Just imagine: it’s May, and you are skiing somewhere in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness, far away from it all. The exact spot? Somewhere in the Chugach Mountains. A plane will drop us off and we’ll carve our way through pristine snow for a whole week. After setting up camp at one of our secret remote spots, we’ll get to enjoy our very own playground of steep couloirs, thin spines, and wide-open slopes! The Chugach Mountains provide an unrivaled sense of wilderness, with spectacular summits and limitless, incredible backcountry ski terrain. This one’s not to be missed. Go wild!
Having more guides gives us the freedom to adjust the pace and cater to different abilities
Enjoy a week of epic backcountry skiing down some of the highest peaks in Alaska
Let the guides take care of everything, from transfers to lodgings
What you get on this adventure:
What’s not included:
In order to join this Chugach ski expedition, skiers and splitboarders must be very comfortable with off-piste terrain and black diamond-level resort runs. A minimum of 30 days of backcountry skiing/splitboarding is required, but many more are highly recommended! Excellent fitness and endurance are highly recommended.
Keep in mind that you’ll spend a week in the backcountry and you have to be fit enough for lots of skiing every day! In total, you’ll do 20-30 miles (32-48 km).
The following is a complete list of personal equipment required for the Chugach ski expedition. It is highly recommended that you bring as much of your own gear as possible so you can practice with it or break in your own gear. If you need to purchase items from the list, please make those purchases in advance—while Anchorage has quality gear shops, consider them as a back up for emergencies or last-minute items, as they may not have what you need in stock. There are no gear stores in McCarthy.
Your guides have a limited supply of rental equipment available. Please let us know in time what you need.
Ski equipment
Avalanche safety gear
Technical equipment
Packs & bags
Head & hands
Upper body
There are many possible layering combinations for your upper body. The goal is simply to have a system that is functional in a wide range of weather conditions, from extreme cold to intense heat, strong wind, heavy rain and snow…or beautiful sunny weather!
Lower body + feet
Required equipment
Optional items
Your guides pride themselves on cooking healthy and delicious meals even under the most adverse conditions! Your exact menu will depend on the trip, your guide, and the dietary preferences/restrictions you list upon checkout. No matter what kind of cook your guide is at home, all guides are well-trained backcountry chefs and use time-tested recipes from their proprietary cookbook for their trips. They carry a plentiful and varied stock of ingredients and most meals are prepared from scratch.
You can expect 3 meals a day, plus snacks of your choice. Breakfasts and dinners are usually hot meals and lunches are served cold. They use a combination of fresh, dehydrated, and freeze-dried ingredients to make their delicious meals, however your guides might also use more freeze-dried foods than fresh foods to keep pack weights as low as possible.
Most dietary restrictions and even preferences can be accommodated! Please be honest and open with your guides about what you can and cannot eat. Don’t worry if it’s just a preference – there’s no need to pick out the mushrooms out of every meal when they could easily just be left out.
Because your guides prepare most meals completely from scratch it’s easy for them to add, leave out or substitute ingredients. They are attuned to the consequences of cross-contamination and prep and cook meals with great care when dealing with an allergen or an upsetting ingredient. They have never had any food-related allergic reactions or major issues arise in the field.
Your guides ask that you are realistic about how you want to eat in the backcountry. If you follow a very strict diet at home, consider making exceptions while on the trip as your body will be extra stressed and comfort foods will seem much more appealing out there. Getting enough calories, protein, and other nutrients is important. If you tell your guides you don’t eat pork, they won’t pack you any bacon, and then when breakfast rolls around and you can hear it sizzling in the pan, that delicious bacon smell is in the air, and everyone else is crunching’ on crispy bacon strips… you’ll be eating drool for breakfast! Be realistic, and communicate honestly.
If you have a highly specialized diet for health reasons and your guides are not able to accommodate it, they will work with you to find an alternate solution.
Group sizes and pricing
Chugach ski expeditions can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.
Min. age requirements
If your group has hikers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
You’ll get picked up in Anchorage and brought to McCarthy, where you can stay at your guides’ historic HQ bunkrooms, sleeping on the same bunks that held many of the first explorers of the Park! To get to Anchorage, most people fly into Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC). You can catch a cab or get on the city bus to downtown Anchorage.
Once your trip has come to an end, your guides will get the sauna going for you and they’ll provide a ride back to Anchorage the next morning. Upgrades to more comfortable lodging or transport logistics available upon checkout!
We highly recommend that you cover all your bases with both emergency medical and travel insurance.
With medical insurance, if you have an accident or medical emergency on or off the mountain, you’ll avoid paying out of pocket for costly expenses. This covers everything from hospital treatments to emergency air transportation and more. Travel insurance covers canceled flights, natural disasters and other scenarios that may interrupt your travel plans.
We also expect you to respect local regulations and take measures to protect yourselves, your guides, and the communities you’re traveling to.
If you need assistance selecting the right insurance for your group, let us know and we will be happy to help!
A 30% deposit to secure your place is due upon booking. The remaining amount is paid 3 months (90 days) prior to departure. Once the trip is confirmed by the guide, the cancellation policy stated below applies. If the Client cancels…
