Arctic Heli Skiing or Summit Heliskiing: which is better?

No score and no verdict of ours: what Arctic Heli Skiing and Summit Heliskiing each publish on their own websites, read 10 November 2026, topic by topic, each line linked to the page it came from.

Arctic Heli Skiing or Summit Heliskiing: which is better?

Neither is better for everyone: Arctic Heli Skiing and Summit Heliskiing differ on terrain, group size, vertical, prices and terms, set out below from each operator's own website.

What is each operator?

Arctic Heli Skiing runs heli-skiing under its own name from Klængshóll Lodge on the Troll Peninsula in Iceland and in East Greenland, with heli-assisted touring and ski touring alongside. Source

Summit Heliskiing sells heli-skiing under the name Summit Heliskiing from Sóti Lodge in Iceland, with all-Icelandic guides and a partner helicopter from Norðurflug. Source

Where does each operator ski?

Arctic Heli Skiing operates on the Troll Peninsula in Northern Iceland from its own Klængshóll Lodge and on the East Coast of Greenland. Source

Summit Heliskiing operates in Iceland, on the Troll Peninsula in North Iceland around Siglufjörður, Ólafsfjörður and Fljótin, from Sóti Lodge. Source

How much terrain?

Arctic Heli Skiing says its terrain covers 6,000 square kilometres (1500 square miles) of steep couloirs and faces and wide open low angled glacier runs, with no tree skiing. Source

Summit Heliskiing skis alpine terrain with huge couloirs and vast valleys, from wide-open powder fields to steep narrow couloirs. Source

Helicopters or snowcats?

Arctic Heli Skiing flies Airbus H125/AS350 B3e AStar helicopters supplied by Heli Austria, with space for 4 skiers in the back and the guide and pilot up front. Source

Summit Heliskiing flies Norðurflug's Astar B2 helicopter, carrying up to 4 guests, pilot and guide. Source

How many skiers share a guide?

Arctic Heli Skiing skis in groups of 4 guests with a guide, with up to 3 groups sharing one helicopter on Classic and only 2 groups on Premium. Source

Summit Heliskiing sells seats on a per person basis in a small group, with up to 4 guests in the helicopter. Source

How much vertical is included?

Arctic Heli Skiing sells flight time rather than vertical: Iceland Private includes 5 or 7 hours (about 75 minutes a day or 100,000 to 140,000 vertical feet in total) and extra flight time is €3,000 (no season given) per hour. Source

Summit Heliskiing includes about 15,000 vertical feet per day (about 8 runs and about 1 hour of flight) and guarantees a minimum of 75% of the vertical included in a package. Source

What if weather stops flying or you ski less?

Arctic Heli Skiing refunds unused flight time at €3,040 (no season given) per hour when weather, a mechanical breakdown or conditions stop the whole group reaching its guaranteed time, or offers a credit at €3,975 (no season given) per hour for use within the next 2 seasons. Source

Summit Heliskiing refunds EUR 30 (no season given) for every 1,000 vertical feet not skied below the 75% threshold when weather, avalanche risk or equipment issues cut the skiing. Refunds nothing where the shortfall is due to ability, fitness or injury. Source

Who guides?

Arctic Heli Skiing uses guides certified through IFMGA, ACMG, AMGA and CSGA. It says every guide has at least 70 hours of wilderness first aid. Source

Summit Heliskiing: Fields an all-Icelandic guide team led by Leifur Örn Svavarsson, an AIMG Level 3 ski guide, with other AIMG Level 3 and Level 2 ski guides. Source

What safety programme and gear?

Arctic Heli Skiing holds guide meetings twice a day on snowpack and hazard, gives avalanche and helicopter safety briefings, tracks each helicopter by satellite and is an Associate member of HeliCat Canada and of the Canadian Avalanche Association. Source

Summit Heliskiing holds a mandatory safety briefing before tours and trains guests in the use of the beacon. Keeps guides, pilots and base staff in constant radio contact. Provides an avalanche backpack with air system, Arva beacon, shovel and probe. Is an affiliate member of HeliCat Canada. Source

Where do you stay?

Arctic Heli Skiing bases guests at its own Klængshóll Lodge, which sleeps up to 16 guests on double occupancy and has a spa house with sauna, hot tub and massage room. Source

Summit Heliskiing houses guests at Sóti Lodge in Fljótin, which takes up to 15 guests in seven en suite rooms, next to a geothermal swimming pool with hot tub and sauna. Source

When is the season?

Arctic Heli Skiing runs from mid February to the end of June. Source

Summit Heliskiing runs a spring season, with 10 April to 2 May 2027 on its tours page. Source

How long are the trips?

Arctic Heli Skiing's Iceland Private and Ultimate Private programmes each run 4 or 6 days. Source

Summit Heliskiing sells a 1-day tour, a 2-day heli-touring getaway and 4-day and 6-day packages, with tours customisable for 1 to 7 days. Source

What does a trip cost?

Arctic Heli Skiing and Summit Heliskiing publish prices for different packages. Neither publishes a price for the same package as the other on the pages read, so this page sets no price against another. Each card gives the operator's own dated price.

What does the price include?

Arctic Heli Skiing's Iceland Private price includes flight time, lodging at Klængshóll, meals, guides, safety training, Pieps JetForce airbags and Völkl skis. Extra flight time, personal insurance, airfare and alcoholic beverages are not included. Source

Summit Heliskiing includes lodge accommodation on double occupancy, all meals, skis and bindings, avalanche safety equipment, a guide and the Akureyri airport shuttle in its multi-day packages. Charges extra for some down-day activities. Source

What do solo skiers pay?

Arctic Heli Skiing bases programmes on double occupancy and charges no single room supplement when a guest travelling alone is placed in a single cabin or the main house; a supplement applies if a group agrees to take single rooms. Source

Summit Heliskiing sells seats on a per person basis to individual skiers in a small group, with a minimum of 4 participants to run customised tours. Source

How much is the deposit?

Arctic Heli Skiing takes a non-refundable deposit of 30% of the package price and asks for final payment 90 days before the package starts. Source

Summit Heliskiing takes a non-refundable deposit of 20% of the total cost within seven days of booking. Asks for the balance no later than eight weeks before departure. Source

What happens if you cancel?

Arctic Heli Skiing gives no refund for late arrival, early departure or sickness; on Private programmes a cancellation more than 90 days out loses the deposit and one at 90 days or less means the entire price is owed. Source

Summit Heliskiing lets a booking cancelled more than eight weeks before the start move to the next year without losing deposit or payments made. Treats a cancellation within eight weeks as possible to defer to the following year, with the 20% deposit non-refundable. Source

What insurance do you need?

Arctic Heli Skiing requires each guest to buy trip or holiday cancellation insurance plus medical, personal and travel insurance. The policy should include off-piste and heli-skiing. Source

Summit Heliskiing: Makes clients responsible for comprehensive insurance covering medical expenses, repatriation and activity-specific risks. Source

What level do you need?

Arctic Heli Skiing asks for a fit intermediate skier able to ski under control in off-piste terrain and says previous heli-ski experience is not required. Source

Summit Heliskiing asks for intermediate off-piste skiers in good physical condition. Source

Can teenagers come?

Arctic Heli Skiing sets no minimum age and does not mix children into other groups unless they are over about 12 or excellent skiers. Source

Summit Heliskiing accepts bookings from individuals aged 18 and above. Needs written consent from a legal guardian for minors, who must be accompanied by an adult. Source

When is each not the fit?

The limits below are published by each operator on their own websites.

• Arctic Heli Skiing: not the fit if you are below fit intermediate level or cannot ski under control in off-piste terrain. Source
• Summit Heliskiing: not the fit if you are not an intermediate off-piste skier in good physical condition. Source

How do their reviews compare?

Their figures per platform, read 10 November 2026, from listings under the operator's own name; a whole-company listing is marked. Figures are never added together.

• Summit Heliskiing: Google: 5.0 out of 5 from 33 reviews. Read 10 November 2026.

The operators at a glance

One card each, as on every Uncompromised Travel heli-skiing page: what each sells, why to choose each, what to ask for and the limits each publishes.

Richard Jasinski · Uncompromised Travel · written from Valencia · first published 10 November 2026 · updated 10 November 2026