The Government Affairs and Services (GAS) Committee on Friday deferred action on whether to expand Haines’ limit on heliski operator permits from three to four. The committee sent the issue to the full assembly. Committee members initially seemed split. Assemblymember Caitie Kirby suggested pressing pause on the decision until winter before making a recommendation to the assembly. […]
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Posted inLetters
Please consider impact of heliski permit
Dear community of Haines. My name is Bruce Bauer, owner of the Funny Farm since 1997. As I have been involved in the heliski industry since its origin in Haines, I witnessed the evolution firsthand. I would like to leave some input on the subject. We had years of boom industry, but now it’s become a struggle to […]
Posted inUncategorized
Data scarcity muddles heliski policy
As Haines Borough Government Affairs and Services (GAS) Committee members decide whether to change code to allow a fourth heliski operator in the borough, they have to weigh a variety of concerns: skier safety, environmental impact, neighborhood noise and the industry’s needs. But a researcher in the Lower 48 says a major obstacle stands in the legislators’ way: there’s […]
Posted inNews
Officials hear pitches on heliski code
At a Tuesday meeting, heliski industry representatives and public commenters made their cases for or against changing borough code to allow a fourth heliski operator. The borough’s government affairs and services committee decided to wait until its Sept. 7 meeting to make a recommendation to the borough assembly. The debate at the meeting fell along familiar lines: Current operators […]
Posted inNews
Why does Haines limit heliski permits?
In June the Haines Borough denied a permit application for a fourth heliski operator because borough code sets a limit at three operators per season. Borough assembly members are asking: why is there a limit? It depends on whom you ask. The borough codified the limit in 2011 after Alaska Mountain Guides applied for a third heliski tour permit. At the […]
Posted inLetters
Don’t up the heliski permit cap
In 1999, Haines Borough voters approved a limited and managed heliski industry with one operator and 500 skier days. We now have three operators, two local and one out of state, and 2,600 skier days. Can the demand for Haines heliskiing under the current regulations and business configuration be met? The answer is yes, but the current assembly is […]
Posted inNews
Should the borough allow more Haines heliski operators?
The Haines Borough’s denial of an Idaho-based heliski company’s permit application is sparking a discussion about increasing the limit on how many heliski companies can operate in Haines and how the industry is regulated in general. Current and former Haines heliski operators say there isn’t enough room for more companies and that the permit applicant is a bad actor. The issue […]
Posted inNews
Professional skier heliskis in Haines
American professional big mountain freeskier Lexi DuPont is currently in Haines heliskiing with SEABA. She is an athlete for BLANK collective films and on Eddie Bauer’s First Ascent guide team. DuPont started out on skis at the age of two. Her mother, freestyle skier Holley DuPont, was one of the first females to land a backflip […]
Posted inLetters
We’re behind the curve with heliski regulation
As we welcome our first visitors to Haines for the heliski season, the Borough is taking steps to safeguard our community with Covid mitigation protocols. The Borough should also be taking steps to safeguard our wildlife from the impact of recreational helicopter activity on public lands. The Alaska Dept of Fish & Game has documented a decline […]
Posted inNews
Heliski operators mark return of tourism
All three Haines heli-ski companies—Alaska Heliskiing, Alaska Mountain Guides (AMG) and Southeast Alaska Backcountry Adventures (SEABA)—are planning to operate this March. Operators have filed COVID-19 mitigation plans with the borough, but it’s unclear how many guests and guides will travel to Haines. One operator said they are keeping guests from traveling to town. This year, […]