Under the guidelines of Heli-Skiing Safety & Operations Program  (HSOP) specifically developed by Heli-Ski US Association is the benchmark industry standard. HSOP is a tool for evaluating helicopter skiing operations and risk mitigation in helicopter skiing. Members lease from Part 135 operators typically Europcopter A-Stars  & Bell 407’s and self-regulate a long list of helicopter protocols. This list of protocols includes but is not limited to:

• Operations Base & Staging Area
• Safety & Operations Plan Requirement
• VFR Flight Rules
• Coordination of flight Operations
• Termination of Operations
• Pilot Qualifications & Training
• Pilot – Guide Co-Training
• Ground support Personnel & Procedures
• Aircraft & Pilot Equipment
• Snow Safety & Weather Forecasting
• Operating Procedures
• Emergency Response Planning