An AS350-family helicopter parked beside a glacier at Oastler Pass in Alaska
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The mountain standard

Airbus H125

Compact, powerful and familiar to mountain pilots worldwide, the H125 family is the defining small-group heli-ski machine.

Light singleSingle engineVerified 2026-08-22
National Park Service · Public domain

Airbus Helicopters

AS350 / Écureuil family

AS350 B3/B3eAStarSquirrelÉcureuil
Typical ski format
3–5 guests
Certified seating
1 pilot + up to 6 passengers
Published cruise
136 kt / 252 km/h
Main rotor diameter
10.69 m
An AS350 B3 helicopter beside a high mountain hut in the Monte Rosa massifDLR_de · CC BY 3.0 DE

The skier’s view

A small cabin with a big mountain footprint

The H125 is the machine many skiers picture when they hear “small-group heli-skiing”. Its compact footprint and strong high-altitude performance suit fast rotations between alpine pickups, glaciers and tighter landing sites.

In a typical ski setup, every seat is working hard. Guests board in a practiced order, packs stay compact and skis or boards travel in an external basket. The reward is an intimate group and a day that can move at your pace.

Small-group rhythm

Usually one guide with a compact guest group.

Global reach

Common from Canada and Alaska to Iceland, Greenland and New Zealand.

Many names

AStar, Squirrel and Écureuil all point back to the AS350 family.

Inside the cabin

Compact and deliberately choreographed

A common mountain layout places the pilot front-right, a guide or passenger front-left and four guests across the rear cabin. Exact seats and loading order vary by aircraft and operator.

Configuration
Representative small-group layout
Equipment
Skis and snowboards normally ride in an external basket; packs follow operator rules.
The instrument panel inside an Airbus H125 cockpit
Representative aircraft interior; upholstery, equipment and mission fit vary.Kakoula10 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Nose / cockpit
Guide
Pilot
Guest 1
Guest 2
Guest 3
Guest 4
Cabin doors
Pilot Guide Guest

Airbus transport layouts and Selkirk Tangiers operating description

The operator’s view

Why this aircraft works

  • Strong high-altitude performance in a light single-engine airframe.
  • A compact landing footprint and efficient small-group rotations.
  • A deep worldwide fleet, support network and mountain-flying familiarity.

Where you will find it

Selkirk TangiersBritish Columbia, CanadaAStar small-group programs alongside Bell 212 operations.
Arctic Heli SkiingIceland and GreenlandView operatorH125/AS350 B3e aircraft across Arctic programs.
CMH Heli-SkiingBritish Columbia, CanadaA-Star B3 aircraft within a fleet of more than 30 helicopters.
Browse operatorsExplore destinations

Names matter

Variants and aliases

AS350 B2

An earlier, less powerful AS350 variant still encountered in mountain operations.

AS350 B3 / B3e

High-performance variants strongly associated with modern heli-skiing.

H125

The current Airbus designation for the latest production evolution of the AS350 B3e.

Research notes

Sources & verification

Aircraft specifications describe reference conditions. Operator sources establish current heli-ski use and group format. Last reviewed 2026-08-22.

  1. manufacturerH125 technical information Airbus Helicopters
  2. operatorAStar vs. Bell 212 Selkirk Tangiers Heli Skiing
  3. operatorHelicopter partners and fleet Arctic Heli Skiing

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