Have I mentioned that Alaska has some quirky small businesses? This is one that I saw in action but, admittedly, did not experience firsthand.

Much as I enjoy browsing around downtown Anchorage, doing it on foot is much more my style than doing it on a Segway. Which is not to say that this isn’t a popular form of transport. Those of us walking must beware because there can occasionally be close encounters with those on wheels.

Guided Segway tours claim to offer “a whole new way to appreciate the beauty of Anchorage”.  Described as “the world's first and only self-balancing electric transport mechanism”, the Segway Human Transporter is available for hire from SegTours of Anchorage during the brief part of the year when the streets are (almost) guaranteed to be snow- and ice-free.

Owner Alan Weinstein has set tours leaving three times a day, seven days a week, from Memorial to Labor Day (last weekend in May to first weekend in September) and is also willing to make special arrangements.

They generally last 90-120 minutes and cost $65 per person for tourists, with special rates for Alaska residents. Groups of up to six people are fully fitted out with helmets and trained for 20-30 minutes before setting out. Weinstein explains that the Segway is operated by making subtle weight shifts with the feet.

Stops may provide an opportunity to spot King and Silver Salmon returning from the ocean to spawn at Ship Creek; a view of Cook Inlet, the Alaska Range, Mt McKinley and Mount Susitna at Resolution Park; the Alaska Statehood Monument which includes sight of Anchorage’s original town site and the historic Alaska Railroad terminal and Town Square in the heart of downtown, well-known for its spectacular flower displays.

It’s an attractive offer and I can see why it could be popular. For the brave and spirited. Which describes many tourists visiting Alaska and which means that Alan Weinstein may be onto a good thing.

But of course it is only available for a very short time and it does leave me wondering whether those few tourists who benefit are enough for Weinstein himself to benefit.

www.segtours.net

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By Bernice Hurst  on   Nov 03,2008

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Keywords

Segway    Alaska    Bernice Hurst    tour    tourism    America   

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