By Karen Garcia
Turnagain Times Correspondent
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Karen Garcia/Turnagain Times Spectacular sights like this tidewater glacier are seen during a flightseeing trip with Alpine Air Alaska, Inc. |
The only bird’s-eye view most people experience in their lifetime is the indeterminate whiteness of a cloud-smeared sky through the tiny window of an airplane.
At Alpine Air Alaska Inc., owners Keith and Debbie Essex believe there is more to experiencing the world from above than bad airplane food and zero leg room.
The Girdwood based company, which has been operating since 1991, offers a variety of helicopter excursions that take clients over the glacier-laden terrain of the Chugach Mountains, providing panoramic viewing opportunities of the Alaska wilderness.
Flown in a helicopter, you can choose from several flightseeing tour packages that can last in duration from 30 minutes to over two hours. Landing excursions offer an opportunity to walk on a glacier, and the unique experience of dogsledding on a mountain glacier.
I joined Dawn Donnelly of Oregon and Scotti Mandebille of California on a glacier landing tour. It was a clear, sunny day in late May, and having never been in a helicopter before, I was a little nervous and not feeling quite well at the start of the flight.
But my nerves quickly dissipated when I saw the stunning scenery unfolding before me.
The scenery also took my fellow companions back.
“I thought it was gorgeous,” said Mandebille. “It was just breathtaking. Like being in another world.”
The tour that we took consisted of an initial flight along Winner Creek, which shortly opens into Lake George Valley. The subsequent magnificent scenery of the Chugach Mountains includes excellent wildlife viewing opportunities as well as spectacular views of Finch, Sparrow, and Pleasant glaciers.
After flying along the valley and over Upper Lake George, the helicopter follows the face of Colony Glacier before landing on its surface to allow for a closer exploration of the glacial wilderness. Much of the glacier is stunningly blue because the ice and snow absorb light at the red and yellow end of the spectrum. Thus, blue is the only color reflected and that is what the human eye sees.
However, while much of the snow and ice on the tour is either a dazzling blue or pristine white, a lot of it is tinged with gray due to ash settling from the 2009 eruption of Mt. Redoubt, an active volcano in the Aleutian Range about 110 miles southwest of Anchorage.
Our pilot, Nicolai Von Pronay, was extremely informative on top of being quite friendly and charismatic. He even pulled out paper cups upon landing on the glacier and scooped some of the pristine blue water from a glacial pool for us to sample.
Due to the virtual inaccessibility of the area by other means (foot, bike, etc.), most locals are completely unfamiliar with the splendor of this isolated region. As such, Alpine Alaska Air is not merely a tourist attraction, but also offers tourists and locals alike an opportunity to experience this unique Alaskan landscape.
Keith Essex said he and his wife chose Girdwood as the location for their business because of its potential for growth and its reputation as a resort-oriented community.
The company not only functions as a flightseeing and glacier dog sledding facility, but also serves as a site for telecommunications support and is a factory certified service center for the type of helicopters the business utilizes—the Robinson brand; the world’s leading producer of civilian helicopters.
Alpine Air is located at the Girdwood airport. The airport signs point you in the right direction when heading north on Alyeska Highway, but it’s a rural airport just outside a residential area, so if you need directions call the office at 783-2360. Alaska tour options, and prices are available on there website at: alpineairalaska.com. They also provide complimentary pick-up to the Alyeska resort and other accommodations in Girdwood.