Haines or Valdez 2018??

[stantonbum1]

Hi Guys, long time maggot, but havent posted in something like 8 years!

I've read all the threads on AK, but most of them are from 3 years ago or older, so thought I'd create a new thread on this as I'm guessing that there may be more (or fewer) heli ops around now, and that some of the setups might have changed.

I've never been to AK, so hopefully the collective can give me some advice on where to go and which heli ops to consider. Here are some details which will hopefully help with the advice.
-I'm going to be spending a couple of months skiing and backcountry touring in BC before heading up to AK
-I will have a van kitted out for sleeping in, and my plan is to drive up to either Haines or Valdez around mid march (I know its a long drive!)
-I have unlimited time available
-I have budget for a couple of weeks of heli-skiing
-I'm a strong skier, I have spent many seasons in the Alps in Chamonix, Verbier, La Grave etc.
-I want to get to ski steep big lines
-I'll be travelling solo, and don't have 3 others to fill the heli with

Some specific questions:
-Should I go to Haines or Valdez?
-Are there any specific heli ops that will increase my chances of not being stuck with a weak group?
-Should I book in advance, or should I just get to Haines or Valdez and then see what my options are? (I dont have a time limit on my stay in AK)
-Any tips for doing this trip like as much of a dirtbag as possible? (I dont mind spending money if I have to though)

PS If anyone is putting a strong group together and needs to fill a seat let me know.

Thanks!

[BFD]

driving up it is only a few hour detour to Haines if you have time and money you can do both. If you plan to spend any time touring I would definitely go to Valdez over haines. It appears you do not plan on making reservations. I would just wait till haines Junction and make the call based on conditions.

[stantonbum1]

Thanks BFD. I can totally book ahead of time, but I'm wondering if I should?

[covert]

AHS, ASG, and Black Ops are your current dirtiest bag options.

[BFD]

reserving a week somewhere is probably your best chance to ski steeper things. best as has been said previously is private heli. As for where this discussion has been covered before.

[Telemarketeer]

Check before hand with the operators and see how they handle walk up biz. Some might be able to squeeze you in last minute for a lower price. This also prevents paying for down days, or getting stuck paying to ski on shitty days. Check into every outfits cancelation policies before committing to reservations.

Valdez has Thompson pass, which is great if you can't get up in the bird. Renting a snow machine in this area will increase chances of success. Don't know what Haines has. Don't leave out Girdwood, or Juneau either. Having a local ski area for down days can be pretty handy.

I wouldn't plan too much out ahead of time and leave your options open. You can always just take the ferry between the two if the snow/weather is better at one or the other. You are in a pretty good position with the #vanlife, use that to your advantage.

[Shredhead]

I’d just fly by the seat of your pants. Take your time, pick your days and fellow clients.

[Wibby]

The Ski Journal staff and friend's will be flying with Dean at H20 (Valdez) in April. If you want to hang out in the bar.

[LiveLarger]

So, how was conditions this season?

Someone told me it was friggin awesome in Haines. Some other guy said it was the worst season ever.

[spanky]

I'd be curious on an update. I missed this the first time around, but advice I once heard (Gordy, I think) was... you either go to AK with a lot of money or a lot of time. You go there prepared to spend a lot of money and possibly not ski much, or go with a lot of time and pick your days.

Before VHSG revamped the Tsaina Lodge and classed up the place, there was a guy supposedly living in a snow cave when I was there. Also, one of the guides was living in a converted school bus. Lastly, Alaska Rendezvous has parking for RVs and, I believe, showers for a small fee.

[digitaldeath]

soon i shall descend upon the promised land


for i am the ONE

[BFD]

It is like the stock market. When it is good everyone is talking.

[otto parts]

So, how was conditions this season?

Someone told me it was friggin awesome in Haines. Some other guy said it was the worst season ever.

Pretty tough year for Haines, we were up from the 16-26th. 2 days of wind slab and low angle. But when it's on......

[swissiphic]

Hey Stantonbum1: What route are you driving up to A.K.? If yer swingin' up highway 37N; I live in Terrace B.C. and work at Last Frontier Heliskiing in Stewart from Jan till mid April. Lots of great ski touring in the Stewart area if you're up for a walk. Mid March can still be very good for snow conditions down close to valley bottom. Might not have time to join ya due to work hours but can definitely point ya in the right directions if you're interested. If you're up for regular potential standby heliskiing, LFH Stewart terrain is some of the best around for long vert alpine runs and damn fine tree skiing...not A.K. steeps focused but if stability is good, we get after it.

[stantonbum1]

I'd be curious on an update. I missed this the first time around, but advice I once heard (Gordy, I think) was... you either go to AK with a lot of money or a lot of time. You go there prepared to spend a lot of money and possibly not ski much, or go with a lot of time and pick your days.
.

Been meaning to post something up update / fill in in the gaps on the info contained in the other threads so that as a guide to heli skiing in Alaska there is a bit more info on TGR.

I ended up going to Valdez as the reports were that the Chugach had a solid snowpack while Haines had had no significant snowfall since December. Just as I was about to book there was a wind event and one of the more candid heli operators told me not to book anything and rather stay in Revy until conditions improved. A week later there had been quite a bit of snow and it looked like it was going blue and potentially all time, so I booked, and gave myself a 3 week window from mid March to get it. Unfortunately there was another major wind event as I arrived, and the snow was well and truly fucked for my stay. I ended up flying 6 days over two weeks (using up all my pre-bought hobbs hours), and left early. The skiing mostly consisted of low angle sastrugi, but I met some cool people, saw some nice scenery, and flying in the heli was fun.

The below is hopefully some useful info based on my experience:

Conditions and Terrain
Conditions really sucked while I was there, but I can see how it can be amazing. The Chugach mountains are big, but definitely not that big or intimidating if you have spent much time in the Alps. It seems that wind events are becoming increasingly common, and you are not guaranteed perfect pow when it goes blue. As everyone says, expect a lot of down days! The heli season (March and April) is 60 days and on average heli operators fly around 20 of those. If you only go to AK for a week, on average you'll get two days of heli skiing in, which means you are investing at least $4k per heli day! Down days really suck as there is very little to do. The opportunity cost of being in AK is huge.

Heli Operators
For the Chugach you have quite a few options and operators include ARG, H20, CPG, VHSG, Black Ops, ASG and PNH. I only looked seriously at the cheaper operators. I ended up hiring a RV in Anchorage and flying with an operator that flies from Thompson pass - they were able to structure a flexible package for me with hobbs hours that I could burn over my 3 week window in AK. PNH (who I didn't fly with), have a great rep and seem to offer by far the best package if you can only go for a week. It's definitely possible to book last minute, but this still doesn't guarantee that you'll get good conditions.

Heli-Guides
I mistakenly thought that a heli guide would be of similar calibre to a European mountain guide. There was one UIAGM qualified guide, and some legends of the industry at the operator that I went with. The rest of the guides had the relevant heli qualifications but did not seem overly comfortable in steep alpine terrain with variable snow. They were reasonably solid, but not stand out skiers or snowboarders. Communication from the guides and general organisation was terrible (apparently this is standard at most heli operators in AK). I've never skied with a guide before, and guided skiing really sucks. To a large degree it felt like the attitude of the guides was to limit what was skied rather than trying to get us onto the best terrain that the conditions permitted.

Typical Heli Guests
The other guests were all helluva nice guys and pretty motivated skiers and boarders. I was amazed though that pretty much none of them had done ski seasons or lived in mountain towns. In general they were solid weekend skiers who can ski a bit of pow, but there was nobody who ripped (given the truly shitty conditions this didnt matter much while I was there). I asked one of the long term guides about this and he said that the ability level of guests had dropped significantly in the last few years, and that the golden age of Chugach heli skiing is well and truly over. Despite what they might tell you up front, the heli operator of today is not geared for really strong skiers. If you are strong skier with multiple seasons under your belt you're very unlikely to get onto much gnarly terrain.

When it's good, AK must be amazing. I'll probably get a lot of shit for saying this, but I dont think its worth the time and money going to AK unless you can afford a private heli for 3 weeks ($90k per week). Even then you'd spend a huge amount of time sitting around on all the down days, when you could be skiing elsewhere. If you're not in a private heli, dont expect to ski anything like you see in the ski movies. Heli operators sell you on that dream but its not what they're geared up for.

[plugboots]

That is a great review. I used to work in AK, and so as part of a work trip, I went and skied Thompson pass and stayed in Valdez. This was 26 years ago. I had a blast. This was the pay-$50-and-get-dropped-off-somewhere days. Chet would drop you off anywhere you wanted.
I went back the next year, allotted 4 days at the end of a work trip, and didn't ski due to the usual overcast/fog. Never went back, and ski NA and the Alps instead. Too frustrating for me.

[Foggy_Goggles]

^^^
I have never been but what is written above is my attitude. The juice ain't worth the squeeze unless you luck into great conditions with a great group. I don't have the money to put in the time. If I go to AK for skiing it will most likely be touring with friends who live there. I just can't do the hangout sausage fest.

[BFD]

that is a good write up. That March 19 wind event was harsh, season really never recovered in Valdez. This was probably the worst year ever. Kind of a strange year when the Talkeetnas have the best snowpack and even the heli ops show up there.

[plugboots]

^^^
I have never been but what is written above is my attitude. The juice ain't worth the squeeze unless you luck into great conditions with a great group. I don't have the money to put in the time. If I go to AK for skiing it will most likely be touring with friends who live there. I just can't do the hangout sausage fest.

All you gotta do is read any of the great TRs here on TGR from the Alps to make this call. It's easy. Plus there's women. Which I like.