Will drones replace helicopters for filming skiing?

what if drones drop them off as well? I guess i do not film with a drone or a helicopter but I would have to say they already film a lot with drones

Drones will make a huge impact on smaller budget and urban productions. But Helis will still dominate.

Big lines need heli support, and for safety the heli needs to be up and running. Depending on how the heli is leassed out, its not more cost effetive to shut down between drops. Most companies give you a limited amount of starts in a heli lease, so alot of times its cheaper to just keep it running and pay for the hours.

I would also think you could load higher quality camera equipment in a heli.

small action cams are rapidly improving, so once they are equally, drones will deffinatly take over in park and urban movies

Did you get this idea off the new South Park episode OP?

They already are homie.

Beetle_KillI would also think you could load higher quality camera equipment in a heli.

im sure someone will develop a larger drone that could carry larger amounts of supplies.

They already have???

Anti Media (they work with Field Productions) have had their drones mounted with 4k resolution RED cameras for a couple of years now.

I hope so. FPV piloted helis could get real close to skiers unlike a normal heli - and they wouldn't be as disruptive to the skier. You could hover them next to cliffs, do followcam, rearcam.

I suppose you'd need two operators - one to pilot, the other to film. The challenges are weight of the camera (a normal heli can hold a large camera - look at the tgr one), battery life, expense, expertise.

They'd also be useful to scout out terrain before slaying it.

this is actually an interesting point that hadn't crossed my mind. +k

nine50sevenwhat if drones drop them off as well? I guess i do not film with a drone or a helicopter but I would have to say they already film a lot with drones

Chris Davenport has already talked about this idea - heli-drones.

Website article - http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/snow-sports/skiing-and-snowboarding/The-Future-of-Skiing-Chris-Davenport.html

In the nineties, with the advent of twin tips, heli-skiing, and an explosion of new media, things changed a lot for skiing. In the next 25 years, I see a slowdown in the evolution.

Backcountry skiing will continue to be a big growth segment. Skiers will be doing more hut trips, touring, and heliskiing.

Technology will evolve from a safety perspective. Airbags will lift you off the slope so an avalanche can pass under you, and after a minute you’ll float gently back down to earth. Avy beacons and search technology will be integrated into your cell phone—in fact all your gadgetry will be incorporated into one device. In 25 years, you may be able to put 10 terabytes of information onto a chip implanted into your ear under your skin. Any information you want will download from your mind to a device in your hand that can tell you everything, totally changing the decision-making process.

Right now we have archaic “skins” on our skis to climb mountains. Why not have a ski with a flip switch that changes the polarity of a ski so that it grips?

It’s conceivable that in 25 years, we’ll have our own drone helicopters to transport us to the top of a mountain. Mini remote-controlled drones are used now to carry cameras on ski film shoots. In 25 years, there could be one that hooks to your pack so you can fly yourself to the top. Then you remote-control land it at the bottom of your run and ski down. It’ll be battery operated, zero emissions.

In the future, there will be less focus on snowmaking. We’ll wait for mother nature to create snowfall and go play on what she gives us. It will be like surfing.

If you look back through the ski history publications at the experiences people were having, what we’re doing today in so many ways is much the same as 50 years ago. We’re skiing to get away from everyday life, the static of the world, enjoying being together with friends. Just because the technology changes doesn't mean the sport will.

Big companies have the money, no problem, to pay for helis. They can prob get some better cameras there, and small cameras will probably never fully catch up to their larger counterparts, so the bigger companies on mountains will probably stick with helis. But for smaller groups and guys doing urban im sure drones will play a part. I bet all the urban guys will end up with drones, and the guys without the budget for the heli who are just dealing with the safety risks will go with drones on mountains

I think drones will be used more and more for travel shots into city, then into maze of alleys and then into specific alley and then tight to group of naked guys in a dumpster.

Seems everybody here is focused on the big mountain potential and really ignoring the naked dudes in dumpster market.

Breaking_RadI think drones will be used more and more for travel shots into city, then into maze of alleys and then into specific alley and then tight to group of naked guys in a dumpster.

Seems everybody here is focused on the big mountain potential and really ignoring the naked dudes in dumpster market.

what you did there, i see it

THANKS SONY

It's a sony fact!

meathead films used a drone in some of the neo videos

ChubbyBoyDid you get this idea off the new South Park episode OP?

No, I have not seen or heard of that episode. Did it include skiing?

UAV's (none of these are drones, they are all piloted) have already made a serious impact on filming and have replaced true heli cams in many ways. The UAV's can incorporate all of the best equipment, have much smaller footprints (tighter shots), and the insurance/costs associated are significantly smaller. Small companies can even own and operate their own equipment which makes a huge difference in production. Hell, you can go pick up a quadcopter for like 500$ and end up with professional aerial shots in an afternoon. So sweet. UAV's and drones are going to revolutionize many industries, not just videography.

That being said, Heli's will always have a place in skiing; at least for the next few decades.

There was a kick-starter a while ago on this drone that follows a controller about that you stick on your arm or whatever. You just type in the height and angle and then leave it to do it's own thing. I can see going under chair lifts getting in the way though.

They are already using them. It's smart to start using them, they are way easier