[sponsored by Black Ops Valdez Heli]
Thompson Pass near Valdez, Alaska has some of the best heli ski terrain on Earth and they just got absolutely buried in snow with up to 10โณ of snowfall per hour resulting in 10-feet of snow in only 5-days last week.
All this big early season snow has got the crew over at Black Ops Valdez Heli is fired up about the upcoming heli ski season.
โThis snowfall came in wet and heavy plastering the Chugach. This creates a great base for this season ensuring much better coverage and conditions than we have seen in a few years.โ โ Josh Swierk, Owner/Operator of Black Ops Valdez Heli
Thompson Pass, AK just saw one of the most intense snowfalls ever recorded anywhere last week on December 6th, 2017:
- 15โณ of snow in 90 minutes.
- Thatโs 1.7โณ of snow every 10 minutes for an hour and a halfโฆ
This Thompson pass storm ranks amongst the most intense snowfalls ever recorded. The other two being Lake Effect snowfall events off Lake Ontario:
- 12โณ of snowfall in 60 minutes at Copenhagen, NY on December 2nd, 1966
- 17.5โณ of snowfall in 120 minutes in Oswego, NY on January 26th, 1972
According to the National Weather Service, Thompson Pass ended up seeing 40โณ of snow in the first 12-hours, 52โณ of snowfall in the first 24-hours, and 120โณ of snow in 5-days last week.
All this big early season snow bodes well for the upcoming heli ski season in Valdez.
Black Ops Valdez Heli operates off Thompson Pass, AK and they are more than just a little fired up about the upcoming heli season.
โThis storm dumped so hard and fast it was hard not to feel apocalyptic. DOT and localSnow removal crews, some of the best in the world, just couldnโt keep up! This storm has set up a terrific base for us and there will only be more and more coming our way soon.โ โ Josh Swierk, Owner/Operator of Black Ops Valdez Heli
Black Ops Valdez Heli is the way to go for heli skiing in the Valdez/Thompson Pass area because of the enormous amount of varied terrain they can access and their huge range of ways to get you on the hill. With most operations, if the heliโs donโt fly, you donโt ski.
Thatโs NOT the case at Black Ops Valdez Heli since theyโre primed and set up to take you cat skiing, sled skiing, ice climbing, and more.
โWe donโt often see storms like this one later in the season which is generally why we operate when we do, March and April. But occasionally larger storms do hit us during our season but we have diversified our operation and our activities to keep people skiing and riding as much as they want while with us with our 3 snow cats, and fleet of ski-doo mountain sleds.โ โ Josh Swierk, Owner/Operator of Black Ops Valdez Heli
Black Ops Valdez Heli truly has something for everyone delivering terrain varying from 20ยบ to 65ยบ according to what their clients want. Donโt think Alaska heli skiing isnโt for you just because you donโt ski like the guys and gals in the movies.
- Snowcat Skiing
- Sled Skiing
- Boat Tours
- Snowmobiling Tours
- Snowcat Tours
- Ski Touring
- Cross Country Skiing
- Snowshoeing
- Ice Climbing
- Massage
- Hot Tub
- Sauna
- Shopping
- Museums
All this big, early season snowfall is looking damn good for Black Ops Valdez Heliโs operational season (March & April) off Thompson Pass.
Big, early season snow equates to a solid snowpack and a solid snowpack leads to a killer heli ski season off Thompson Pass, AK with Black Ops Valdez Heli.
Valdez Area Snow Stats:
- Thompson Pass = 552โณ of snow annually.
- Valdez = 300โณ of snow annually.
- The higher elevations of Thompson Pass = about 1,000โณ of snowfall per year.
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