Points North Heli-Skiing
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 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.
