Alaska heli-skiing info

[Alexzn]

Please share what you know about Alaska heli-skiing. Recommended areas, good outfits, approximate costs, how to get the most for your $, etc. Trying to see if it makes any sense as a 16th birthday gift for my daughter (she is a competitive freerider, so she can ski the steeps and handle the powder, and would be thrilled to do that). I am not sure I can afford it, and even if I can that would be quite extravagant, so I want to do my research.

 

[Monique]

@RachelV

 

[blah]

Please share what you know about Alaska heli-skiing. Recommended areas, good outfits, approximate costs, how to get the most for your $, etc. Trying to see if it makes any sense as a 16th birthday gift for my daughter (she is a competitive freerider, so she can ski the steeps and handle the powder, and would be thrilled to do that). I am not sure I can afford it, and even if I can that would be quite extravagant, so I want to do my research.

Kids, these days. Get the whole world handed to them. Can I be your child, too? Mostly self reliant; will accept an expenses-paid AK heli-trip.

 

[Shifterkart]

Subscribed for information, this is defiantly on my bucket list.

 

[dbostedo]

...defiantly on my bucket list.

That's definitely some bucket list, if other things are trying to push it off...

 

[Bad Bob]

Used to guide a little back in the Dark Ages of Alaskan Heli skiing.
The cost will be LOTS!
Will probably get weathered out for a day, or seven, would recommend looking into something based from Alyeska/Girdwood. Would give the chance to resort or cat ski when the bird can't fly.
If she needs a guide, I am available. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!

 

[Philpug]

@RachelV

Yes, @RachelV to the white courtesy phone.

 

[Beartown]

https://www.alaskaheliski.com

https://www.chugachpowderguides.com

 

[RachelV]

Hiiiiii. I've been once, in April 2016, with Points North. It was an incredible week and I'd go again in a heartbeat. I wrote a TR that you can read here.

I only really researched Points North, Chugach Powder Guides, and Valdez Heli Ski Guides. Price was a definite constraint for me, so I didn't really look at any places that offer more luxury lodging, because then you're getting into the territory of paying 10k+ for a week pretty quick.

The big drawback of PNH is that there's no cat backup. On down days, you're hiking, kayaking, doing laundry, drinking, etc. There is a town lift that you can ski from, but the winters are getting less and less predictable up there and when I was up there was no snow at sea level at all, so that wasn't an option. In general, I'd say I didn't really seriously consider weather as enough of a wild card when I booked my trip. Alaska has WEATHER, and a lot of times when there's weather you can't fly.

That said, the terrain is unreal. I've never heli skied in BC, but from talking to friends who've gone and looking at their photos, there's really just no comparison when it comes to terrain. In BC you're skiing the rockies, and while it's gorgeous and the I'm sure that doing untracked powder laps is wonderful no matter where you are, the terrain in Alaska is like being in a ski movie. I can't overstate how surreal the whole experience was. That said, I didn't ski anything particularly challenging... dealing with the terrain and slough and the whole experience was more than enough. In hindsight I thought I'd ski harder terrain, but the environment is pretty overwhelming at first and I have no complaints.

So in general, I'd say:
- If you go to place with no cat backup, seriously prepare for the fact that there's a non-trivial chance you won't ski at all.
- Be prepared for weather in general. It's possible you'll only fly 1 or 2 days you're up.
- Alaska is incredible and the week was amazing, and I were rich I'd go every winter with no hesitation.

 

[TonyC]

would recommend looking into something based from Alyeska/Girdwood. Would give the chance to resort or cat ski when the bird can't fly.

That's what I did on my first trip late March 2007. I was in Alyeska Thursday-Tuesday with heli reservations for Saturday/Sunday. It snowed the first 3 days with lots of powder in the snowcat Thursday and on Alyeska's North Face Friday/Saturday. My son Adam arrived Friday night, our heli day was Sunday and it was an all time great ski day: http://www.firsttracksonline.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=3034 . We were in the cat Monday and at Alyeska Tuesday. Adam was there two more days and got a heli day Wednesday, not as deep as Sunday but in some sustained steep terrain.

Needless to say after that epic week I was up for an encore. NASJA's annual meeting in 2011 was at Alyeska and I arranged to ski with Chugach Powder Guides again. This time I was not so lucky, as it was the middle week of three with sustained high pressure, and there had been 80mph winds scouring the snow during the first week. http://www.firsttracksonline.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=9520 After two days of skiing impressive scenery but a lot of "snow that is good for you" I was allowed to bail and ski the resort for the last 3 days.

In November 2011 I met Kevin Quinn, founder of Points North Heli in Cordova, on the Antarctic cruise. I decided in March to sign up for PNH's last week in late April 2012. This week I knew I was taking a chance with conditions and there was a warm spell the week before mine. But the reality is that we only had two fly days out of 6 possible due to weather, which if course can happen any time. The days we got out were good enough though, with a thin but consistent powder layer on one day and some excellent corn on the other.
http://www.firsttracksonline.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=10205
http://www.firsttracksonline.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=10206
The first of the above TR's has some comparisons with Chugach Powder Guides and Dean Cummings H20 at Valdez.

I returned to Points North, this time with Liz, in mid-April 2014. Once again weather and snow did not cooperate. We got out for just 3 runs in mediocre visibility one day, and the one full day we had was on relatively short runs (half the vertical on the same number of runs as the epic day in 2007) with quite variable snow on the lower parts of those runs.
http://www.firsttracksonline.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=11472
http://www.firsttracksonline.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=11473

Rachel's TR from Points North is very good, really captures the flavor of the place.

It is important to separate out one's good or bad luck with conditions in making recommendations. Points North is the best value in heliskiing IMHO. Facilities are comfortable but not lavish. The repeat customers I've met say they usually get 3 or 4 days (a full day is about 1.5 heli hours) so I know I've been unlucky. I'll also say that most people going to Alaska are there for the terrain more than the snow. The operators try to accommodate and seek out steeps if the snow is safe. So these places will be fine for Alexzn and his daughter but Alaska is not the place for those who are tentative about steep terrain and/or variable snow conditions.

As for Alyeska, it has had a run of difficult seasons recently with a lot of low elevation rain. If you get one of those the signature terrain on the North Face may be closed or very limited, as it was on my 2011, 2012 and 2014 trips. The snowcat terrain is not any higher than the lift service and it's more expensive than in 2007. CPG has great terrain if you get up in the heli but you start skiing typically at 4,500+ while the top of Alyeska's lift service is 2,700.

Alaska heliskiing is cheaper than Canadian heliskiing even with current exchange rates, but personally I've settled in with Canadian snowcat skiing for the most consistent results for my premium ski $$$. Again, I'm paying more for the powder but no question Alaska has the most exciting terrain.

 

[4ster]

It’s been almost 10 years but I spent 5 days at 33 mile with Alaska Heli-skiing outside of Haines in SE Alaska. I was with one of the founders so we were able to do it on the cheap. Still only skied 2.5 out of 5 days cuz it snowed a lot. Some of the most amazing runs in my life!
This one is a signature run called Hangover Helper. Not my photo but I got to center punch it & dodge slough the whole way!

I am in transition right now & my laptop is packed away but I can add more later.

 

[Janjiggaman]

Please share what you know about Alaska heli-skiing. Recommended areas, good outfits, approximate costs, how to get the most for your $, etc. Trying to see if it makes any sense as a 16th birthday gift for my daughter (she is a competitive freerider, so she can ski the steeps and handle the powder, and would be thrilled to do that). I am not sure I can afford it, and even if I can that would be quite extravagant, so I want to do my research.

Alexzn-

Taking your daughter heli skiing for her birthday? She has the best dad ever, you are absolutely crushing it.

I have been spending the spring on Thompson Pass for the last 10 years and can say without hesitation that it brings all of the best aspects of Alaskan Heli skiing together. I work for a guide at the Alaska Rendezvous Heli Ski Guides. This season we are operating from early march until late April and still have some openings left in both lodging and in the helicopter. We are located at mile 45 of the Richardson highway, 50 miles north of Valdez as the highway heads into the interior. Our lodge is all about location. being located on the northern side of the pass, we are on the geographic boundary line between the coastal and interior part of the range, which puts us in a spot where we have more fly days than anyone in the area (we average 7 no fly days out of 2 months). Couple that with the fact that you stay in our hotel just steps away from the helicopter as well as our lodge and tavern, we really have the best there is to offer.

The cool part of skiing in the Valdez area has to do with the scale of the mountains local to us. The portion of the Chugach mountains that we operate in sits on the border of the Wrangell and St Elias mountains which are MASSIVE. Our runs average 2,500' but and frequently ski 5,000' straight to the valley floor, sometimes with the glacial run outs (after skiing the big faces) lasting for as much as 9 miles. The other benefit to the area is its not remote, like other operations. You have the option of taking a short commuter flight to Valdez and we come pick you up or you can rent a car in Anchorage and drive a 4 ish hours around the mountains right to the lodge.

Last but not least is what I find to be the best part of the Rendezvous Experience: When you come to ski with us, you become part of our extended family. I am one of 13 guides who come back year after year to this same spot because it is second to none. Anyone who has spent time with us can attest to the fact that the culture and vibe that takes place at 45 mile is unlike any other, so every time you come back, you feel like you're coming home.

You were interested in the finance side of things so i'll talk about that briefly. The 7 day, 36 run package is $10,205, which includes all food, lodging, equipment rentals and transportation to and from Valdez if you fly in, it does not include alcohol. There is more info about this on the website https://arlinc.com/reservations/2018-alaska-heli-skiing/. If you cant commit that much time we can talk about building you a package based on fewer days.

I hope this information is helpful and if you have any more questions, PM me directly and I you can pick my brain all you want. These photos are all from nearby the lodge and most were taken last season.

Cheers,
Jiggy

IMG_1313

• Janjiggaman
• Dec 4, 2017

Glimpse into Clueland

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• Janjiggaman
• Dec 4, 2017

Last Clue West

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• Janjiggaman
• Dec 4, 2017

Get a Clue

 

[Mike King]

I don't go to Alaska, but you can (almost) see it there. Instead, I've been going to Northern Escape out of Terrace, BC. The advantages? Better weather, fewer weathered out days, a direct flight to Terrace from Vancouver and a 20 minute van ride to the lodge from the Terrace airport, a full day of skiing the last day, and cat backup. In 4 years of skiing there, I've been weathered out 1 day, with 2 days in the cat (out of 20). They claim that they used the cat a total of 11 days in the past 10 years. The lines can be big, it's one of the biggest tenures in Canada, perhaps the world, and they have small group skiing.

Expense? It ain't cheap. I pay 10k canadian for 5 days of elite skiing with unlimited vertical. That's 2 groups per helicopter with no more than 4 guests per group and 1 guide per group. It's pretty easy to get a lot of vertical in.

Mike

 

[Rod9301]

Since weather is the big unknown, and you can be grounded for seven days, book two weeks lodging with a couple of days heli. Seaba does this.

Then if the weather is good, pay there for additional days.

Otherwise you run the rush of paying for a week without much skiing.

Expect weather on 50 percent of your days, but it ranges from 0-100 percent.

Great skiing though

 

[Alexzn]

I don't go to Alaska, but you can (almost) see it there. Instead, I've been going to Northern Escape out of Terrace, BC. The advantages? Better weather, fewer weathered out days, a direct flight to Terrace from Vancouver and a 20 minute van ride to the lodge from the Terrace airport, a full day of skiing the last day, and cat backup. In 4 years of skiing there, I've been weathered out 1 day, with 2 days in the cat (out of 20). They claim that they used the cat a total of 11 days in the past 10 years. The lines can be big, it's one of the biggest tenures in Canada, perhaps the world, and they have small group skiing.

Expense? It ain't cheap. I pay 10k canadian for 5 days of elite skiing with unlimited vertical. That's 2 groups per helicopter with no more than 4 guests per group and 1 guide per group. It's pretty easy to get a lot of vertical in.

Mike

Is BC skiing still good in mid-April? We are limited by the school vacation schedule...

 

[Mike King]

I'm not sure about Northern Escape, they may shut down due to the use of the lodges as fishing lodges. There certainly is still a lot of snow to be skied...

Mike

 

[Janjiggaman]

In case you want to go somewhere with a deep snowpack, Valdez is having one heck of a start to the season. Early season heavy snowfall leads to the alders above the valley being crushed down, which leads to LONGGGG runs all the way to the valley floor. Many summits are around 6000' and the valley is at 1100', at least in our neighborhood.

prost!

 

[Janjiggaman]

If anyone is interested in viewing that data directly its on this site. http://ambcs.org/SiteViewer.shtml . Select Nicks Valley From the drop down list. Its a mid elevation snapshot, but gives a pretty damn good idea of whats going on in the Thompson Pass area.

Now. Just one Question...

To ski some of this.

and this.

and last of all

This. This mountain is called Happiness. This is not just a clever name. Its 3200' of the best north facing skiing in your life. And its just in eyeshot of the ARL.