Choosing AK heli ski op

[2FUNKY]

That's why I left, I guess I'm spoiled skiing the northern Rockies. Just judging by the conditions on that line. I would be riding my 191 Lhasa Fats if I get to go.

[Lindahl]

No go on. Serious question.

Haha... the picture didnt load for me at first, but yeah, what Knuckle says is accurate. Its always different and ya dont know till ya go.

[Angle Parking]

Or you could go heli skiing in BC. Canadian dollar is weak right now so on that alone you would save big bucks.

[LiveLarger]

Or you could go heli skiing in BC. Canadian dollar is weak right now so on that alone you would save big bucks.

I haven't been skiing in BC (yet) so take what I say with a grain of salt. Before I booked last seasons AK trip, I contacted several BC operators and asked what to expect. All of them apart from Bella Coola Helisports said you could not expect to ski steep faces like you do in Haines. Not going to claim that BC skiing is boring or anything ridicules like that, but going by the operators own words, I would not expect to ski 45++ degrees faces, like you do as a regular client in AK. Apart from Bella Coola Helisport, that seems to be an exception.

Edit: But I'm sure that going to BC could yield more skiing in the given time frame..

[phil-]

... All of them apart from Bella Coola Helisports said you could not expect to ski steep faces like you do in Haines. ...I would not expect to ski 45++ degrees faces ...

Bella Coola is coastal, so their snow pack may be more like that in AK. That's relatively wet, so it sticks better on steep slopes.
I've not ridden there, although it's not known for being particularly tough (or I would have, ha ha). For your first trip you'd not be taken anywhere tough anyway.

[ghettostyle]

Go to interior BC / powder hwy for the best tree skiing in the world, and AK for the best steep alpine. Both are fantastic, and very different. I have skied AK-like terrain in the Caribous, but still not steep/long/consequential as AK.

[Shredhead]

Powder Hwy January/February.
AK March/April and sometimes even May.

[Dhelihiker]

Like anything, you get what you pay for. Everything else is conditions dependent, i.e. how steep, how much how good etc.

[skideeppow]

I have been going with SEABA in Haines the last two years. I have stayed a total of 28 days and it have netted me a total of 12 days of skiing and probably somewhere around 80 runs. As it's the only heli-op I have been going with, the experience is a bit limited. But I only have good things to say about the crew there.

What you will have to realize is that you don't show up and are dropped of to ski spines like you see in a movie. If they don't know you, you will start out at fairly easy terrain and the guide will move you trough more interesting/steeper terrain as group dynamics, conditions allow, until he/she believes you are up to safe ability level. As others have said, I think you will greatly benefit from showing up several years in a row as you get to know the guides etc.

You can have a look at what kind of terrain my first time AK skiing experience yielded here.

what he said, i have been going to ak since 95, and this is how it works.

[3PinGrin]

I do believe that the red thumbs down has relegated you to wearing this, wherever you end up.



Edit to add: with that being said, I don't think you can go wrong on this trip and I am jealous (except for the thong suit)

[digitaldeath]

So the heli ops bring you to zones just like some all time day at a resort?
I mean I can straight line Laramie bowl and hit 80mph.

No offense to all you dentists but isn't it about something more than just bragging rights?

Either way, I'll have my own chopper soon. I can get dunfee to draw me a map

[ak_powder_monkey]

I flew with Alaska Powder Descents in Juneau last year and can't recommend them enough. Hopefully this year will have Eaglecrest for down day too. After run one they pretty much pointed to the good snow and said have at it! We had tough conditions but they found the best snow around for us. A great day and I'd do it again.

Some Pics:

[SteepnDeeeep]

Also interested in this topic:

2 things I'm most interested in is who fly's the most (locational differences leading to slightly better weather? ARL claims blue hole, etc) and what are the different refund or credit policies for when you don't fly. Thanks all for the info.

Talk about late to the game on this thread, but for anyone that ends up reading, here you go.

I'm a guide at the Alaska Rendezvous Heli Ski Guides (Alaska Rendezvous Lodge), and the blue hole is a real thing. Its not some marketing ploy, its a geographical and meteorological phenomenon caused by our location. The Lodge is on the very northern terminus of Thompson Pass. The Tiekel River which runs to the east and Stewarts Draw to the Tonsina Glacier running to the west are major dividing lines in the topography of the landscape. This forms the first major delineation between the intermountain and the contenintal This is a simplified explanation, but storms that come in from the gulf spin and gather moisture until they reach the copper river delta, the largest available low pathway for a storm to enter land without meeting resistance from the mountains. They head north and wall up when they reach the larger mountains to the east (the wrangells), and then stall out 10 miles to our east where the Tiekel meets the copper, this is the copper whopper. As the storms leave, the first place for them to clear is the northerly, and easterly portion of the range, where the interior high pressure is, and away from the maritime influence of the low pressure systems on the coast. Look at the map I provided and this information adds up. I've spent 10 the last 10 seasons at 45 mile and we consistently have more fly days than any other operation.

Someone also mentioned that all the operations fly to the same terrain. The closest to us is 10 miles away. The next is 13 miles and so on until you reach town which is 50 miles away. The economics of the business leads to most of the operations being seperated by proximity. While there are areas (the Tsina Valley, the Hoodoo) that see multiple operators flying in the same area, for the most part rarely do we see other helicopters in our terrain. Usually if thats the case, its a private charter that will ski one run then fly off somewhere else.

Also, depending on how you structure your package (36 run, 7 day package or a private charter (always the way to go with 8 people in your group)) we do provide guarantees as far as how many runs you get or how much you fly and you can use unused time at a later date, with stipulations.

I'm biased, but we have the best location, the best staff, the coolest lodge and the best terrain in the Chugach (which means the best in the world). If you want information, hit me up and i'll fill you in on every last detail. We have a few spots available for this season and the snow is already beginning to stack up on Thompson Pass in a major way.

Jiggy

[old goat]

Someone was asking about trip insurance. I haven't been but we're booked with PNH in March. What we were told is that the trip includes so many hours of heli time. If you don't get that much time it's like you paid for a shore excursion on your Caribbean cruise that was cancelled--the travel insurance reimburses you for the heli time you didn't get. No reimbursement for airline, lodging, or food--just the unused heli time. Whether it actually works like that I hope not to find out. I get travel insurance anyway--at my age the odds on having to cancel a trip due to being dead or reasonably high.

[spanky]

and the blue hole is a real thing. Its not some marketing ploy, its a geographical and meteorological phenomenon caused by our location.

Agreed. I was in the neighborhood in 2008 and was supposed to fly with ABA (further west on the pass) but was grounded. As painful as it was, a few of us double-dipped with ARG because they were flying the blue hole. For example...

[pfluffenmeister]

Had a few season passes to squaw back in the day and have skied there a bit since I escaped Cali long ago. The pic I referenced was well skied out. Still looks like a great pitch though. I would love to stand on that line with a stiff 108 underfoot ski.

Hey now, you better be bringing up those Lhasa Fats to the big show!
I would bring those plus my 202 138s!
Labor savers on those big ol' faces; I've heard bring the fastest thing you got.

Although this is beyond my means, who has cat backup for grey days?

[2FUNKY]

Hey now, you better be bringing up those Lhasa Fats to the big show!
I would bring those plus my 202 138s!
Labor savers on those big ol' faces; I've heard bring the fastest thing you got.

Although this is beyond my means, who has cat backup for grey days?

Yeah, they would be in the ski bag along with some 192 ProTest.
#lhasafat4life

[subtle plague]

I've been to both and I'd say AK Heli.
They pushed the group more and I thought they have better terrain. But it all depends on conditions and the group I guess. I guess we were really lucky with Tim Tom as our guide at AK heli. And we did not get the best possible Guide at Points north I'd say. (Plus we were babysitting a rich Australian for one day. But that's the risk you have take as a group of two and not really Point NOrth's fault Unfortunately we skied only runs that day that I could have starightlined and 1200$ is really a lot of money for me especially as I had had about 40 days that season which had been better at the cost of a lift ticket. Maybe we didn't complain loud enough, but as friendly and humble Euros we tought that our guide would notice that we are not really at our skiing limit....)
I really liked the Vibe at AK Heli living in the famous "Plywood Palace" chopping firewood and Hanging out at the burger joint/gas station
If Money is not the problem then you can try the other operators but AK Heli and points north had been the only ones i could barely afford.
If I had money I'd probably try seaba.

[Lindahl]

Someone was asking about trip insurance. I haven't been but we're booked with PNH in March. What we were told is that the trip includes so many hours of heli time. If you don't get that much time it's like you paid for a shore excursion on your Caribbean cruise that was cancelled--the travel insurance reimburses you for the heli time you didn't get. No reimbursement for airline, lodging, or food--just the unused heli time. Whether it actually works like that I hope not to find out. I get travel insurance anyway--at my age the odds on having to cancel a trip due to being dead or reasonably high.

FWIW, we’ve used Travelex insurance in the past and have been reimbursed for unused heli time.

[Eastern Sierra Skier]

What's the best heli operation in AK? That's easy, it's the one that's flying the day that your there. It's always a gamble, and when you've scrimped & saved for the once in a life time trip it's a downer when your grounded. You want a sure thing, go cat skiing.

Taken two trips to Points North in Cordova. First trip was epic. Prior to our arrival they had flown 1/2 day in the last 10 days. Not much stoke or smiles in the departing group as we passed them in the airport. Different story for us as we walked into three straight fly days, one down day, followed by two more fly days. Our guide, nicknamed the "Lone Wolf", followed the terrain progression program and on day three got us into the shit. We were the first group out this day landed on the top of this feature.


The center couloir know as "Oz" was our warm up run. 2500ft+ vert and super steep at the top which the photo doesn't do justice to. Super sick. Next was the chute on the right of the photo, Sweet grass. Entrance at the top was super sketch. Our guide set a rope and we rappelled in. Off camber fall line meant that your turns to the right were met with a river of sluff that was funneled along the wall. Third run was the chute on the left of the photo, which in comparison to the first two was rippable and comfortable to open it up. Almost every run that day was scary steep and was in the no fall zone criteria.

Second trip was a different story with only two fly days. Pissing down rain day after day. Down day activities included heavy beer drinking, followed by shooting large caliber weapons. The Desert Eagle 50 cal semi automatic pistol that the pilot carried was like having a fucking cannon in your hand. I couldn't hit anything with it, but was satisfied that I didn't get whacked in the forehead by the recoil. AR 15 was also a first for me.

So of the 14 days I've been there, I've flown seven which is probably above average. So where ever you decide on, go into it with realistic expectations that down days are a fact, and that if you fly half the time your doing good. Best of luck

[buildakicker]

^^^ Ya dude. You hit it. I agree with whichever one is flying. I solo'd it up there years ago with a credit card and good reading material. Every morning i'd call looking for seats. Worked out pretty good between them all. Had my best turns with Rendezvous Lodge. Great guide.

[cravenmorhead]

Maybe this is a dumb question, but it seems like the answer to no fly days is to focus only on operators with cat skiing back ups. Is there a reason that isn't the default for most people? Is it just a terrain choice issue?

[muted]

I've flown in Bella Coola and the steep stuff and mellow stuff is all pretty fun. Mellow stuff had lotsa roll-overs, trees, etc. rather than a flat white slope with one angle AK usually has. Flight time is a lot of straight up but once at elevation it seemed like really short paths to great stuff. Steep stuff was a bit farther out for sure. Seemed like a luxury op though, I wonder how many good skiers go there. You might be stuck with people from the south! (j/k).

PNH is great, especially on down-days. There's a lot of shit to do, or at least compared to other ops on down days. Only bummer is 15 minute flight to the terrain, which means 30 minutes of flight time every day that is just commuting. Keep in mind all ops commute a bit anyways, it's just more with PNH.

[Dexter Rutecki]

What's the best heli operation in AK? That's easy, it's the one that's flying the day that your there. It's always a gamble, and when you've scrimped & saved for the once in a life time trip it's a downer when your grounded. You want a sure thing, go cat skiing.

Taken two trips to Points North in Cordova. First trip was epic. Prior to our arrival they had flown 1/2 day in the last 10 days. Not much stoke or smiles in the departing group as we passed them in the airport. Different story for us as we walked into three straight fly days, one down day, followed by two more fly days. Our guide, nicknamed the "Lone Wolf", followed the terrain progression program and on day three got us into the shit. We were the first group out this day landed on the top of this feature.


The center couloir know as "Oz" was our warm up run. 2500ft+ vert and super steep at the top which the photo doesn't do justice to. Super sick. Next was the chute on the right of the photo, Sweet grass. Entrance at the top was super sketch. Our guide set a rope and we rappelled in. Off camber fall line meant that your turns to the right were met with a river of sluff that was funneled along the wall. Third run was the chute on the left of the photo, which in comparison to the first two was rippable and comfortable to open it up. Almost every run that day was scary steep and was in the no fall zone criteria.

Second trip was a different story with only two fly days. Pissing down rain day after day. Down day activities included heavy beer drinking, followed by shooting large caliber weapons. The Desert Eagle 50 cal semi automatic pistol that the pilot carried was like having a fucking cannon in your hand. I couldn't hit anything with it, but was satisfied that I didn't get whacked in the forehead by the recoil. AR 15 was also a first for me.

So of the 14 days I've been there, I've flown seven which is probably above average. So where ever you decide on, go into it with realistic expectations that down days are a fact, and that if you fly half the time your doing good. Best of luck

Oz:



Attachment 205746

The very top:



Getting into it:









[/QUOTE]


Hard to imagine doing better than PNH in terms of terrain they are willing to take you to.

[2FUNKY]

That's steep. Love the "WOW".