Parents of an Alaska Heliskiing client who died in a 2012 avalanche said this week they are dropping their civil suit against the company. Natalia and Alex Dodov filed the suit in state court in February 2014, claiming Alaska Heliskiing “sought profit above safety” and failed to avoid the fatal avalanche that killed their son. […]
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Sosa OKs SEABA skier-day request
Haines Borough Manager David Sosa has set the skier day allocations for the 2015 heli-ski season and has decided not to penalize a company that had a guide die on its watch last season. Sosa gave Southeast Alaska Backcountry Adventures 1,000 of the 1,000 requested days. SEABA guide Aaron Karitis, 31, died after being buried by […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Quash attempt to expand heli-ski map
There is another attempt in the works by a few owners and proponents of the heliski industry as Title 5 Ordinance revision 14-08-390 to access out-of-bounds areas for a ski competition, event or production. The issue is not about a ski competition. I think it would be a great event for Haines. The issue is about using […]
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Family sues heli-ski company for son’s death
Two years after the death of heli-skier Nick Dodov, parents Natalia and Alex Dodov have filed suit against Alaska Heliskiing, which they claim “sought profit above safety” and failed to avoid the fatal avalanche that killed their son. The Dodovs are seeking an unspecified amount of money. Dodov, 26, died in a Takhin Ridge avalanche […]
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Heli-ski firm fined
Five random spot checks on Alaska Heliskiing during this year’s heli-ski season found one out-of-bounds infraction. The GPS spot checks, conducted in March and April, found Alaska Heliskiing landed out-of-bounds on April 3. The Haines Borough fined the company $250 for the violation, said manager David Sosa. “We do understand that this landing was not picking up […]
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State plans to check on heli-skiing operations
Enforcement officers from the Alaska Occupational Safety and Health Section will conduct surprise compliance visits at random heli-ski operations throughout the state during the 2015 season. Agency safety consultant Mike Buck revealed last month the governmental agency is putting together a “local emphasis program” for Alaska’s heli-skiing industry in the wake of the deaths of […]
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Heli-ski safety under scrutiny
Following the deaths of three Haines heli-ski guides in as many years, the Alaska Occupational Safety and Health Section is investigating measures the agency can take to improve worker safety. Mike Buck, a safety consultant with AKOSH, started researching the issue about a year ago, after Southeast Alaska Backcountry Adventures guide Christian Cabanilla died in […]
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SEABA: No more heli-skiing for ’14
Southeast Alaska Backcountry Adventures co-owner Scott Sundberg said the company has shut down its heli-ski operations for the remainder of the season. Sundberg said the company decided to shut down for a variety of reasons, including consideration for personnel who were “devastated” by the March 15 avalanche that killed SEABA guide Aaron Karitis. Poor snowpack and difficult […]
Posted inPublic Safety, News
Avalanche buries, kills SEABA guide
Southeast Alaska Backcountry Adventures heli-skiing guide Aaron Karitis of Bend, Ore., died Monday night at Anchorage’s Providence Medical Center following a Saturday avalanche west of Haines. The state medical examiner’s office said it received a report of Karitis’ death from the hospital at about 11:30 p.m. According to trooper spokesperson Beth Ipsen, Karitis was not […]
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Summit: Tourism, real estate sectors rebounding
Presenters at the Haines Chamber of Commerce “Economic Summit” Saturday reported a “considerable rebound” in the local real estate market and said numbers of cruise passengers should increase by 50 percent in 2015. About 100 residents and panelists turned out for the five-hour forum, which included business operators, officials of the Haines Borough and local non-profits, and […]