From the archive record
Roddy introduces Heli Skiing sport with villagers of Himachal. Heli-skiing is off-trail, downhill skiing or snowboarding that is accessed by a helicopter, as opposed to a ski lift. As early as the late 1950s helicopters were used in Alaska and Europe to access remote terrain. Heliskiing was promoted in ski films featuring Seth Morrison, Mark Abma, Glen Plake, Hans Gmoser, and others. Heliskiing is practiced in many countries around the world. It is banned in Germany and was banned in France in 1984, while neighbouring Austria allows just two landing sites. In Switzerland there are an estimated 15,000 heliskiing flights each year, to 42 landing sites. In 2010 Switzerland's major environmental groups, including the Worldwide Fund for Nature, handed a petition with over 15,000 signatures to t