In case you are not familiar with the “Extra Vertical Debate”

If you are a first time heli-skier or someone contemplating a heli-ski trip, this may not be a familiar term to you. Allow us to explain...

First of all – what is vertical footage? For experienced heli-skiers, the answer is obvious. If you are a first time heli-skier or someone contemplating a heli-ski trip, this may not be a familiar term.

Vertical feet refers to the vertical distance from the top of a run to the bottom. It is the traditional method of tabulating how much you ski in a run, a day, or a week. If you have a run that is 3,000 vertical feet and you ski it 10 times in one day, you have skied 30,000 vertical feet that day.

There are two types of packages offered in the heli-ski industry.

• One package offers a set amount of vertical footage. Extra vertical is then charged once the package vertical has been skied and the guest makes the choice to continue skiing. This is what we do.
• The second package offers unlimited vertical.

How do you decide which is best for you?

At first, one is usually drawn to the “unlimited vertical,” kind of like an “all you can eat” buffet. It pays, however, to look closely and compare the two types of packages. Crescent Spur does not offer unlimited vertical packages and would like you to consider the following:

(1) If you compare the cost of packages offering set vertical against unlimited vertical, you realize that companies who offer unlimited vertical generally charge significantly more for their packages. One could assume this is to cover the cost of the anticipated amount of skiing (basically charging you for extra vertical in advance of you actually skiing it).

(2) Conditions beyond an operator’s control (weather, snow conditions) can limit the amount of skiing such that you may ski your guaranteed vertical but not much more – this would then penalize those who have paid up front for that unlimited vertical.

(3) With unlimited vertical, guests may feel they need to ski more than they want, as in essence they have paid for it. This may lead to them to continue to ski past their enjoyment, fitness or ability level.

In our opinion, by keeping our base package price lower with a set amount of vertical, we create a situation where the decision to assume more cost rests with the client.

 Here is an example of a real company’s figures based on 2011 pricing:

At first it may seem like Company “A” with unlimited vertical may be the better choice. And, after all, don’t we all like to think of the “all inclusive” vacation? But consider the difference in base price: $3,285 higher for Company “A”!  You can ski a lot of extra vertical for that additional cost!

Let's compare actual figures:

Company “A” claims on their website that their average groups ski 21,450 v.ft/day (128,000 v.ft over 6 days) and their faster groups ski 33,000 v.ft/day (198,000 v.ft over 6 days) so let’s work with those figures:

With us you would have to ski 205,967 vertical feet before you pay what you would pay with Company “A.” While we realize that very few groups will ever ski that much, with Company “A,” you’ll be paying for that amount regardless.

We feel that it is in our guest's  best interest to find the best quality skiing and to continue to ski until you are satisfied. We believe you should only pay for the extra skiing that you do. 

We hope this has been helpful - if you have any questions on this topic, please don't hesitate to give our office a call.