Lutak Dock ore ban In an effort to reduce public strife, assembly member Gabe Thomas plans to introduce a motion for next month’s assembly meeting that would ban ore ships at the Lutak Dock. There has long been debate over whether the dock might be used as an ore terminal after it is rebuilt. That […]
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Posted inLocal News
Assembly Briefs: Dock frustration, revenue drop, cruise ship proposal, and heliski regulations
Lutak Dock frustration The assembly once again had lengthy discussion on the Lutak Dock rebuild without taking concrete action. The consensus among assembly members who spoke on the issue was that they hope to move forward putting the project out for bid, moving away from current contractor Turnagain Marine. There was no timeline discussed at […]
Posted inLocal News, Photos of the Week
Photos of the Week: A flash mob, heliskiing, and the Blessing of the Fleet
Luke Marquardt and a friend dive for and then examine Dungeness crabs near the cruise ship dock on Friday, March 29, 2024 in Haines. Dungeness must be male and at least 6.5 inches across to keep for personal use. (Lex Treinen/Chilkat Valley News) Top: Juniper Brownell hits a jump at Powdah Mountain at 35 Mile […]
Posted inSports, Local News
Heliskiers hope for stable conditions — and stable future — in Haines
On a recent weekday at the Powdah Mountain Lodge, a handful of out-of-state visitors are getting antsy. There’s thick, wet snow falling outside and low clouds, meaning no helicopter flying today for Alaska Heliskiing. Guests here have to find their own entertainment. “I hate it,” said Ed Irons, a 60-year-old electrical engineer from Las Vegas […]
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Heliski season soon off to early start
Haines’ heliski season lifts off this weekend, featuring one operator’s earliest start in years and an expected return to stability for an industry affected by covid and last-minute regulatory changes. Alaska Heliskiing begins guiding Feb. 4, a couple weeks earlier than usual. “This is our longest season we’ve ever had. This is the earliest start we’ve had,” […]
Posted inNews
Assembly grants heliski tour permit to fourth operator
After months of debate, the Haines Borough Assembly granted a heliski tour permit to a fourth operator in the Chilkat Valley. The Jan. 11 decision came three weeks after the assembly, in a 4-2 vote, adopted changes to the borough’s heliski code, raising a cap on tour permits for three years and replacing regulations on skier days with a limit on […]
Posted inNews
Heliski focus shifts to limiting helicopters
As the Haines Borough Assembly weighs a draft ordinance that would eliminate a cap on heliski tour permits in the borough, a new idea has piqued the interest of assembly members. The borough could limit the number of helicopters per operator and abolish its current restriction on skier days. The idea, which emerged in a version of the ordinance […]
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Heliski code hearing reflects sharp divide
Committee-of-the-whole meeting scheduled for Nov. 29 Twenty seven people, including a Scottish expedition guide with National Geographic, commented at a Tuesday hearing on a draft ordinance that would remove Haines Borough’s limit on heliski tour permits for a year. Fourteen people spoke in favor of the ordinance. Thirteen spoke against it. While testimonies mostly advanced familiar arguments […]
Posted inNews
TAB backs draft heliski ordinance
The Haines Borough Tourism Advisory Board (TAB) voted 4-1 on Oct. 28 to support the borough assembly’s proposed ordinance removing a limit on heliksi tour permits for one year. The assembly introduced the ordinance on Oct. 26. There will be two public hearings, on Nov. 9 and Dec. 14., before the assembly votes on the code change. […]