backountry ski via sailboat

[denali44]

Hey folks I am hoping to get some input for a class project. I am writing up a business plan for a company that would take small groups of backcountry skier/boarders into the Chugach mtns by sailboat in the prince william sound. We would be able to stay on the boat, but would like to utilize the forrest service cabins out there already. We would provide food and a guide as well as teach some sailing technique along the way for down days. my question is to you the consumer What would this service be worth to you? and a show of how many are interested or not would be great too.

thanks

[BFD]

Here is a thread I started that actually went 3 pages.
http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...ess?highlight=
Sailboats suck, only reason to use one is if your dad already owns one.
I'll bump Wendigo's TR in case people are interested.
http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...ghlight=cruise
the links in Wendigo's TR are still good. If you ever thought about skiing off a boat this is the year. The sound has never looked better.

[_Aaron_]

Id be interested although I couldnt care less about it being a sailboat vs motorboat. Also I always enjoy learning new things but after touring all day I want some food and to relax not get my ass kicked in a salty/wet/cold environment trying to learn how to sail. Id assume the price people would pay for it would be close to the cost of a guided/catered hut trip.

Could be worthwhile to contact Doug at Ice Ax Expeditions since he seems to have the guided ski cruise down pretty well and does it in areas much more remote than the sound.

Good luck.

[Chugachjed]

I too have considered this venture. Definitely not on a blowboat though. Good luck.


Edited to add: You're not even from Alaska? Do you really think you're prepared for this sort of venture?

[carpathian]

I went so far as to have a meeting with the Forest Service to get guidelines for permitting etc. Looks like a over a year long permit process. Need GPS coordinates of all locations you'd potentially be skiing. I was looking at renting water taxi service and using wall tents. Where you gonna shit? Staying on the boat would be be key. Motor boat is optimal.

Have to act fast too, the entire western PWS district is under 'wilderness review' by federal government. Makes things tougher.

I even thought about buying a little piece of property on Latouche (only isle with airstrip). Problem is all private land is surrounded by Chugach Native Corp and Chenega Native Corp land. So I'd have 3 major hoops to jump through, aside from access (3 hours at 3o knots) weather, (no real anchorage) and hostile native (white and otherwise).

In the end you have about three months of season that is good snow but that is ignoring the heinous weather that brings good snow. ( bad weather takes on another meaning out there, makes Girdwood seem dry) If you somehow inherit a boat and several thousand gallons of fuel it might work...

And you are not allowed to use Forest cabins for business. But a little bird told me that the rangers boat is not in the water until june 1 so you could go all rogue if you like. Just don't get anyone killed.

[powtario]

Some ski mag did a sailing trip to tour the fjords of iceland a few years ago in the spring.

Here is the company that runs the Aurora, lots of articles about it online.

[Chugachjed]

If you get all your shit together and actually put this operation together I know a licensed captain with PWS experience that would be interested in working with this sort of operation.




By that I mean me.

[tymonmay]

I would think that you would have to have an existing sailboat charter business that was already healthy and then do a ski trip as a side venture. Otherwise it would be tough to make it pencil (you ever owned or maintained a large sailboat?).

As for how much it's worth: it wouldn't be the best sailing and there are more efficient means to ski lines. I would say you couldn't expect much more dough than would be charged for a similar sailing only trip.

I applaud the idea and have considered skiing from my sailboat.... But more of a novelty concept that wouldn't be messing around with AK. Something along the lines of docking in Vancouver BC and getting myself to whistler for a few days.

Subscribed.

[patxi]

Here is a TR of a sail/ski trip I made last spring:

Iceland TR

Honestly, I couldn't care less whether it was a sailboat or a powerboat. The boat has to be big and comfortable though. I have heard about a sail/ski trip up in Norway and the boat was a bit crowded which would take away from the experience in my opinion. The Aurora from Borea Adventures is a nice boat and is plenty roomy for 12? smelly skiers and crew. If I was going to go on a trip up in Alaska I would be more interested in doing some fishing/crabbing/shrimping in the downtime.

[dewam]

Patxi, In Prince William Sound, the usual routine is to set pots, ski all day, check and reset pots. Repeat next day.

denali44, the thread Leo pointed you to will give you an idea of the market. I have spent multi week trips in a small sail boat skiing the sound. Cheap, wet, often cold, and a great trip every time. I have stayed in most of the USFS cabins as base, and used a go-fast boat to access things in a large area. Lots warmer,dryer, and you get a LOT of skiing in a week. I have stayed in a cabin on LaTouche. Warm, dry, LOTS of terrain out the door, you do have to haul your crap up to the cabin, and the anchorage can be a bitch in some weather. I spent a lot of years on the back deck of a seiner. We used to hunt all over the sound using a six knot 50' seiner as home base, and a 30 knot gill-netter for the runabout. This would make a great ski vacation, but most seiners are gearing up for fishing in late April. There are usually two boats out there hauling skiers around the sound that I have seen, and that didn't include Dean. There used to be a Large Dutch sailboat that just took Europeans, but they were Around Antarctica last I heard. They had been doing the sailboat adventure thing for a lot of years all over the world. Very comfortable large sail boat, and high dollar clients.

Carpathian, the USFS got into the Goose Bay cabin late April or very early May last year. Just can't count on the feds sticking to their schedule. I don't know when the LEO's start making their rounds.

[Chugachjed]

I've always thought a buy back boat would be perfect. Cheap as hell and usually functional.

[denali44]

Thanks for all your input

[Chugachjed]

Thanks for all your input

That's it? How anti climactic

[tymonmay]

Ditto to Chugachjed......

[denali44]

I will be in touch with how our plan goes and will keep you informed on what happens. if the plan goes through, we will be in touch for your guiding services chugach

[Chugachjed]

That's what I like to hear. I know where to catch shrimp too, a valuable skill for anybody plying the sound.