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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Posted inNews
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 […]
Posted inNews
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 […]
Posted inNews
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 […]
Posted inNews
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 […]
Posted inNews, Public Safety
Coordinates put avalanche inside heli-ski zone
Coordinates provided to Alaska State Troopers last week by Alaska Heliskiing put the site of the company’s March 13 fatal accident five miles southwest of the Tsirku River’s “Devil’s Elbow,” inside the Haines Borough’s helicopter skiing boundaries. Commercial pilot Paul Swanstrom, who flew in the area last week, said he spotted a slide there that […]
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Heli-ski firm not releasing accident data
One week after an avalanche claimed the lives of a heli-ski client and guide, key details of the March 13 accident are missing, including its precise location. Alaska State Trooper Josh Bentz said Wednesday he has asked Alaska Heliskiing four or five times for the coordinates of the accident, information he needs to complete his […]
Posted inNews, Public Safety
Heli-ski guide, client killed in avalanche
A heli-ski guide and a client died after being caught in an avalanche Tuesday morning during a heli-ski tour near Chilkat Lake. Alaska State Trooper Josh Bentz said Robert Liberman, 35, of Telluride, Colo., was pronounced dead at 12:30 p.m. at the Haines clinic. Nickolay Dodov, 26, of Truckee, Calif., died Wednesday afternoon at Seattle’s […]