Valdez Ski Mountaineering

The Chugach Mountains near Valdez, Alaska are one of the most filmed ski destinations in the World. With steep glaciated peaks, a strong maritime snowpack, and quick access from nearby Thompson Pass Highway, it is ski mountaineering at its finest. We ski big glaciers, skinny chutes, and make stunning peak descents using a combination of human powered touring and helicopter assisted drops.

The transition from Peak Mountain Guides to Mountain Trip has happened! Please contact Mountain Trip’s Telluride, CO office at 970-369-1153 to book this trip.

The Chugach Mountains receive 600-900 inches of snow annually, blanketing some of the best ski terrain in the World with cold smoke powder not typically found in low-elevation coastal mountains. Combine these elements with a surreal backdrop that is reminiscent of a Dr. Seuss drawing and the ski dream destination of Valdez starts to come into focus. Steep spines, flutes, chutes, couloirs, faces, bunny ramps…it is all here.

Our programming focuses on one factor: customization. From ski mountaineering to moderate glacier touring and from guiding to courses we offer the full range of dream ski trips. At Peak our guides have spent an extensive amount of time skiing and climbing in Alaska, giving skiers a top-tier experience for a wide variety of tour days depending on conditions, weather, and ability. We only offer private programs up here and will tailor every tour to the skier. Program lengths average 5 days, though both shorter and longer programs are possible.

We commonly teach the following skills in the context of some incredible ski mountaineering tours:

• Tour planning and terrain selection
• Map, compass, & GPS navigation
• Traveling skills: tracksetting, pacing, AVA turn and kick turn
• Glacier travel and crevasse rescue
• Use of ski crampons, ice axe, and boot crampons
• Construction of THINX ski anchors
• Lowering and rappelling for access to steep terrain
• Steep skiing techniques
• Advanced snowpack stability assessment through layer identification, understanding of spatial variability, and understanding direct and indirect weather effects

Group Size

This is a private program, no one else will be paired with your party. If your group is larger than 3, we apply a group discount and additional guides are added to keep the guest to guide ratio at 3:1 or lower.

Season

March 1 – April 15

Prerequisites

Advanced downhill skiing ability.
Ability to make controlled turns in variable conditions.
Previous backcountry touring experience.
Excellent fitness.

Time and Place

This trip runs in the Chugach mountains around Valdez, AK. Meeting times and logistical details are coordinated on a custom basis.