Pulseline Adventure - Valdez, Alaska

Aidan L.

They are called Pulseline for a reason, they take you to some of the best terrain skiing has to offer! Every single guide was world class. This trip couldn’t have been beaten.

When the weather was poor great activities were put in place to accommodate and Pulseline worked around their scheduling to make sure all hobs were used.

The operation is extremely slick and you really get the opportunity to lap many of the lines you’ve always dreamed of.

I would highly recommend this trip if you want to further your skiing to some of the biggest lines out there whilst doing it with some great like minded people.

A massive thank you to all the guides, Lynn, Guage, Zach, Geoff, Cameron, Jordan, Josh, Erin, Eric who looked after us!

Lisa C.

The Women’s Big Mountain Camp was one of the best experiences of my life. We had an incredible crew, the conditions were perfect, and the entire Pulseline team was outstanding. Lynn and Jessica will bring out the best in you. It was empowering, fun, and memorable. I feel grateful for the opportunity and look forward to another adventure with Pulseline!

Calum P.

Unforgettable experience with the Pulseline team. These guys run a seriously impressive operation with access to some amazing terrain. Will definitely be looking to book again in the future.

Cody N.

An experience you will never forget. We had worst case scenario conditions and still had the time of our lives thanks to the crew and organization of Pulseline. The kind and humble demeanor of the guides and staff was top notch. They obviously have a deep knowledge of the area from over 20 years of experience heli guiding in the mountains around Valdez and around the world.

Valdez is also a small town and often times you get to speak with other individuals there skiing under other companies, and it was apparent we made the right choice by the experiences we were hearing from
others. I would not hesitate to book again and can’t recommend Pulseline enough. Had such a great experience with Pulseline I instantly started looking at the other adventures they offer elsewhere.

Biggest piece of advice I could offer is buy the trip insurance for peace of mind, and know going into it that it is entirely possible that you may have to use it.

Martineast

Had a great time with the Pulseline crew. Evan did a stellar job finding good snow and the rest of the team was accommodating and approachable. Will be back next April.

Logan W.

Pulseline Adventure is a great company! Of the different outfitters I have worked with, they are the best by far on communication and respond clearly and in a timely manner. The trip to Valdez is beautiful and the snow hits different there. Its been great getting to work with them and Im looking forward to my next trip to Valdez!

QIAOCHU Y.

We went to Valdez to have fun, but got a traumatic experience.
Three of us booked an 8-day Heliskiing package with Pulseline Adventure in the Chugach Range. The weather was good with partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies and wind speeds of 0–15 mph. However, after skiing for 1.5 days, we decided to quit due to the amount of disrespect we had to deal with.

The owner (Gabe Monroe) made some remarks to me in the conference room when my group shared feedback, I literally teared up at the bully.
[On my frustration about mostly being the last group to drop]
Me: The group that drops in first and the group that drops in last have much different experiences. And our group is just following you.
Gabe: That’s what happens when there are 3 groups in the field, 2 groups are always following, is this difficult to understand?
Me: Is it fair though?
Gabe: Is life fair?

[On my feedback about flight time efficiency]
Me: 1.9 Hobbs hours for 5 runs, is it fair, on a sunny day?
Gabe: Fair is arbitrary as well, I want you to listen, you need to just pay attention, if we stay in one zone, you may get 6–7 runs in one hour, no one’s gonna be happy.
Me: No, I may be happy.
Gabe: It’s not about you.

[On my terrain aspirations]
Me: We saw good terrains when we were transporting, but we didn’t get to ski those terrains.
Gabe: Would you like to be in charge when we ski?
Me: No
Gabe: Ok so let me do that and you do your best to appreciate what I’m trying to show you

[On my intention to write honest review about the experience]
Gabe: You can do whatever you like, you have the right to do that, but that’s not professional, ethical or respectable.
Gabe: I certainly hope you wouldn’t intentionally cause damage to people.
Me: No, I will reflect the truth in my reviews.
Gabe: It’s still damaging.
Me: If the truth damages you, your business has a serious problem.

Pulseline Adventure’s advertised experience is drastically different from what we experienced.
Runs per flight hour
Advertised: 6–8
Actual: 3
Guide Maturity
Advertised: 1 seasoned guide per group
Actual: my guide has one season of experience in the Chugach, pun intended?
Safety
Advertised: top priority
Actual: Despite their diligence toward safety, we still observed a egregious gap that the lead guide arranged a heated, emotional discussion before flight, continued to guide immediately after the discussion, broke his leg a couple of hours later.
Size of run
Advertised: massive
Actual: 2160 ft on average, only one exceeded 3000 ft, 3 runs were < 1500 ft. Quality of run Advertised: always another run of a lifetime right around the corner. Actual: 77% of runs are not fresh, 22% of runs have been tracked out by 15 people or more. Pickup delay between runs Advertised: streamlined operations that reduces wait time for pickups. Actual: 25.8 minutes on average, the max was 90 minutes. How do you like paying $600 to put the 18th track on this slope?

Shawn J.

My experience with Pulseline was nothing short of amazing. I had some of the best and most memorable runs of my life! When it comes to skiing in AK there are two things that matter: safety and experience and Pulseline Adventures has them both in spades. Lead guide Dan "Van'' knows the area better than anyone in the game and had a sixth sense to get our group on the goods even in challenging conditions. The pilots and air ops team were meticulous and professional.

Off the slopes Josh made sure all the logistical details were handled and there were absolutely no surprises. We spent a ton of time hanging with the entire Pulseline team during our evenings, everyone was friendly and committed to the mountain lifestyle. An unexpected bonus was the quality of evenings Pulsine put together for our group in the thriving metropolis of Valdez. I found the accommodations were clean and modern.

Concerning the negative Google reviews, AK and Pulseline are the real deal. If you weren’t satisfied with your experience I would say you failed to educate yourself on what to expect. The terrain contained in Pulseline’s permit area is simply the best ski playground the world has to offer. If you need someone to make you feel special and aren’t there to push yourself, maybe you should save your money for some private lessons.