Backcountry News : Meeting and Rotorhead Award

The Alaska Department of “Un-natural” Resources will be holding a meeting on Wednesday night at the Valdez Library (Downstairs). The anticipated SRO will allow locals to provide input as part of the snail-paced scoping plan for the Copper River Basin Plan that includes Thompson Pass state lands. 6-7:30 Good place to give DNR your opinion. I will be advocating non-mechanized zones….as if that’s news

imagesCurrently I have two nominations for my annual Rotorhead Of The Year Award. Of course Valdez Heliski Guides continues to drop their clients on locals and other visiting ski tourers from around the world. Two weeks ago on Python Peak, two locals where booting and were within 300ft of the summit when a heli landed first. Nice job guides putting others at risk with lack of communication in complicated terrain and generally taking the pleasure out of someone else’s success.

The other incident was yesterday on 27-Mile Glacier and Tones Temple. Heli skiers poached Tones and had their pick up zone at the top of the ice-fall while skiers were ascending the icefall. Other than that, that zone is heavily used by public recreationalist. With so much wild Chugach, why heli ski with the highway visible over your ski tips? I could not identify the company, but hey, give some folks some space! I would be pretty uptight with a heli landing above me on that route.

If you have an issue such as those above, let me know in private or e-mail  Pics are best, video is better. Thanks.

But with all things bad are some good things. H20 Guides and Alaska Rendevous Lodge have not been nominated in over 5 years. Thanks guides! So if your going to heliski, they fly with respect.

helincident

Photo by Matt Kinney