Like newbies clogging the fall line, drones are seemingly everywhere these days.
From real estate agents to biologists, the remote-control helicopters equipped with a video camera are making light work of heavy jobs in just about every profession, capturing a wicked bird’s-eye view. They’re a staple of ski films and now you can be the star of your own.
Personal drones are not allowed at most ski resorts. Alone, even in skilled hands, they could collide with lifts, chairs and skiers. Autonomous drones that follow users can’t sense objects in their way. If everyone could have one, the skies above resorts would turn into buzzing swarms with potentially disastrous consequences. Enter Cape, a U.S.-based drone operator with approval from Transport Canada and the FAA in the U.S. to fly its drones around ski hills. Last winter Cape partnered with a dozen North American ski resorts, including Fernie, to offer professional drone filming services.
Cape’s drone operators set up on a designated run. A skier swings by and signs up to have the drone film for two or three runs. A Cape employee also nabs footage at the top of the run and scenic shots. For a fee that ranges from $100 to $150, professional editors stitch it all together into a one-minute video for the ultimate social media brag.
“The Cape crew set up daily on a run off the Elk Chair and they were an amazing crew,” says Matt Mosteller, who speaks for Fernie. “They were always entertaining guests with flights at their staging area.”
Expect the number of partner resorts to grow this winter. cape.com
