Guests booking a multi-day Black Ops Valdez package can stay at Robe Lake Lodge, the operator’s own Alaskan-style lodge overlooking Robe Lake. Established in 2008 and located between downtown Valdez and Thompson Pass, it provides a comfortable base for heading into the Chugach each morning.

The lodge has two double rooms and four single rooms and is particularly well suited to groups of approximately six to ten guests. It’s intimate, relaxed and appropriately Alaskan—exactly the kind of place we’d want to return to after skiing 4,000 vertical feet of Chugach powder.

Amenities include:

• Hot tub and sauna for recovering after long ski days
• Satellite TV and high-speed internet
• Gourmet dinners featuring fresh and locally sourced ingredients
• Fresh Alaska seafood and quality meats regularly incorporated into the menu
• Massage therapy available upon request
• Comfortable common areas for relaxing between ski days

Black Ops also offers additional private cabin accommodations around Robe Lake. The Eagle’s Nest Cabin can accommodate up to eight guests across four rooms, while smaller cabins are available for two guests. These can be a particularly good option for couples, families or groups of friends looking for a little more privacy during their Valdez trip.

We like this setup because it matches the personality of Black Ops. This isn't about creating a luxury resort experience in Alaska. It's about having a comfortable, intimate base close to the mountains where you can ski hard all day, hit the hot tub or sauna, eat well and recharge for another shot at the Chugach tomorrow.

This is the reason you come to Valdez.

Black Ops operates across more than 2,500 square miles of Chugach terrain surrounding Valdez and Thompson Pass. This is classic Alaska—huge snowfall, glaciers, long fall-line descents, wide-open powder fields and the steep faces and couloirs that have made the region legendary.

Runs here are big. Black Ops reports average descents of roughly 3,000–5,000 vertical feet, meaning you can spend a lot more time skiing and a lot less time wondering when the run is going to end.

And while Valdez has a reputation for extreme terrain, you don't have to be a professional skier to experience it. Black Ops breaks its terrain into three general categories:

• Low Angle — 20–30°: More forgiving terrain for skiers getting comfortable with deep powder and their first taste of Alaska. Expect open glaciers, mellow pitches and plenty of room to find your rhythm.
• Medium Angle — 30–40°: This is the sweet spot for many experienced heli-skiers—and where we'd happily spend a lot of our time. The terrain is steep enough to carry speed and link big powder turns without immediately stepping into the more consequential side of the Chugach.
• High Angle — 40–65°: This is where Valdez earns its reputation. Steep faces, couloirs, exposed alpine terrain and serious lines reserved for capable skiers when snow stability, weather and your guide allow.

That's what we love about the Chugach. You can start the trip making relaxed turns on a glacier and finish it staring down a line you might have spent years dreaming about.

When Valdez is on, few places offer this combination of snow, vertical, terrain and sheer scale.

Black Ops keeps its heli-ski operation intentionally small, flying A-Star AS350 and H125 helicopters and hosting no more than about 16 heli-ski guests at a time. Smaller groups give guides more flexibility to match skiers by ability and choose terrain that fits the group, snow conditions and ambitions for the day.

Black Ops traditionally structures much of its skiing around Hobbs hours rather than guaranteed vertical. Hobbs time measures actual helicopter flight time, and Black Ops estimates that one Hobbs hour typically produces around 6–10 runs, depending on terrain and how efficiently the day unfolds.

More recently, Black Ops has also introduced Unlimited Vertical Lodge Packages during select periods, giving skiers another way to approach Valdez.

Package options include:

• 7-Day Heli-Ski Package: A Sunday-to-Sunday trip with seven nights at Robe Lake Lodge, meals and 5 Hobbs hours of helicopter time. This is the classic weeklong Black Ops experience and gives you the best opportunity to work around Alaska's unpredictable weather.
• 3- & 4-Day Packages: A shorter hit of the Chugach with the same lodge-based experience. Four-day trips include 3 Hobbs hours, while three-day trips include 2 Hobbs hours.
• Single-Day Heli-Skiing: Includes 1 Hobbs hour of flight time along with the required safety equipment. Accommodation isn't included, making this a straightforward option for skiers already staying in Valdez.
• Unlimited Vertical Lodge Packages: Offered during select periods, these packages remove additional flight-time overage charges. If Alaska gives you the weather and the Chugach is firing, you keep skiing without watching the Hobbs meter.
• Private Heli-Skiing: For groups wanting maximum freedom, private programs provide a dedicated helicopter and guides, allowing the day to revolve around your group's pace, ability and terrain goals. Weeklong private programs can include up to 14 Hobbs hours for groups of up to eight guests with two guides.

We like that Black Ops gives skiers several ways to approach Valdez. Book a full week and maximize your weather window, come in for a shorter Chugach hit, or take your own helicopter and chase the kind of terrain you came to Alaska to ski.

A huge differentiating factor between Black Ops Valdez and other operators is there assortment of alternative activities. Originally a cat skiing operator, if you ever experience no-fly days due to bad weather, this operator can still bring you up to the same awesome runs. Cat skiing is slower paced but still provides unparalleled access to jaw-dropping terrain.