Skiing and Snowboarding by Drone

Almost by definition, the best way to film freeride (back-country) skiing is by drone, which can always be flown higher than the subject skier.  To see what's possible, check out this amazing drone video by top AirVuz contributor www.oberschneider.com, who filmed Austrian filmmaker and skier Sandra Lahnsteiner cutting a line running down a mountain in the Austrian Alps.  The video of one of Austria's top freeride skiers was filmed on the DJI Mavic Pro Cine, using all three of the quad's camera lenses.  

Former DVOW Winner Hayden Kast brings us this marvelous drone video filmed during a backcountry ski trip in the USA's Rocky Mountains.  The video was filmed near Telluride, in southwestern Colorado.  The peaks here are the San Juan Mountains, a subchain of the Rockies which covers parts of southwestern Colorado and extends into northern New Mexico.  The video includes some outstanding shots of Mt. Sneffels, which has a summit altitude of just under 14.2k ft. above sea level (4.3k m) and is the third-highest peak of the San Juans.  

Action sports and first person view (FPV) drones is one of the best combinations that this industry has to offer! In this edit by top drone racer and FPV freestyle pilot JohnnyFPV, watch as he follows some of the world's best freestyle skiers at the Audi Nines competition at the Sölden ski resort in Tyrol, Austria.  This amazing FPV film was nominated for the AirVuz Drone Video of the Week Contest in the Spring of 2018 and was our Winner in the Extreme Sports category for the 2nd Annual Drone Video Awards.

Esteban Barrera may very well have set a record by flying his drone over the Antisana Volcano in Ecuador.  Using his DJI Phantom 3 drone, he hit an altitude of of 5.7k meters (18.7k ft) atop the volcano, the fourth highest peak in this South American country.  It lies just an hour's drive to the southeast of the capital city Quito.  The volcano is part of the Andes Mountains, a geological system which runs much of the length of western South America and covers most of the western portion of Ecuador. 

To get a sense of how drones are revolutionizing the way we can view action sports, check out this magnificent video from the French Alps by new AirVuz contributor maximemoulinfilm.  The subject of the piece is Sam Favret, one of France's top freeride skiers.  The video captures him seemingly flying down a mountain in the Aiguilles Rouges, a massif of the French Prealps which is situated across the Chamonix Valley from Mt. Blanc.  This video earned a nomination in the Extreme Sports category at the 6th NYCDFF.

Former Drone Video of the Week winner and Drone Video Award nominee ZilverSchmitz brings us this beautiful video from the famed ski resort of Les Arcs in the French Alps.  It's located in the town of Bourg-Saint-Maurice in the Savoie Department.  Situated in the Tarentaise Valley , it's one of the original mega-resorts of the French Alps.  It consists of five separate ski areas, each of which corresponds to a different base elevation ranging from about 1.2k meters above sea level (around 4k ft.) to to around 2k meters (about 6.6k ft.).  

Former Drone Video of the Week Winner www.oberschneider.com used a DJI Mavic Pro 3 Cine drone to create this stunning video of a backcountry skier in the Austrian Alps.  Filmed near Salzburg, the video captures a skier walking to the top of a peak, then skiing down the freshly-deposited powder.  The video makes use of the three different lenses mounted on the top-of-the-line Mavic, allowing (for example) some closeup shots of the skier as he readies for his descent, presumably some distance fro the location of the pilot.  

Contributor Jturner produced this spectacular video skiing down the Argentiere glacier, which is part of the Mt. Blanc Masif in the French Alps.  The glacier which runs perpendicular to the Chamonix Valley, made a disguised but widely noted appearance in the 21st installment of the James Bond series, The World is Not Enough.  In the 1999 film, 007 (played by Pierce Brosnan) there's an epic mountain ski chase scene which is set in the Caucasus but which, in fact, was shot on this very glacier.

While it is not as prominent as the Alps or Pyrenees Mountains, the mountains of Macedonia in the Balkan region of Southeastern Europe offer spectacular skiing opportunities.  Most of the country is covered in steep hills and mountains, with the greatest concentrations in its northwestern and southern regions.  Contributor and pilot Stojan2s created this epic drone video from a ski trip to the Galicica National Park ski area, situated in the soutwestern corner of the country near the famous Lake Ohrid.  

Styfly Studio created an amazing drone video of a ski area in Japan.  The Biwako Valley Ski Resort is situated in central part of Honshu, the largest and most populous island of the Japanese archipelago.  It's located roughly halfway between the cities of Kyoto and Nagoya.  The resort's mountaintop sits at about 1.1k meters (about 3.5k ft) above sea level, and offers both tow- and lift-accessed slopes.  As you will see in the video, the top of the mountain offers stunning views of Lake Biwa, Japan's largest freshwater lake. 

Piz Gloria is a rotating restaurant atop Mt. Schiltorn in Switzerland.  Top contributor iDrone Aerials used a DJI Mavic Pro drone to capture the scene at this magical Alpine spot, one of the most iconic in Europe.  Piz Gloria owes its fame in part to the movies, specifically the 1969 James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service.  In the movie (#7 in the series), agent 007 (played by the unknown George Lazenby) tracks down the villain Blofeld (Telly Savalas) at his allergy research institute atop the mountain.  

Contributor nicolaf degauls created this stunning drone video of Mt. Faloria in northeastern Italy. It's part of the Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy's most well known ski area, which is situated in the Belluno province of the Italy's Veneto region.  Cortina d'Ampezzo has appeared in numerous feature movies (including in installments of the James Bond and Pink Panther series), and it also hosted the 1956 Winter Olympics.  At the Olympics, the Men's Giant Slalom event was held on the slopes of Faloria.

Contributor used DJI Phantom 4 and Mavic Pro drones, combined with ground camera footage, to create this video of an epic helicopter ski trip to one of Europe's most famous glaciers.  The Gorner Glacier runs down the west side of the Monte Rosa masif near Zermatt, Switzerland.  With a surface area of nearly 60 square km (about 20 square mi.), it's the second largest glacier in the Alps.  Monte Rosa, which is part of the Pennine Alps, is the second highest peak in the Alps after Mt. Blanc in France.  

Avoriaz is one of the best-known skiing destinations in the French Alps. It's in the area between Chamonix and Mt. Blanc to the south and Lake Geneva to the north. The resort has 51 slopes with a top-to-base drop of just under 1.4k meters or about 4.5k feet. It is one of the resorts credited with pioneering modern skiing and continues to be among France's top ski resorts and amongst the top in the entire Alps region. Ear Trumpet Media created this drone video of the magnificent slopes of Avoriaz.

The San Juan Mountains are a high and rugged range within the Rocky Mountains of the western United States. Located in southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico, the San Juans played a huge role in the gold and silver mining booms that were critical to the history of Colorado and indeed of the entire American West. Now known more for their fresh powder and fantastic ski conditions, you can see the range in this dynamic drone video by talented AirVuz contributor and drone pilot HAYDEN KAST.

Translating to “white forest” in French, Vars La Forêt Blanche is a lovely ski resort in the French Alps. Featuring over 115 trails, 185 km (115 miles) of slopes and 360-dgree views of Mont Ventoux, Mont Blanc (the highest peak in the entire Alps system), the Ecrins, and the Italian peaks the area is an incredibly popular destination for locals. Pilot hittheroad.today captured the unique destination with her DJI Mavic Air in this beautiful winter flight, which was recorded in brilliant 4k.

When we say epic dronie, we mean it. The opening shot in this piece by AirVuz contributor and drone pilot Jturner is one epic dronie. The piece just gets better when you find out that Jturner was the subject his drone was following. He said he let his DJI Mavic Pro drone hover over him while he skied down Gemmstock - a mountain in the Swiss Lepontine Alps.  The Lepontines are a sub-chain of the greater Alps system which run through parts of southern Switzerland and adjacent areas of northern Italy.  

Check out this short but stunning 4k drone video from France's famous Grand Montets ski area, compliments of top AirVuz contributor and pilot Jturner.  A very well-known resort in the Chamonix Valley of the French Alps, the Grand Montets is known for its particularly challenging runs down the Aiguille d'Argentière.  The resort lies immediately to the north of the mighty Mt. Blanc, the tallest mountain in the Alps.  The resort's runs lie at altitudes between 1.28k - 2.8k meters above sea level, or around 4.2k - 9.2k ft.  

Wow, what a way to watch some extreme, backcountry snowboarding! AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) pilot vasiliz takes us out to the supremely fresh powder of the backcountry mountain tops at Spain's Baqueira Beret resort in the Pyrenees. Oftentimes, professional snowboarders will be brought in via helicopter since these locations are only accessible by air. To film this level of snowboarding was formerly only accessible for companies with the funds to do so.  This video made the FPV Pilots to Watch list in September, 2019.

Gulmarg is home to one of India's top ski resorts.  It's in the northern state of Jammu & Kashmir, not far from the Pakistani border.  Situated in the middle of one of the world's most notorious political flashpoints, the area's tourism traffic has at times been affected by the level of military tension between India and Pakistan.  As these tension have (generally) subsided in recent years, Gulmarg has come into its own.  In this drone video by Rocannon, you can see these amazing Himalayan ski runs from above.  

Take a trip down a mountain in the Swiss Alps with skier Ohh Mandy in this aerial video by AirVuz contributor appulver.  He filmed her on the slopes of the mountains around the town of Savognin.  It's located in Grisons, a southeastern canton and the country's largest by land area.   The mountains here are part of the Grison Alps, whose highest peaks have summit elevations of around 4k meters above sea level or a bit over 13k ft.  The town of Savognin itself has an elevation of around 1.2k meters above sea level or a bit over 13k ft.  

Prepare to be amazed by this spectacular first person view (FPV) drone video following a famous skier hitting the slopes of the legendary resort of Chamonix in the French Alps.  Watch maximemoulinfilm follow skier Sam Favret, who has become known around the world for being filmed tackling some of the world's most challenging back-country slopes.  Filmed during a period when Chamonix was otherwise closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the video combines FPV footage with shots from a DJI Mavic Pro 2. This video was a DVOY finalist in 2021. 

While the Urals and Caucasus are the two mountain ranges most commonly associated with Russia, they aren't the only mountains in this enormous country.  Witness this fantastic drone video from contributor and pilot Rocannon.  The video was filmed at the Khibiny Open Cup freeride competition in the Khibiney Mountains.  This range is one of two (and the taller) which sit on the Kola Peninsula in the Murmansk Oblast (province), in the very far north of Russia and well inside the Arctic Circle.  

For a first upload to AirVuz, new contributor Ben Kala brings us this fantastic drone video from a famed ski resort in the Austrian Alps.  Saalbach is located in the municipality of Saalbach-Hinterglemm in the Zell am See District of the state of Salzburg, about 100 km (around 60 mi.) south of the state's namesake capital.  The resort is situated in the east-west oriented Saalbach Valley, surrounded by the Kitzbühel Alps (a subchain of the broader Alps system).  The resort hosted the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships of 1991.  

Hakuba is a village in the Japanese Alps that lies just outside the host city of the 1998 Winter Olympics, Nagano.  It is situated roughly in the geographic center of the island of Honshu, the main island of the Japanese Archipelago.  Hakuba is popular in winter because of all the outdoor activities locals and tourists can participate in like down hill and cross country skiing. Enjoying those winter activities is pilot HAYDEN KAST. He’s brought his drone with him to take in the 120 mile long Japanese Alps. 

Top AirVuz contributor HAYDEN KAST has made a specialty out of using drones to film skiers.  It's notoriously difficult to film skiers flying down mountains - the speeds are high, the trees are many, and the "stage" is highly sloped.  In this drone video, he compiled some of his best skiing footage to show us how these flying cameras can truly capture the essence of skiing.  Much of the footage was captured in the San Juan Mountains in Colorado.  There's also footage from the mountains of Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of Japan.   

The Hochkönig is a mountain group that includes the highest mountain in Berchtesgaden Alps. Located in the Austrian state of Salzburg in the northern part of the country, it is just 26 miles outside of the city of Salzburg. Travel cinematographer backpackpassion takes us on a short escape into the hills, documenting his journey skiing and hiking through the snow with buddies.  While we might not be able to escape their ourselves, we do get to sit back and enjoy the beautiful views thanks to this aerial edit.

Top AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) drone pilot Lucaputzer earned a spot on the FPV Pilots to Watch list in February of 2024 with this highly cinematic FPV video of Austria's Kitzbühel ski area.  Kitzbühel is a valley surrounded by the peaks of the Kitzbühel Alps in the state of Tyrol.  Less than two hours from Munich (in neighboring Germany), Kitzbühel is one of the most exclusive ski resort areas in Europe, and home to some of the most valuable real estate in all of Austria.   

Top AirVuz contributor Airpica put together this awesome video of some epic snowboard freeriding in the Andes Mountains of Chile.  Show using a combination of drone and ground camera footage, the video was shot at the Nevados de Chillán Resort, which is located on the slopes of the Nevados de Chillán stratovolcano complex in the Biobío Region near the middle of the country.  The highest of the peaks, Cerro Blanco, has a summit elevation of about 3.2k ft. or around 10.5k ft. above sea level.  

Check out this drone video of the famed Les Trois Vallées ski resort in the French Alps, compliments of top AirVuz contributor and pilot HendrikW.  Located in the Tarentaise Valley in the Savoy Department, Les Trois Vallées was originally three different resorts until the early 1970's when they were linked together by ski lifts.  With 600 km (around 375 mi.) of alpine runs, 183 lifts, and 120 km (about 70 mi.) of cross-country ski trails, it's considered the largest single ski complex in the world.  

Air + Style is a snowboarding contest which has freed itself from the constraints of having to take place in the mountains.  While it began life in the 1990's in the Austrian Alps, the contest now sets up snowboard courses wherever space permits.  With extensive use of music, the events have mesmerized many millions of younger extreme sports enthusiasts around the world.  In 2017, AirVuz was selected as a media partner for an Air + Style event in Los Angeles; this video is a recap of the event.

Check out this incredible flight by Team AirVuz pilot Tomz FPV, in which he chases Alexis Pinturault, the most successful French skier in World Cup history. As both an alpine ski racer and Olympic medalist, Pinturault offers some fun FPV pursuit around the gates while the racing drone tracks all of the arcing through the fresh powder.  With all of the high energy footage, it's no surprise this video was a collaboration with Supersize Films for Red Bull, and why Tomz was named to the FPV Pilots to Watch list in January, 2020.

Check out this fantastic drone video of one of South America's largest ski resorts, compliments of AirVuz contributor and pilot Mike Ferrari.  It's called Las Leñas, and it's located in the foothills of the Andes in the northwestern province of Mendoza.  Opened in the 1980's and expanded several times in the intervening years, the resort has a base altitude of 2.24k meters above sea level (around 7.35k ft.) and has a total drop of 1.2k meters or around 3.9k ft.  With 27 runs, the resort lets a skier run non-stop for 7 km (around 4 mi).

Former Drone Video of the Week Winner nauj brings us this fantastic drone video of a skiing scene in Japan.  It's at the foot of Mt. Iwaki, an inactive stratovolcano situated in the Aomori Prefecture in Tōhoku, the northernmost region of the island of Honshu.  Although its elevation is a modest 1.6k meters (about 5.3k ft.), it is geometrically similar to Mt. Fuji and for that reason is sometimes called Tsugaru Fuji.  Known for the quality of its snow powder, the mountain has two different ski resorts on its slopes.  

AirVuz contributor ante de la creme brings us this excellent drone video of a famous ski resort in the Southeast European country of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Jahorina resort is located on its namesake mountain, which has a summit elevation of just over 1.9k meters above sea level or around 6.3k ft.  The ski resort, which is the largest in the country, was the venue for the women's alpine skiing events at the 1984 Winter Olympics, which were held in Sarajevo (located about an hour's drive to the northwest) in 1984.  

Top AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) drone pilot AdventureGraph put together this stunning video of some freeride (backcountry) skiers making their way down the slopes of the Austrian Alps.  Given the speeds involved, filming these skiers with an FPV drone is extremely challenging, and the closeups he's able to capture are incredible.  Check out the flip shot at the 1:20 mark.  This video was picked by the AirVuz editorial staff for the FPV Pilots to Watch list in December of 2023.