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The Alsek is not your everyday run, and as such, does not have much traffic. Private trips have obviously run on the Alsek, but if you intending to run Turnback Canyon, (which is not recommended) then you will have to pinch your pennies for your helicopter shuttle (amongst other things).
Gear will be hard to come by from the commercial outfitters who run the river, as many, (if not all) don't have rental programs for their gear. You may be lucky in finding someone out of Haines who will rent you gear, but I can tell you right now, no one in Whitehorse will. So ultimately, if your interested in doing the river, you'll probably have to bring your own gear...or better yet, hop on a commercial trip, as it may be less expensive in the long run. Remember, you'll have to pay (and coordinate)a flight from Dry Bay as well. The benefit of a commercial trip , they have all the logistics wired for the ground/helli shuttles and flights, they pack and cook the food, they arrange the permits, and best of all they clean the poopers.
I love running private trips, and I would rather prefer this over any commercial outfitter, but in this case, if it were me, I would go commercial in this case. If you are still interested in doing it private, I would then recommend, semi private. See if the commercial outfitteres will let you tag along on their trip, and you just simply pay for the flights/heli shuttle while you pay for, and cook your own food. This way, the cost of the flight and helicopter trip will be a little easier to swallow.
Remember, you will need to apply for park permits to flow through the corridor (Glacier Bay National Park (US) and the Tatshenshini Provincial Park (CAN)). All that being said, it is a majestic area. I was there 12 years ago when we climbed Mount Logan (Canada's Highest)and if it wasn't pitch black for 6 months of the year, I would have moved there long ago. I also remember food and gas being crazy expensive, a $100 only gets you a couple of plastic bags of food! I hope this information does not deter you from your endeavour, I'm just trying to give you a realistic perspective on this expedition. I hope you have a great trip, and bring your bugspray. Cheers, Eric |
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