Help on clothing option on Skagway helicopter/dog sledding

[Emilyethanmom]

Hi everyone, we are boarding Grand princess this Sunday to Alaska! Ya can't wait, but wondering what should I prepare to wear for the helicopter ride and to dog sledding. Me and my son (5 years old). Please help, thanks. Should I bring a pair of Ugg boots for my son? Or just tennis shoes will do?:) thanks.

[golfb4cruzing]

I would recommend wearing some.:D

[Loonbeam]

Assume a certain level of mud as far as footwear at the sled dog ride. Layers are your friend as the temp can vary greatly.

 

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Hi everyone, we are boarding Grand princess this Sunday to Alaska! Ya can't wait, but wondering what should I prepare to wear for the helicopter ride and to dog sledding. Me and my son (5 years old). Please help, thanks. Should I bring a pair of Ugg boots for my son? Or just tennis shoes will do?:) thanks.

[eskiemom]

oh not the Uggs! Buy cheap boots that you don't mind getting a bit ugly and possibly toss. At 5 your son is going to have a ball and want to get dirty which is a GREAT thing.

 

ENJOY!

[Jim Avery]

You do not need boots. They provide boots that fit over your walking shoes. As far as clothing, layers for sure. They told us the glacier is typically 20 degrees F cooler than at sea level in Skagway. We had a beautiful sunny day last week and thought this the best part of the trip. When it is your turn to be on the back of the sled, HANG ON!!! I took a tumble. Got lots of grief for that one.:D

[Love.II.Cruise]

You do not need boots. They provide boots that fit over your walking shoes. As far as clothing, layers for sure. They told us the glacier is typically 20 degrees F cooler than at sea level in Skagway. We had a beautiful sunny day last week and thought this the best part of the trip. When it is your turn to be on the back of the sled, HANG ON!!! I took a tumble. Got lots of grief for that one.:D

 

This is the case about boots. I would wear layers and bring a rain poncho that covers your butt and has a hood (just in case it is raining). I wore waterproof Columbia pants. We had a wonderful day and I did not need my long johns under my pants. We did bring gloves though. I hope you enjoy it!!! It is an experience I think everyone should experience.

[Emilyethanmom]

You do not need boots. They provide boots that fit over your walking shoes. As far as clothing, layers for sure. They told us the glacier is typically 20 degrees F cooler than at sea level in Skagway. We had a beautiful sunny day last week and thought this the best part of the trip. When it is your turn to be on the back of the sled, HANG ON!!! I took a tumble. Got lots of grief for that one.:D

 

Thank u for the advise, hopefully the weather will be good so they won't cancel it.

[peety3]

Just for the sake of preplanning, and I have zero desire to judge etc., but IF by chance "you + winter clothing + shoes + camera + cell phone + room key" might be anywhere near the posted weight threshold for the helicopter ride, I highly encourage you to play "dress up" at home in EVERYTHING you might take so you know where your total dressed weight will land. If you find yourself close, figure out what you can/should adjust to stay under the threshold. Remember that most helicopter flights have a NO CARRY-ON policy, so you'll need to figure out how to take whatever you & son need "on you".

 

When I did a helicopter ride to a glacier, the dock agent asked me what I weigh, "adding 5 or 10 for clothes". I said half-jokingly 249.9, since I had a camera bag (which I intended to leave at base) and cameras. Her eyes got all big, and she said I'd need to be weighed at base with my cameras. When I got weighed, I came in at 249.6. :) I didn't think to pre-weigh myself, but chose a lighter jacket to keep the weight down, and ate a light lunch just so I wasn't hauling too much in my belly. ;) [my wife could not understand why I had such a basic lunch and no dessert...later she figured it out!]

[Jim Avery]

Good advice. at 250 lbs extra charges apply. The charges I saw begin at an extra $150.:eek: It really is not necessary to wear all your winter clothes unless it is raining/snowing (always possible). They also make you wear a safety vest which adds a bit of warmth. If the sun is out you will be plenty warm giving that you will be active all the time on the glacier and helicopters are usually warm in the sun anyway. We had a ball.:D

[peety3]

Good advice. at 250 lbs extra charges apply. The charges I saw begin at an extra $150.:eek: It really is not necessary to wear all your winter clothes unless it is raining/snowing (always possible). They also make you wear a safety vest which adds a bit of warmth. If the sun is out you will be plenty warm giving that you will be active all the time on the glacier and helicopters are usually warm in the sun anyway. We had a ball.:D

At least on the trip that I took, the safety vest and glacier boots were not considered in the 250 pound measurement. In other words, I walked over to the scale before I put on the vest and boots, and as long as I came in under 250, no extra fee applied.

 

I'm one of those "geeks" that looks at logistics, and the tour operators know exactly how to manage the flights to minimize time/wear on the helicopters. There's a very distinct weight limit, as well as a very distinct center of gravity limit, for each particular helicopter, so they do have to manage this very carefully. Considering that you'd pay ~$1250/hour for a private helicopter tour (any number of people, up to the weight limit), $150 is about on par for taking up more than one seat for ~40 minutes of flying time.

[Jim Avery]

At least on the trip that I took, the safety vest and glacier boots were not considered in the 250 pound measurement. In other words, I walked over to the scale before I put on the vest and boots, and as long as I came in under 250, no extra fee applied.

 

I'm one of those "geeks" that looks at logistics, and the tour operators know exactly how to manage the flights to minimize time/wear on the helicopters. There's a very distinct weight limit, as well as a very distinct center of gravity limit, for each particular helicopter, so they do have to manage this very carefully. Considering that you'd pay ~$1250/hour for a private helicopter tour (any number of people, up to the weight limit), $150 is about on par for taking up more than one seat for ~40 minutes of flying time.

 

You are correct about weigh in before adding the overboots and vest. I also took my cell phone and binoculars out of my pocket first.:eek: Came in at a svelte 228.5 lbs:D Only up 4 lbs from normal (at that point in the trip----good thing I didn't fly the helicopter on the last day).:D

[WisCruiser2]

As I was scrolling down the threads, I read this as "Help on clothing optional..." :p

[shiner6]

We were on a Float plane last week and it was warm! We wore layers as suggested and tennis shoes for adults and cheap boots for the kid. Was perfect!!!!:o

[fleckle]

When I first glanced at this thread, it startled me because I thought it said

 

Help on clothing optional on Skagway helicopter/dog sledding :D