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People
1 Person
Date(s)
--
Duration
8 day
Guide(s)
St. Elias Alpine Guides
Reserve deposit (30%) $0
Second Payment Amount: $0
  • Private expedition (your own people, your own time—pick the date that suits you)

    The Alaskan Chugach Mountains provide an unparalleled wilderness feel among its spectacular peaks. You might be thinking that arranging all that—the transfers, the food, the lodgings—might be too much fuss. And you’d be right, there’s a lot to deal with, and this is where our expert guides come in. They arranged every single thing from the moment you set foot in Anchorage, so all that’s left to do is enjoy a week of limitless terrain options and pristine snow in the Chugach Mountains! There’s no better way to end the ski season—we’ll have the place to ourselves and we’ll ski our heart outs.

    • Arrive in Anchorage on your own and spend the night there. Arrange accommodation on your own for tonight, but if you need some help, let us know and your guides will gladly advise you.

      Anchorage, Alaska
    • Your guides will send a van to pick you up in Anchorage and drive you 8 hours east to McCarthy. Meet your guides there and enjoy dinner together. Lodging for the night is in rustic bunk rooms of your guides’ historic Powerhouse building. Upgrades to flights or more comfortable accommodations may be available, let us know upon booking.

      Accommodation: Bunk rooms in Powerhouse
      Meals: Dinner

      McCarthy Alaska, vintage scene
    • Today you’ll fly out deep into the Eastern Chugach to set up your camp and scope out your lines! Get settled into your tent—your home for the week—and discuss the plan for the upcoming days with your guides.

      Accommodation: Tents
      Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks

      Plane in the Chugach Mountains
    • Get up, have some breakfast, and head out to ski—and every morning, rinse and repeat! You’ll spend these days in the pristine backcountry with your team and your guides, who will help you hone your skiing skill and assist you with your aspirations.

      Accommodation: Tents
      Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks

      Skiing in Chugach, Alaska
    • Say goodbye to your snowy home and experience “green shock” as you fly back to McCarthy. Enjoy a hot sauna, a cold beverage, and a warm bed in the bunkroom.

      Accommodation: Bunk rooms in Powerhouse
      Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks

      Skiers laughing in Chugach
    • Load into the van in the morning and begin the drive back to Anchorage. Your guides recommend planning to spend this night in Anchorage before flying out the next morning—this gives you a buffer in the itinerary for any unexpected delays.

      Meals: Breakfast

      Anchorage waterfront
    • What you get on this adventure:

        • Experienced skiing guide with extensive knowledge of the area
        • 8-day Chugach ski expedition (6 days of guided skiing)
        • Round-trip transportation Anchorage-McCarthy
        • Lodging in historic bunkrooms
        • Two 45-minute scenic bush flights to and from the St. Elias Mountains
        • All food on the expedition and in McCarthy
        • Group gear
          • Tents — you will be provided with tents (but you can bring your own) and most likely be paired up with another group participant. If you’d like to bring your own tent, it needs to be a 4-season tent with a vestibule (like Mountain Hardwear Trango II)
          • Cook tent as an additional shelter for mealtimes or “indoor classroom” experiences
          • Cooking equipment + fuel
          • Technical equipment — ropes, snow pickets, ice screws, and any other group technical equipment needed for the trip
          • Toilet supplies — your guides will dig out a latrine in the backcountry and stock it with toilet paper
          • Sat phone/inreach — your guide will have a satellite communication device for coordinating bush flights and to use in emergencies (you do not need to bring your own, but you can if you want to)

      What’s not included:

        • Transportation to Anchorage
        • Personal camping and skiing gear
        • Lodging and logistics in Anchorage prior to and after the tour
        • Trip insurance — mandatory
        • Guide gratuities — optional
    • 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

        • Skis with touring bindings — AT, telemark, or splitboard (needs to be suitable for uphill travel and downhill skiing, leashes are required for glacier travel)
        • Boots — touring or telemark, they must have a full-range “walk” mode (regular alpine skis will not work)
        • Poles — adjustable poles with powder baskets
        • Skins — fit to your skis
        • Ski crampons — compatible with your bindings
        • Two ski straps — orange rubber Voile straps work great

      Avalanche safety gear

        • Transceiver — modern, single frequency (457 khz) transceiver, preferably less than five years old, a digital 3-antennae model is required (like BCA Tracker 3, Mammut Pulse Barryvox, Peips DSP)
        • Shovel — lightweight avalanche shovel with a metal blade, extendable handle recommended (like Black Diamond Transfer 3, VoileTelepack)
        • Probe — a dedicated probe, ski pole probes are not sufficient (like Black Diamond Quickdraw Tour Probe 280, Ortovox 240 HD PFA)

      Technical equipment

        • Ice axe — lightweight 55-70 cm mountaineering axe recommended (like Black Diamond Raven)
        • Boot crampons (10- or 12-point mountaineering crampon, steel preferred (like Grivel G10)
        • Harness — lightweight alpine harness with adjustable leg loops (like Black Diamond Couloir), your harness needs to be less than 10 years old and in good condition
        • Two locking carabiners — pear-shaped biners are recommended (Petzl Attache)
        • Three non-locking carabiners — wire gate biners recommended (Black Diamond Oz)
        • Two cordelettes — 6 or 7 mm nylon static cord, one 15-20’ in length (5-6 m), and 30’ in length (9-10 m)
        • Extra rigging — 5 mm cord, 30’ in length (9-10 mm)
        • Climbing or skiing helmet
    • Packs & bags

        • Large duffel bag — 110+ liters
        • Day pack — 30 to 40 liters, should have some sort of ski attachment system (A-frame, vertical, diagonal, etc. Optional: Avalung or airbag pack.)
        • Overnight pack — 60-90 liter internal frame pack (ask your guide if you need this for your trip)
        • Sleeping bag — down or synthetic, rated to 0° F
        • Inflatable pad — full length
        • Closed cell foam sleeping bag — full or 3/4 length

      Head & hands

        • Sunglasses — glacier glasses or dark tinted wrap-arounds (they should have full UV protection. Bring an extra pair as a backup)
        • Goggles — preferably with low-light lenses (amber or rose) and UV protection
        • Warm hat — fleece, wool or synthetic beanie
        • Sun hat — baseball cap, visor, etc.
        • Face protection — neck gaiter is very versatile, providing protection from the sun,
          cold, and wind, or another option is balaclava
        • Light gloves — fleece, softshell, or synthetic liner glove
        • Ski gloves — these should be wind and water-resistant winter gloves
        • Extra gloves — bring another pair either as a backup for wet gloves or a heavier, warmer pair.

      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!

        • Sun shirt — short or long-sleeved, light synthetic fabric
        • Baselayer top — light to medium weight synthetic fabric, long-sleeved
        • Lightweight insulating layer — light fleece or synthetic layer
        • Softshell or fleece jacket — great outer layer for cold or windy conditions
        • Lightweight down or synthetic insulated jacket (lightweight and compressible) — optional
        • Shell jacket with hood — Gore-tex or equivalent waterproof fabric.
        • Insulated park — down or synthetic with a hood (ex: Patagonia DAS Parka).

      Lower body + feet

        • Baselayer bottoms — medium weight
        • Softshell pants – comfortable for touring, climbing, and skiing in all day (breathability is more important than weather protection, built-in gaiters are a plus)
        • Hardshell pants — for adverse weather, these should have full side zips
        • Insulated pants (nice luxury item for wearing around camp) — optional
        • Socks — bring at least four pairs of socks (wool or synthetic) that work well with your ski boots (keep in mind that warmth comes from good circulation, not heavy socks, your ski boot liners provide plenty of insulation)
        • Camp booties or snow boots — give your feet a break from ski boots when hanging around camp

      Required equipment

        • Mess kit — cup, bowl, and spoon
        • Personal toiletries — toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, g-tips, a small bottle of hand sanitizer, baby wipes, and menstrual items (your guides will set up a latrine at your camp and stock with toilet paper)
        • Personal first-aid kit — Band-Aids, blister repair, anti-diarrheal (Imodium), antacid, ibuprofen or aspirin, any personal prescription medications (please discuss these with your guides prior to the trip)
        • Sunscreen — consider a stick-form, instead of a lotion, to more easily reapply with gloves on
        • Chapstick / lip balm — with SPF protection
        • Water bottles + insulators — your guides will provide you with a 160z souvenir Nalgene and they recommend supplementing it with one 320z wide-mouth bottle (an insulated cover with a lid such as those offered by Outdoor Research is recommended for at least one bottle to keep it from freezing)
        • Camera (bring a good one, especially with a wide-angle lens, plus extra batteries & storage — optional
        • Knife — the Swiss Army knife is the old standby, although the new multi-tools are acceptable, as long as they have a knife, keep it simple and small
        • Headlamp — small LED headlamp recommended (only required in August and September)

      Optional items

        • Repair kit (extra binding parts (including mounting screws), an extra tip loop for your skins, an extra pole basket, etc.)
        • Ski and/or skin wax — your guides can tune your skis before you head out into the backcountry, but it’s always nice to bring some extra wax along. Skin wax is great to prevent warm summer snow from glomping up on your skins during travel.
        • Hand/toe warmers — chemical hand and toe warmers can help your appendages on a cold day
        • Watch — consider an altimeter watch to track elevation and make weather predictions
        • Eye mask + ear plugs — there are no black-out blinds on our tents, so if you think you might have trouble sleeping under the midnight sun or next to a noisy tent mate, consider an eye mask and ear plugs to assist
        • Thermos — consider a 160z thermos for additional warmth throughout the day or at camp
        • Stuff sacks — very handy for keeping things separated and making sure that your clothing, sleeping bag, and anything else you don’t want to get wet is in waterproof stuff sacks
        • Pee bottle or urination device — a designated (and well-marked!) bottle can save you a trip in the middle of the night. Women might consider a wide-mouth Nalgene or a female urination device
        • Book, journal & pencil
        • Binoculars — nice to have for animal sightings and views of the distant peaks.
        • Compass
    • 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

        • For the group Chugach ski expedition, the usual client-to-guide ratio is 4:1.
        • It takes a minimum of 3 people for this tour to operate. The maximum group size is 8.
        • Private Chugach ski expedition with custom dates is available from May 15 to June 10.

      Chugach ski expeditions can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.

      Min. age requirements

        • If you are older than 18, you’re good to go.
        • Minors older than 16 may be permitted to join the hike on a case-by-case basis, but must be in the presence of a parent or legal guardian.

      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!

Have more questions? Read our FAQ
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