Just wrapped up our Cordova, AK heli trip with Points North Heli, opening week of the season (Feb 25-Mar 4).
Day 1. Arrived at Cordova airport connecting through Anchorage. Bags all arrived, phew. Points North Heli bus and trucks picked us up and whisked us off to the store to stock up on liquid supplies. This is Cordova where things come on barges so expect things to cost triple as much as home. We then drove to our base at the Orca Adventure Lodge. The lodge is older, but rooms and beds were clean, comfy, and warm. Showers were hot!
Exciting to see the Helis on the pad right outside the lodge less than 50 feet away. Great energy from the 32 skiers and snowboarders. About a third were repeats, a couple heli aficionados, and one group from Australia. I’d guess ages ranged from late 30s to 50s with one older father and son group. There were definitely singles. Dinner and very brief orientation ensued and we then got treated to an amazing aurora borealis show.
Day 2. Breakfasts are at 8:30a. We were divided into groups of 4 by some unknown criteria but I’m sure related to experience and “self assessment” on the intake survey. Morning covering backcountry safety and beacon, probe, and shovel use. No need to bring your avy gear or radios as those are supplied. Also, heli orientation: approaching and getting on and off. Loading gear, opening and closing doors, etc. is the guide's responsibility. They use A stars which seat 4 skiers in the back and the pilot and guide in the front. We then grabbed a bag lunch and headed out.
Two Helis (later in the season, 3 Helis) each service 4 groups of 4. Went to an area called Wrong Way in the Chugach which was low angle with a thin crust on top of almost a foot of powder. The scenery was phenomenal and although the skiing wasn’t epic, the excitement of being out there more than made up for it. I’m sure the guides were assessing our abilities on the “easy” stuff. Saw a person who admitted he hadn’t skied all season and another snowboarder falling, so skill level varied widely. Did 4 runs and called it a day as wind picked up. Covered about 5,000 feet of vertical. Quality over quantity?
Day 3-6. Weather did us dirty and we were grounded. Wind, snow, flat light, and extreme cold, any of which will ground the Helis. This is typical for early season AK, late February and early March, but it was still very, very disappointing especially after a great day 1. The staff definitely felt our disappointment and tried to fill the days with trips to town, the local bar, hikes, kayaking, yoga and massages, and an outdoor gun range. There is a local ski hill called Mt. Eyak which is about 900 ft of vertical and is home to one of the two still operational single seat chair lifts in North America, originally from Sun Valley. They ran the chair on one of the days ($35 lift ticket) and we skinned up another day (bring touring gear!). Don’t expect too much. There’s a workout room with a squat rack and bench press deck, 3 bikes, rower, and some free weights. There’s also an outdoor steam sauna house that can be fired up on request. Some people did laundry, two free washers and dryers. Common area/mess hall had a TV playing ski videos and a ping pong and foosball table. A few people got their after dinner drink on and tore into the kitchen late at night to the chagrin of the staff the following day. But overall, most people weren’t hard partiers opting to call it in early. AK time is 2 hours ahead of Mountain Time.
Day 7. Last possible flight day of the week and the announcement came that we're grounded again at breakfast. Almost half the group, including myself, rescheduled flights to leave. No point in staying another day when the turnover day is definitely a no fly day and it’s dumping back home. The price of the tour included 4 hours of heli time. A day of heli is 1.3 hours for about 8-10 runs, so 3 days of heli. Two options for reimbursement. Travel insurance, including most credit card insurance, or 50% future flight credit. We’ll see how painful going through insurance will be. Office staff say it’s pretty simple. Gratuities were handled by Venmo. Got some decals.
Other points. Internet service was “adequate” in the lodge with speed tests at 5/5 Mbps up/down. AT&T LTE was faster. Someone said T-Mobile was nonexistent. Meals were all excellent. The kitchen staff did a wonderful job feeding everyone three square meals. Dinners were appetizer, main course, and dessert. We were never hungry and probably gained a few pounds. There are theme nights including metal Monday (bring your favorite metal band shirt), taco Tuesday, and Big Wednesday (bring a Hawaiian shirt).
Finale. Overall, I was excited being in the heli for an afternoon but ultimately left disappointed. It wasn’t Points North Heli’s fault whatsoever as they can’t control the weather, but lesson learned, early season is sketchy. A guide said that the first week can be absolutely phenomenal, but late March to early April is usually more reliable with better weather, longer days, and stable snowpack. The staff were all excellent and friendly. You could feel their pain too; they did everything they could, but the weather does what it does. I did have fun hanging out with likeminded people who were all super cool. Just wished we flew more.
Down days seem to be not uncommon and other operations handle this better with cat or resort skiing. The local terrain isn’t big enough for that, but a snowmobile could have made things interesting. The experienced heli guests say interior BC is better suited for these flat light days as they have trees for reference for the heli pilots, but nothing compares to the wide expanse of AK and sustained steeps. Some repeat clients there have skied the 45-50 degree sustained pitches for 2000+ vert, so the company can deliver! Hope to return sometime and experience it personally.
More pics from others can be found on instagram #pointsnorthheli. There were a few people with GoPros.