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 […]
Posted inNews
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 […]
Posted inNews
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 inNews, Public Safety
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 […]
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Heli-ski firms: Open more area for ‘event’
Two local heli-ski companies are asking the Haines Borough to temporarily open nearly 10,000 acres of terrain closed to the sport for a month-long special event. The “Make it Live!” photography competition proposed by Southeast Alaska Backcountry Adventures and Alaska Heliskiing would be open to all heli-ski clients in Haines between March 21 and April 21. SEABA co-owner […]
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SEABA agrees to pay $21K to BLM
A Haines helicopter skiing company has agreed to pay more than $21,000 in fines and fees for flying on federal lands closed to the activity 54 times during 78 days of operation during the past two years. Southeast Alaska Backcountry Adventures signed a plea agreement containing the allegations, which was filed recently in federal district […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Voices marginalized by heli-ski map
I find it unfortunate that in the last issue of the CVN other key stakeholder groups concerned about the heliski map are referred to as “opponents of the industry” and their concerns characterized as “obstacles.” In some ways the process that the borough pursued in updating the heli-ski map lent itself to prolonging community divisiveness surrounding the […]