Is our borough being mistaken for a federal bureau? While our borough policies may help us regulate the heli-ski industry’s impact on local resources and residents, it is beyond the scope and responsibility of our community to evaluate a heli-ski company’s adherence to their own safety policies as the Dodovs and Davis suggest. If we do take […]
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Borough considers heli-skiing safety
Haines Borough officials last week addressed the topic of safety in relation to management of heli-skiing, following concerns raised by the family of a heli-skier killed in an avalanche during a tour in March. Borough officials said the municipality isn’t responsible for ensuring safety during heli-tours, but they consider a company’s safety record in evaluating […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Company’s guides are well-respected
On March 13, 2012, there was an avalanche which claimed the lives of a guest Nickolay Dodov, 26, of Truckee, Calif. and an Alaska Heliskiing guide, Rob Liberman,35, of Telluride, Colo. The avalanche was the first ever in the 26 years of operation of Alaska Heliskiing and its predecessor operation. Alaska Heliskiing is a professional […]
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Victim’s family: Revoke heli-ski permit
The parents of a 26-year-old man killed by an avalanche during an Alaska Heliskiing tour in March want the Haines Borough to discontinue the company’s permit, saying details of the fatal accident showed the firm did not follow its own, borough-approved operation and safety plan. “We believe permit requirements and compliance to policies, procedures and protocols in […]
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Mayor, assembly not informed of request
Haines Borough Manager Mark Earnest on Wednesday cited a busy schedule for not informing Mayor Stephanie Scott or assembly members of a request for assembly action from the family of a dead heli-skier who claim a local guiding firm violated safety provisions of its borough-issued permit. The borough received about two dozen pages of information from Alex and Natalia Dodov […]
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Manager: Expand heli-ski map
Haines Borough administration recommendations on changes to heli-skiing management came under fire by critics of the industry during an assembly committee meeting Tuesday. Mayor Stephanie Scott said the purpose of the meeting was to get “a sense of assembly direction” before bringing the recommendations back for statute considerations by Sept. 11. Rob Goldberg reacted indignantly to a […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Will borough act on heli-ski complaints?
I submitted complaints regarding heli-skiing outside allowed boundaries for March 19 and April 5, complete with photos showing helicopters and ski tracks, and signed statements from witnesses, including myself. Have SEABA or Alaska Heliskiing provided the borough with GPS data for these dates? If not, why not? The manager’s end of season report includes a letter from […]
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Industy, skiers revisit safety issues
The deaths of two heli-skiers in an avalanche here has generated safety discussions among firms conducting the tours and among backcountry skiers. The March 13 avalanche buried Alaska Heliskiing guide Rob Liberman and client Nick Dodov under six to eight feet of snow. Recent autopsies determined both died of asphyxiation. The slide occurred as Dodov […]
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Autopsy finds THC in guide’s blood
A toxicology report on a heli-ski guide involved in a fatal avalanche March 13 found marijuana-based THC in his blood at higher than background levels. Alaska Heliskiing guide Robert Liberman, 35, and client Nickolay Dodov, 26, were killed in the avalanche that occurred during a commercial trip by Alaska Heliskiing. Four other clients were in […]
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Skiers, boarders go big at Chilkat Pass
The 13 entrants in Sunday’s Olen Nash Memorial Big Air Contest tested their mettle at Three Guardsmen Mountain in British Columbia. “The snow conditions were not ideal for making a good landing,” said coordinator Luck Dunbar. “It was either going to be really hard or we broke it up, and then it was kind of […]