The essential Alpine vehicle guide
Getting around on the slopes requires a different breed of machine
- Words by: Rory FH Smith
- Imagery courtesy of: Airbus Helicopters, Polaris, Pilatus, Yeti, Lamborghini, PistenBully, and Can-Am
Chalet life is all about the views, the ski-in, ski-out access and the wine cellar – but how you get about in the Alps is paramount, too. A modern Alpine estate isn’t complete without a fleet of machines built to get you up the mountain, across it and occasionally above it. From the purely practical to the gloriously eccentric and downright unnecessary, here are seven toys worth having the keys to.
Airbus H125
The H125 holds the world altitude record, having landed on Everest at 8,848m.
The H125 holds the world altitude record, having landed on Everest at 8,848m, and it remains the default choice for heli-skiing operators for good reason. It’s powerful, manoeuvrable and entirely unfazed by thin Alpine air and steep terrain. There are few machines better suited for accessing the untouched snow before the lift queues form.
Polaris Sportsman 600
The 567cc Sportsman 600 is built for getting things done.
Polaris provide the workhorses for estates all over and it’s no different at 2,000m above sea level. From hauling firewood, checking fence lines and getting out in a hurry when the chalet’s stores of tonic run low, the 567cc-engined Sportsman 600 is less about spectacle and more about getting things done.
Pilatus PC-12 PRO
The PC-12 PRO combines short-airstrip capability with the comfort of a light jet.
Built in Stans, Switzerland, the PC-12 PRO is a turboprop designed for short, rough airstrips, such as Sion or Samedan, near St Moritz. This brings a Garmin G3000 cockpit and emergency autoland technology plus cabin comfort close to a light jet, but at roughly half the price. It’s the rare aircraft built as much for the owner-pilot as the destination.
Yeti SnowMX FR
A carbon-fibre kit transforms a dirt bike into a machine for deep snow.
This Mad Max-esque bolt-on kit converts a dirt bike into a snow bike, built by a small outfit in British Columbia that’s spent a decade perfecting deep-snow performance. Made of ultra-lightweight carbon fibre, the Yeti SnowMX is built for rapid acceleration and whipping through tight tree lines. One for those mad moments on the mountain.
Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato
Raised ride height and all-terrain tyres take the Huracán beyond the tarmac.
This zombie-apocalypse spec, four-wheel-drive Sterrato is essential. Raised ride height, all-terrain tyres, underbody protection and the naturally aspirated V10. Spouting snow and a screaming 5.2-litre V10, the sound of the Sterrato will alert those far down the valley of your sensible approach to Alpine driving.
PistenBully
Metal tracks and a six-cylinder diesel engine make light work of steep terrain.
With a six-cylinder diesel engine churning out more than 600bhp and metal tracks capable of taking on even the most confident military machinery, the PistenBully is a sure-fire way of making it up and across a mountain. While it’s neither road legal or subtle, it will get you in and out of hot spots. Function first and ego very much included.
Can-Am Maverick X3 Turbo RR
The Maverick X3 Turbo RR earns its keep throughout the year.
A side-by-side scrambler with a turbocharged engine pushing towards 200hp, long-travel Smart-Shox suspension borrowed from Baja trophy trucks, and a chassis that’ll withstand a hammering. Where a snowmobile sits idle in summer, the X3 earns its keep all year, making it a perfectly justifiable extravagance.
