on a permit that gets renewed annually. This year, when the company asked the public land agencies for a ten-year permit, the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management officials balked and decided to conduct a more careful review of the existing permit.
They crafted three separate alternatives for the permit area around Silverton (the permit area around Telluride already won approval from land managers in this area) including disallowing the activity altogether, scaling back the permit area and the permitted number of days by about half, or reinstating the existing permit on a five-year basis.
The reasons that the agencies decided to take a more careful look at the permit were complaints by backcountry skiers who said the choppers ruined their experience, the delicacy of the lynx habitat in the same areas, and the noise impacts of helicopter traffic.
Helitrax will not go down if this permit is scaled back — the company already has thousands of acres of permit area to allow its employees to pick out the safest and best powder terrain for clients, and the company rarely uses much of the terrain. Helitrax only operates about 35-50 days annually, and on just a marginal part of its permitted acreage. They also partner with local search and rescue teams to offer assistance in the air, and help road crews with avalanche control work.
To make a comment about the permit or to take a closer look at the permit, visit the Forest Service website.
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