Featured Image: Sverre Hjornevik
Dash Longe is no stranger to big-time Alaska spines. The 32-year-old has spent nearly two decades exploring the forty-ninth state’s vast, mountainous landscapes with skis strapped on his feet, filming with the likes of Teton Gravity Research and Warren Miller Entertainment, stacking shots and cruising down the most formidable big-mountain faces out there. However, despite traveling the world once over, Longe always returns to Alaska, The Last Frontier, seeking the legendary terrain of the Chugach Range and the amazing accommodations and guiding expertise found at Points-North Heli Adventures (PNH).
Celebrating its 20th year flying helicopters into the mountains from its home base called Orca Adventure Lodge in Cordova, located just three hours south of Valdez by ferry, PNH continues to offer one of the largest natural playgrounds for first-time visitors and veteran film crews, alike. Landing skiers in smile-inducing, snow-blanketed high-alpine meadows or atop 10,000-foot peaks with fall line descents that make even the most tenured athletes pucker up, PNH’s highly skillful pilots and guides assure visitors will have the “best day of their lives.” Complemented by down day activities including ice cave exploration and sea kayaking, and a lush lodge life that spreads out across a compound of refurbished cannery buildings, Points-North offers an Alaskan adventure that’s second-to-none.
An ambassador of Points-North since he first ventured there with Ingrid Backstrom in 2012, Longe agreed to chat with us about PNH’s truly unique heli-ski experience, and why—with other countless destinations to choose from—he can’t help but venture back north to revisit the PNH community and ski legendary lines in the Chugach, accessible only by Points-North Heli’s three A-Star Helicopters.
What do you find most inspiring about the Chugach Range, where PNH operates?
My favorite thing about the Chugach area is the lower section that you can access from Cordova, [it] has all the classics. That’s where the beginning of heli-skiing really took off… all those classic lines that Coombs, Trevor Petersen, Dean Cummings and all the boys back in the day skied. For me, there’s this presence of legends and the mountains are part of that. The peaks themselves are icons; and the cool thing about Points-North is that some of those big lines, like Pontoon, The Spade and The Sphinx, which have been skied numerous times, are much closer to Points-North than the rest of the heli ops in Valdez.
Being based in Cordova, the ride seems shorter to the mountains than other places?
If you want to ski from Valdez, it’ll be a longer commute. Points-North is really cool because it’s right on the water at sea level and they have their own compound tucked away at the end of this road. All of the terrain is all really close. It’s really its own spot—all the other [heli operations] are battling for similar terrain near Valdez; for PNH, it’s “their” zone, it’s unique to them.
So, the lodge is a compound?
Yeah, it’s in an old cannery. There are a few different buildings and structures that they take over for the winter.
What’s the culture like in the lodge?
It’s a lot different than these other heli-ops. Here, it’s one big family. Everyone eats together in one big dining hall. The kitchen staff is right there, too. At other lodges that I’ve gone to, you don’t get to know the fuel guy, the chef, you don’t know who is running the front office… [at Points-North] you’re hanging out with everyone, it’s a real community.
That’s nice, getting insight into what makes the place tick.
It’s really nice because all those [employees] have the same desire to be there as I do—it’s purely about the shredding. There’s a real sense of trust, camaraderie and passion for Alaska [between the employees]; but, even more so at Points North. When the staff are pumped, and they’re all there for the same reason as the guests, it creates a different feel. Up at PNH, everyone is there for the same reason: everyone loves it, they’re fired up… [employees and guests] are all good people that are down to hang and party. It’s a real good vibe.
What’s been your experience with the guiding there?
A lot of the guides have been there for a long time; and it seems like the folks that are Vets bring up the next generation pretty well. Alaska is notorious for having a “cowboy” vibe, and the guidelines for what it takes to be a guide in AK are pretty foggy—there’s not really hard, fast rules. But with PNH, I feel that they do a really good job hiring guides that know what they’re doing. They also have a good way of breaking [new guides] in and showing them all the terrain. When you hang with them, you [also] get a sense that they are mountain people and they know what they’re doing. I want to see those guys with their own film segments—they throw down!
What about those inevitable down days?
There’s a local ski hill, based right there in town—it’s called Eyak [Ski Area]. The top of the lifts are just above where the [PNH] lodge is; if you’re down and it’s dumping, you can go ski the local hill. It’s this classic little spot with a single chair. People go touring, too; if there’s enough snow at sea level. [Finally,] another adventure that’s super fun is exploring the Sheridan Glacier and cruising through ice caves.
POINTS-NORTH PHOTO GALLERY
For more information about Points-North Heli, click here.
