{"id":2043229,"date":"2026-07-14T16:41:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T13:41:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2043229"},"modified":"2026-07-14T16:41:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T13:41:20","slug":"faa-says-resorts-can-now-use-specialized-drones-for-avalanche-control","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2043229","title":{"rendered":"FAA Says Resorts Can Now Use Specialized Drones For Avalanche Control"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_415989\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-415989\" style=\"width: 1017px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"wp-image-415989 lazyload\" src=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAoAAAAGrAQMAAABqgLQIAAAABlBMVEUAAAD\/\/\/+l2Z\/dAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAADhJREFUeNrtwTEBAAAAwqD1T+1tB6AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADgDIcbAAEnbF1FAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC\" alt=\"montis avalanche control system\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" data-src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/montis.jpg?resize=640%2C427&amp;ssl=1\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/montis.jpg?w=2048&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/montis.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/montis.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/montis.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/montis.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/montis.jpg?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/montis.jpg?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-eio-rwidth=\"640\" data-eio-rheight=\"427\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\" wp-image-415989\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/montis.jpg?resize=640%2C427&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"montis avalanche control system\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" data-eio=\"l\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-415989\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The US FAA recently granted regulatory approval for ski resorts to operate Drone Amplified\u2019s MONTIS avalanche control system. | Credit: Drone Amplified<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-1\" style=\"margin: 8px auto;text-align: center;display: block;clear: both\">\n<!-- GAM 71161633\/SNWBR_snowbrains\/article_hrec_1 --><\/p>\n<div data-fuse=\"article_hrec_1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Avalanche control operations just got a little more tech-y.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently granted <a href=\"https:\/\/droneamplified.com\/drone-amplified-faa-approval-montis-avalanche-control-drone\/\">regulatory approval<\/a> for <a href=\"https:\/\/droneamplified.com\/montis\/\">Drone Amplified\u2019s MONTIS system<\/a>, specifically designed for avalanche control operations.\u00a0<\/strong>The FAA\u2019s decision gives ski resorts around the country a clear framework to implement and operate the MONTIS system, and it is a clear step forward for mountain safety.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Related: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/snowbrains.com\/a-i-and-drones-will-reshape-how-search-and-rescue-operations-are-conducted-in-the-future\/\">A.I. and Drones Will Reshape How Search and Rescue Operations are Conducted in the Future<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>The MONTIS System<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>MONTIS is a complete drone-based system that lets resorts trigger controlled avalanches from a safe distance.\u00a0<\/strong>With the system, avalanche control crews fly MONTIS drones over predicted avalanche areas and drop fully integrated charges to initiate controlled avalanches. The drones include a patent-pending ability to disarm the charges mid-flight, giving drone operators complete control.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Drone Amplified designed MONTIS with safety in mind.\u00a0<\/strong>It allows teams to conduct avalanche mitigation from a safe and remote location, removing personnel from direct exposure to avalanche paths or the risks associated with operating helicopters in hazardous conditions. The system also serves as a strong alternative to using artillery and as a reliable backup for when remote avalanche control systems (RACS) are down for maintenance.<\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-16\" style=\"margin: 8px 0;clear: both\">\n<div id=\"sb-newsletter\" style=\"background:#2B2E3A;border-top:3px solid #D7424E;padding:26px 24px 22px;margin:28px 0;,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;width:100%;display:block\">\n<p>    @media (max-width:600px) {<br \/>\n      #sb-newsletter { padding:18px 20px 14px !important; }<br \/>\n      #sb-newsletter h3 { font-size:14px !important; white-space:nowrap; }<br \/>\n      #sb-newsletter .sb-body { font-size:12px !important; margin-bottom:8px !important; }<br \/>\n      #sb-newsletter .sb-proof { font-size:11px !important; }<br \/>\n      #sb-newsletter .sb-form-row { flex-wrap:nowrap !important; }<br \/>\n      #sb-newsletter .sb-form-row input { font-size:12px !important; padding:9px 10px !important; }<br \/>\n      #sb-newsletter .sb-form-row button { font-size:12px !important; padding:9px 12px !important; }<br \/>\n    }<\/p>\n<div id=\"sb-form-wrap\">\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:2px;text-transform:uppercase;color:#D7424E;margin:0 0 9px 0;,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif\">SnowBrains Newsletter<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"color:#ffffff;font-size:19px;font-weight:700;margin:0 0 6px 0;line-height:1.25;,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif\">The snowsports journalism skiers trust.<\/h3>\n<p class=\"sb-body\" style=\"color:#ffffff;font-size:13px;margin:0 0 8px 0;line-height:1.5;,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif\">Award-winning journalism, resort reports, powder forecasts and industry deep dives from the world&#8217;s largest independent snowsports outlet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sb-proof\" style=\"color:#9ca3af;font-size:12px;font-style:italic;margin:0 0 12px 0;,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif\">Join thousands of snow lovers.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sb-form-row\" style=\"display:flex;gap:8px;flex-wrap:wrap\">\n<p>      <button style=\"background:#D7424E;color:#fff;border:none;border-radius:4px;padding:10px 20px;,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;font-weight:700;cursor:pointer;white-space:nowrap\">Subscribe free \u2192<\/button>\n    <\/div>\n<p style=\"color:#ffffff;font-size:11px;margin:10px 0 0 0;,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif\">No spam. Unsubscribe any time.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"sb-success\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p style=\"color:#ffffff;font-size:26px;font-weight:700;margin:0 0 8px 0;line-height:1.2;,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif\">You&#8217;re in!<\/p>\n<p style=\"color:#ffffff;font-size:15px;margin:0;line-height:1.5;,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif\">Thanks for signing up. The best ski news is on its way.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>function sbSubscribe() {<br \/>\n  var email = document.getElementById(&#8216;sb-email&#8217;).value;<br \/>\n  if (!email || !email.includes(&#8216;@&#8217;)) {<br \/>\n    document.getElementById(&#8216;sb-email&#8217;).style.borderColor = &#8216;#D7424E&#8217;;<br \/>\n    return;<br \/>\n  }<br \/>\n  var url = &#8216;https:\/\/snowbrains.us5.list-manage.com\/subscribe\/post?u=1f247afab0a546e393c022f9a&amp;id=bcbf6caf6b&amp;f_id=003bf2e0f0&#8217;;<br \/>\n  var data = new FormData();<br \/>\n  data.append(&#8216;EMAIL&#8217;, email);<br \/>\n  data.append(&#8216;tags&#8217;, &#8216;2188762&#8217;);<br \/>\n  data.append(&#8216;b_1f247afab0a546e393c022f9a_bcbf6caf6b&#8217;, &#8221;);<br \/>\n  fetch(url, { method: &#8216;POST&#8217;, body: data, mode: &#8216;no-cors&#8217; });<br \/>\n  document.getElementById(&#8216;sb-form-wrap&#8217;).style.display = &#8216;none&#8217;;<br \/>\n  document.getElementById(&#8216;sb-success&#8217;).style.display = &#8216;block&#8217;;<br \/>\n}\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>To make the MONTIS system even more appealing to ski resorts, it is a much cheaper alternative to purchasing a new RACS tower, which can be a major expenditure for resorts.\u00a0<\/strong>Given its mobility, the system serves as a cost-effective tool for expanding avalanche control operations and a maintenance backup plan for a resort\u2019s existing infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Founded in 2015, Drone Amplified built MONTIS using its current IGNIS system as inspiration. <\/strong>The IGNIS system, which has been utilized in wildland firefighting for years, has helped the company build its reputation as a leader in remote safety operations.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Related: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/snowbrains.com\/engineering-snowfall-how-rainmakers-drones-help-shore-up-water-supplies-while-maximizing-ski-resort-snow\/\">Engineering Snowfall: How Rainmaker\u2019s Drones Help Shore Up Water Supplies While Maximizing Ski Resort Snow<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Supplementing Existing Operations<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>For years, resorts have used a variety of methods for avalanche control and mitigation.\u00a0<\/strong>Manned helicopters, RACS towers, artillery, and skilled ground personnel have all been utilized. With the new FAA approval, ski resorts now have a legal path to integrate MONTIS alongside these existing methods, giving ski resorts a new remote option to trigger avalanches in the event of maintenance or unsafe conditions.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>New Technology at Ski Resorts<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>The FAA\u2019s approval of the MONTIS system comes as ski resorts are increasingly turning to new technology to improve operations.\u00a0<\/strong>In addition to drones, some resorts have turned to artificial intelligence to assist with safety operations. For example, New York\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.belleayre.com\/\">Belleayre Mountain<\/a>\u00a0launched its A.I. Ski Patrol Drone Program in April 2025, which started replacing traditional human ski patrollers with state-of-the-art, artificially intelligent aerial guardians. Other resorts are beginning to do the same.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The push for drones at ski resorts partially stems from a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/fact-sheets\/2025\/06\/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-unleashes-american-drone-dominance\/\">2025 Executive Order<\/a> issued by United States President Donald Trump, who wanted to ensure continued American leadership in the development, commercialization, and export of drones.\u00a0<\/strong>The order paved the way for FAA approval of the MONTIS system by enabling routine \u201cBeyond Visual Line of Sight\u201d drone operations for commercial and public safety missions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>As A.I. and drone technology continue to improve, their role in avalanche control and other safety operations will very likely increase.\u00a0<\/strong>With technology specifically designed for avalanche control, ski resorts can turn to drones to cover ground more efficiently, quickly, and safely when threats are imminent.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_371377\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-371377\" style=\"width: 1211px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-371377 lazyload\" src=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAoAAAAGiAQMAAABNj+XAAAAABlBMVEUAAAD\/\/\/+l2Z\/dAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAADhJREFUeNrtwTEBAAAAwqD1T20Hb6AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIDfAIRCAAFs4dE7AAAAAElFTkSuQmCC\" alt width=\"640\" height=\"418\" data-src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screen-Shot-2025-09-03-at-6.04.06-AM.jpg?resize=640%2C418&amp;ssl=1\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screen-Shot-2025-09-03-at-6.04.06-AM.jpg?w=1211&amp;ssl=1 1211w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screen-Shot-2025-09-03-at-6.04.06-AM.jpg?resize=300%2C196&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screen-Shot-2025-09-03-at-6.04.06-AM.jpg?resize=1200%2C784&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screen-Shot-2025-09-03-at-6.04.06-AM.jpg?resize=768%2C502&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screen-Shot-2025-09-03-at-6.04.06-AM.jpg?resize=600%2C392&amp;ssl=1 600w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-eio-rwidth=\"640\" data-eio-rheight=\"418\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-371377\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screen-Shot-2025-09-03-at-6.04.06-AM.jpg?resize=640%2C418&amp;ssl=1\" alt width=\"640\" height=\"418\" data-eio=\"l\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-371377\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ski resorts across the country are increasingly turning to drones and A.I. to assist with safety operations. | Credit: Murdo MacLeod\/The Guardian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><!-- CONTENT END 1 -->\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The US FAA recently granted regulatory approval for ski resorts to operate Drone Amplified\u2019s MONTIS avalanche control system. | Credit: Drone Amplified Avalanche control operations just got a little more tech-y.\u00a0 The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently granted regulatory approval for Drone Amplified\u2019s MONTIS system, specifically designed for avalanche control operations.\u00a0The FAA\u2019s decision [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,267],"class_list":["post-2043229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-snowbrains-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2043229","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2043229"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2043229\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2043229"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2043229"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2043229"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}