The landing
Snow landings: what actually happens when the helicopter puts down
Almost every flight on this page lands somewhere in the alps and shuts the engine off. Here is what those ten minutes are really like — how long, what the ground is like, what you can and cannot do, and what to have on your feet.
Quick answer
Twelve of the fourteen flights on this page include a landing, and the landing is usually five to ten minutes with the rotors stopped. The cheapest one that lands is $167 from Queenstown. What you get is a few minutes standing on snow in a place with no road, no path and nobody else — which is the part almost every review mentions first.
The landing, at a glance
- Time on the ground
- About 5–10 minrotors stopped on most flights
- Cheapest flight that lands
- $167Queenstown, alpine landing
- Landings per flight
- One, usuallythe Milford crossing makes two
- Surface
- Packed snow or névéfirm, not powder, in the settled months
- How far you can walk
- A few metresthe pilot marks a safe area
- Footwear
- Closed shoestrainers are fine; sandals are not
- Snow in summer
- Yes, at altitudethe landing sites stay snow-covered
- Cold
- Much colder than townroughly 6–7 °C per 1,000 m of climb
- Photos
- Everyone takes themthis is what the flight is remembered for
- If weather closes in
- The landing is dropped firstthe flight may still go
The ten minutes
What happens from touchdown to lift-off
Circle, land, shut down, out for a few minutes inside a marked area, and away again.
The approach. The pilot circles the site once, picks the line, and puts the machine down on a flat shoulder of snow. It is deliberate and slow; there is nothing dramatic about it.
Engine off. On most flights the rotors are stopped before anyone gets out. The silence after fifteen minutes of engine noise is the thing people describe most often.
Out, and stay inside the line. The pilot gets out first, opens the doors and marks how far you can go — usually a few metres, because the snow beyond a landing site can hide a crevasse or a drop. Nobody walks off exploring.
Photographs, and the cold. Five to ten minutes goes very fast. The air at a landing site is much colder than the town you left — the rule of thumb is six or seven degrees lost for every thousand metres of altitude — and there is often wind.
Back in, and away. Everyone reboards, the pilot restarts, and the flight continues on a different line home.
What to have with you
Five things worth getting right
None of it is specialist kit — but these five are the ones people get wrong.
- Closed shoes
Trainers are fine. You will be standing on snow for a few minutes; sandals and open sandals are not usable.
- A warm layer you can put on quickly
It is much colder up there than in town, whatever the month. A jacket in your lap beats one in the boot of the car.
- Sunglasses
Snow at altitude is extremely bright, and most landing sites are above the cloud on a good day.
- A camera strap or a wrist loop
Dropping a phone into soft snow on a slope is the one thing pilots ask you to avoid.
- No loose hats or scarves
Anything that can blow away near a helicopter has to be held or left in the machine.
What to wear is a longer question than the landing alone — the full answer is here.
What to wear→Common questions
Snow landings, answered
How long does the helicopter stay on the snow?
Usually five to ten minutes, with the engine shut down on most flights.
What is the cheapest flight with a snow landing?
$167 from Queenstown, which includes an alpine landing.
Can you walk around on the snow?
Only within the area the pilot marks, which is usually a few metres. The snow beyond a landing site is not checked ground.
Is there snow in summer?
Yes. The landing sites are high enough to hold snow through the New Zealand summer.
What shoes do I need?
Closed shoes. Trainers are perfectly adequate; sandals are not.
What happens if the landing is not possible?
The landing is the first thing dropped when the weather is marginal — the flight may still go without it. Operators will tell you before you lift off.
Go deeper
More on flying over New Zealand
What it costs
From $167 to $687, and what a minute in the air is worth.
The verdictWhich flight is best
One recommendation for each town, and why.
The glaciersThe glacier flights
Rainforest to blue ice in ninety seconds, from $196.
AorakiFlights at Aoraki
Under the highest mountain in New Zealand, from $207.
QueenstownFlights from Queenstown
Four flights, from the cheapest here to Milford Sound.
FiordlandMilford Sound by air
Ninety minutes that replaces a ten-hour drive.
