The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
No heli-skiing planned
By Toni Todd
Eleven Experience is requesting a permit to operate a helicopter pad at Scarp Ridge near the Irwin Townsite. Last Friday, the Gunnison County Planning Commission heard Eleven’s initial petition.
“It’s just to bring in customers,” said Eleven’s attorney, David Leinsdorf. “We’re not applying for helicopter operations. We’re asking for a helipad so that other operators can use it.”
“This isn’t possible at the Crested Butte Airport?” asked planning commissioner Molly Mugglestone.
“I believe it is not,” said Leinsdorf.
“Have you contacted the U.S. Forest Service regarding impacts to wildlife?” asked planning commissioner Kent Fulton.
“I have contacted the Forest Service to see if they have any concerns or comments and they said they have neither,” said Neal Starkebaum, assistant community development director.
“Daylight?” asked Fulton.
“Daylight hours for sure,” said Jake Jones, managing director for Eleven. “Helicopter pilots rely on line-of-sight to fly and we are only open during the day up there anyway.”
The idea, explained Jones, is for operators to fly clients in for the day, possibly from Aspen or Telluride. Landing them at Gunnison is inconvenient.
Planning commissioners expressed concern over noise, impacts on wildlife, neighboring residents, safety of flying in a high-mountain environment, and wondered whether the helicopters might be used to aid in mountain rescue operations.
Proponents discounted all of these concerns, insisting their primary purpose for the helipad would be for other operators to drop visitors at Scarp Ridge, and that those operators would, in all likelihood, be experienced pilots. They insisted they have no plans to offer heli-skiing, or to develop their own helicopter operation.
Planning commissioners agreed that a site visit would be beneficial so they can see the proposed location of the helipad and envision how it will work with several helicopter flights a day flying into the rugged landscape. Leinsdorf and Jones agreed to work with county officials to make that site visit happen, by snowcat if necessary, within the next couple of weeks.
