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abjectwoe
May, 2025

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Lets Talk About Drones (and Skiing)!

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562056961108
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Hey everyone:

As I'm sure most of you are aware, we're probably on the cusp of personal filming with drones this coming winter (or next winter). As many of you older guys can remember, this feels a lot like when GoPro first came out. Tech was mostly there, there were a few hiccups here and there, but it changed the way we filmed and experienced skiing.

Lets talk about it! What kind of drones are you guys planning to use? Have you kickstarted or pre-ordered any tech? (I have, funded Hexo + on Kickstarter, they use a GoPro with a gimbal https://hexoplus.com/... Lily just got released today, a very close competitor, no go pro though https://www.lily.camera/)

Has anyone here used a drone to film skiing before? was it human controlled or autonomous? issues? complaints? successes?

Would love to hear feedback from the community.
10 years ago
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270on420out
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My friend saved up a ton of cash and bought one. (He's into tech stuff and gadgets too, so he uses it for a bunch of other stuff). We used it one day. It was a fairly windy day but it worked perfectly fine. The only struggle was punching in the GPS coordinates.
10 years ago
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562056961108
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VizualMy friend saved up a ton of cash and bought one. (He's into tech stuff and gadgets too, so he uses it for a bunch of other stuff). We used it one day. It was a fairly windy day but it worked perfectly fine. The only struggle was punching in the GPS coordinates.


word. what kind of drone was it? how long did it fly? how'd the footage look?
10 years ago
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Holte
Posts: 10751 - Karma: 7,996
VizualMy friend saved up a ton of cash and bought one. (He's into tech stuff and gadgets too, so he uses it for a bunch of other stuff). We used it one day. It was a fairly windy day but it worked perfectly fine. The only struggle was punching in the GPS coordinates.


Whoah whoah whoah. You can't say things like that without posting a video.
10 years ago
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270on420out
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huckcliffsword. what kind of drone was it? how long did it fly? how'd the footage look?

I cant remember the exact model. It flew for a 3 minutes at a time, and we filmed a couple times. I still haven't seen the footage. My friend needs to send it to me, but from the other footage I've seen, it films pretty well.
HolteWhoah whoah whoah. You can't say things like that without posting a video.


I need to get it and post it up
10 years ago
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cozzey
Posts: 1353 - Karma: 1,814
Looking at the lily and it seems pretty cool. No need for a gopro which makes it much simpler. Just wish u could control height and things but i dont think that these will be brought to the slopes. Too dangerous and expensive, unless for a film company like Level 1
10 years ago
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Big_Mtn
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I have a DJI Phantom which I have heavily modified and upgraded. I learned how to fly a quad by getting a small durable Hubsan X4. From there I went to flying my current quad in a controlled environment (empty school gymnasium). I'm now confident flying pretty much anywhere. If my cheap ass chinese gimbal would work and timberline would let me fly, I'd have some footage. If you are flying in close proximity to others, make sure you know what you are doing. Also, make sure people don't chase it and get a nice big gash in their finger (you know who you are).
10 years ago
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eheath
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I think comparing this to gopros is a bit unreasonable, i think drones will be a phase.
10 years ago
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cozzey
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eheathI think comparing this to gopros is a bit unreasonable, i think drones will be a phase.


I think that drones will be around for the rest of.most of our lives. They are much more reasonable the helicopters and can practically get the same shots
10 years ago
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562056961108
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eheathI think comparing this to gopros is a bit unreasonable, i think drones will be a phase.


hey eheath, long time no see around these parts.

Expand on that... why would drones be a phase? is it a cost thing? is it the difficulty of operating them well? regulations at resorts and from the FAA? is it lame having something buzzing around you while you ski?
10 years ago
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562056961108
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huckcliffshey eheath, long time no see around these parts.


Expand on that... why would drones be a phase? is it a cost thing? is it the difficulty of operating them well? regulations at resorts and from the FAA? is it lame having something buzzing around you while you ski?

I tend to believe that these things will see more mass adoption and could become as ubiquitous as GoPros, particularly as they get cheaper and more autonomous with their flight patterns.
10 years ago
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eheath
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huckcliffshey eheath, long time no see around these parts.

Expand on that... why would drones be a phase? is it a cost thing? is it the difficulty of operating them well? regulations at resorts and from the FAA? is it lame having something buzzing around you while you ski?


FAA is one thing for sure, also that having more than 1 or 2 drones in one area ya know?

Also, everyone and their mothers is getting into drones, the market is saturated, many will give up and itll become less popular, its just how this shit works.
10 years ago
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SteezOnSkis12
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only 20 mins on one charge and you cannot change out batteries... Thats a no for me.
10 years ago
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562056961108
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eheathFAA is one thing for sure, also that having more than 1 or 2 drones in one area ya know?

Also, everyone and their mothers is getting into drones, the market is saturated, many will give up and itll become less popular, its just how this shit works.


I hear you on the "lots of drones in one space" thing, that's a interesting problem.

But, I may disagree with you on the saturated market thing. DJI, Hexo, Lily, and a bunch of others are in the market, but that is analogous to the aciton camera industry in its infancy (Garmin, ActionCam, and plenty other tried to unseat GoPro... it just didn't work). The cream will rise to the top in a few years here I think.
10 years ago
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eheath
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huckcliffsI hear you on the "lots of drones in one space" thing, that's a interesting problem.

But, I may disagree with you on the saturated market thing. DJI, Hexo, Lily, and a bunch of others are in the market, but that is analogous to the aciton camera industry in its infancy (Garmin, ActionCam, and plenty other tried to unseat GoPro... it just didn't work). The cream will rise to the top in a few years here I think.


I just think any sort of aerial shot will be super played in the future, its easy to get and EVERYONE is doing it.
10 years ago
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562056961108
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eheathI just think any sort of aerial shot will be super played in the future, its easy to get and EVERYONE is doing it.


oh for sure. but this is a shot that cost 20k 3 years ago (you'd need an actual heli.) its innovative & cost effective, and I think that has all kinds of merit, IMO.

The best shots are going to shift to RED cameras, 4K slomo, and all sorts of shit you know about that I don't eheath!
10 years ago
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cozzey
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I was thinking and i think that the LILY will be the future of the point and shoot cameras or dslrs'sor whatever u call them. Aerial drones that u can toss and you dont have to manually control them and they will take photos by themselves. What do you think? Is the LILY going to have a bigger impact on the drone industry or the photographer/family on vacation industry?
10 years ago
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eheath
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huckcliffsoh for sure. but this is a shot that cost 20k 3 years ago (you'd need an actual heli.) its innovative & cost effective, and I think that has all kinds of merit, IMO.

The best shots are going to shift to RED cameras, 4K slomo, and all sorts of shit you know about that I don't eheath!


haha dude that stuff has been happening for years already...

people still use real helis too, only way to really do it IMO
10 years ago
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chuckmarty
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I'm getting the Hexo+ when it gets released. I'm planning to use it solely in the backcountry amd maybe a few in-bounds hike-to runs that don't get much traffic. Probably won't use it on extended hikes though unless I've got a crew to help carry gear.
10 years ago
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562056961108
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DrDickButtI'm getting the Hexo+ when it gets released. I'm planning to use it solely in the backcountry amd maybe a few in-bounds hike-to runs that don't get much traffic. Probably won't use it on extended hikes though unless I've got a crew to help carry gear.


word, good plan. Do you plan to use it in the parks at all? I've dreamed of this for a while but imagine it might get a little sketchy
10 years ago
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eheath
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huckcliffsword, good plan. Do you plan to use it in the parks at all? I've dreamed of this for a while but imagine it might get a little sketchy


Pretty much every resort will shut you down, guarantee it.
10 years ago
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cozzey
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eheathPretty much every resort will shut you down, guarantee it.


Every post always has that one downer
10 years ago
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eheath
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chiefclulEvery post always has that one downer


Downer or the honest/truth answer?
10 years ago
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cozzey
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eheathDowner or the honest/truth answer?


Mixes of the two. I think they would be pretty cool for back country but i have to agree that a very little amount of resorts would allow them, maybe on down days though
10 years ago
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chuckmarty
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huckcliffsword, good plan. Do you plan to use it in the parks at all? I've dreamed of this for a while but imagine it might get a little sketchy


seeing as how I suck at park and the resort staff probably wouldn't allow it, I don't plan on using it in park. It would look rad as hell though if I was a good park skier.
10 years ago
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JAHn
Posts: 501 - Karma: 2,687
Seems like it could be pretty useful for backcountry skiers. Skin up to the line you want, turn on your autonomous drone that follows you down, GTS, pack it back up. Would be a sick way to get non POV footage for people that don't have a camera man to follow them around. Could even act like an avy beacon if someone gets buried. The drone hovers over the buried skier and makes them easier to locate. I think drones will be around for a while.
10 years ago
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207
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Sugarloaf already has signs at the bottom of the superquad that say drones are prohibited on Sugarloaf property. Most ski resorts wont allow it
10 years ago
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562056961108
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Do Vail Resorts have a blanket ban on drones? thoughts there? anyone know?
10 years ago
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SkiBum.
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huckcliffsDo Vail Resorts have a blanket ban on drones? thoughts there? anyone know?


Yes
10 years ago
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SurfaceHoar
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Drones are banned unless you pay.
10 years ago
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craigcski
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Food for thought:

"Drones" are here to stay. FAA is far from a threat as long as you're responsible and knowledgeable about what they request of you as a pilot. It's a matter of where you can use them. Any ski resort will kick you out in a heart beat. If you're really interested do the research before jumping right into it. Its not a cheap industry. As a beginner starts out its not if you crash its when.
10 years ago
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Pac2
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drones are cool to get those full park helicopter type shots if anyone know what im talking about
10 years ago
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N.L.
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lily is the future. 10 years ago we were using cassettes and linear editing. lol, anyone can be a videographer nowadays, and that will be phased out to automated filming.
10 years ago
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CrotchKiller
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Handheld 3 axis gimbals like the ronin are going to be more prevalent in skiing then drones. At least in my eyes
10 years ago
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Flowbear
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Honestly, I think this technology will get eaten up and you'll probably see a few on the mountain next season, especially since the lily drone is on preorder for only $499 right now which is the price for a gopro these days if not cheaper, I'm sure a lot of up and comers will be buying these drones since they're cheaper then a gopro at this moment they're reliable and will always get the shot.

My worries is what will happen when these things are flying all over the park and the mountain and if they are able to avoid objects, for instance like tree skiing, chair lifts or other drones, since in the video all the areas filmed were in open spaces. There will definitely be some bans at most ski resorts if this becomes a thing and gets to be as popular as the gopro.
10 years ago
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562056961108
Posts: 0 - Karma: 575
craigcskiFood for thought:

"Drones" are here to stay. FAA is far from a threat as long as you're responsible and knowledgeable about what they request of you as a pilot. It's a matter of where you can use them. Any ski resort will kick you out in a heart beat. If you're really interested do the research before jumping right into it. Its not a cheap industry. As a beginner starts out its not if you crash its when.


hey thanks Craig! I'll be doing some research this summer, hoping to practice a bunch with my Hexo+ (when it ships...) before I use it on snow.

I do know the crash rate it pretty high... hoping the autonomous factor might limit that a bit.

BTW so sorry about War of Rails. Hope you guys can bring that back somehow, some way.
10 years ago
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bieberhole69.
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The one disadvantage of Lily is that it comes with the camera built in, which I'm sure works fine but there's no way its on par with a gopro.

https://www.airdog.com/
Air Dog's another following drone, can put a gopro on it too
10 years ago
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Sunman222
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While it seems not all resorts have policies regarding drones yet, I just can't seem them being allowed once they become more mainstream. Resorts have enough liability as it is and I can't see them risk allowing drones to fall out of the sky and hit people. (If you follow the drone community then you know this happens quite often due to either hardware failure or user error.)

But with that said, the most promising looking drone will be the 3DRobotics Solo coming out in June. The thing has two computers, one in the drone and one in the controller, and it's supposed to be as noob friendly as possible. They also have a partnership with GoPro so you can control it with the Solo controller/app.
10 years ago
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craigcski
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huckcliffshey thanks Craig! I'll be doing some research this summer, hoping to practice a bunch with my Hexo+ (when it ships...) before I use it on snow.

I do know the crash rate it pretty high... hoping the autonomous factor might limit that a bit.

BTW so sorry about War of Rails. Hope you guys can bring that back somehow, some way.



Yeah buddy! Also get a simulator for your computer. I use Aerofly 7 on my mac. Depending on the transmitter you have you can connect an adapter which makes it a better practicing experience.

Thanks for the support with W.O.R. Plans for 2016 are already underway..
10 years ago
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theabortionator
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craigcskiThanks for the support with W.O.R. Plans for 2016 are already underway..


I like this
10 years ago
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seth.ab
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i got this drone that i put my gopro on u get this app and the drone will fallow u
10 years ago
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ReturnToMonkey
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It's not a phase, dad
eheathI think comparing this to gopros is a bit unreasonable, i think drones will be a phase.


Bumping because I want to know the things that people do and don't like about drone footage. I have an fpv pilot friend who I want to train to film skiing and I want to make sure he sees the right stuff to learn from. Hit me with your thoughts and segment recs
3 years ago
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asparagus
Posts: 2500 - Karma: 28,453
ReturnToMonkeyIt's not a phase, dad


Bumping because I want to know the things that people do and don't like about drone footage. I have an fpv pilot friend who I want to train to film skiing and I want to make sure he sees the right stuff to learn from. Hit me with your thoughts and segment recs

IMO, just because you can do a shot with a drone instead of a follow cam doesn’t mean you should.

Also I know that drones are good for capturing unique angles but sometimes people go overboard and do weird rotating shots which can be confusing to watch.

Idk drones are cool for a couples shots but get annoying after a while. The faction edit with Matej’s quad did a good balancing job.
3 years ago
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zulis
Posts: 543 - Karma: 1,727
Know these guys been using DJI drones for years. Have crashed fair amount of them too. Think its often the only way to showcase the gnarly lines they ski. Think drones in skiing are def here to stay. Good movie overall too.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/aaeBN_JYkcA
3 years ago
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2GANGSTA
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show of hands: who here has crashed and lost their drone while filming? video beyond recovery??
3 years ago
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hi_vis360
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ReturnToMonkeyIt's not a phase, dad


Bumping because I want to know the things that people do and don't like about drone footage. I have an fpv pilot friend who I want to train to film skiing and I want to make sure he sees the right stuff to learn from. Hit me with your thoughts and segment recs


The only ski video with lots of drone footage that I have enjoyed was Kye Petersen Numinous. Pretty much all other drone footage is terrible to look at IMO.
3 years ago
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