Valdez Heli Ski Guides

If you book a member package with Valdez Heliski, you’ll have the benefit of staying in the Tsaina Lodge. This once rustic lodge has since been renovated to provide a modern, developed experience. Unlike other heli skiing operators, you won’t be forced into a double occupancy rooms. Nearly all rooms and suites at the 24-room Tsaina Lodge are private, giving visiting skiers ultimate comfort, privacy, and relaxation.

Some standard amenities that can be expected include:

• Gym and fitness center
• Cigar room
• Ski lockers
• Hot tub
• Spa
• Laundry services

Food and drink at the Tsaina are second to none. Even residents of Valdez make the trip to the lodge just to enjoy the exceptional cuisine, lively atmosphere, and down-right great time. All their menu items are locally sourced, providing diners with fresh, wholesome, and healthy meals that are sure to satisfy. Alaskan seafood and a fine selection of meats are commonplace.

The cozy bar is a place to unwind, make connections, and recount the day’s powder scores. Valdez Heliski Guides encourages a good time at their drinking hole, setting a precedent for boisterous, unforgettable moments.

Photo courtesy of Tory P. - Thx!

 

The Chugach Mountains are a massive geological phenomenon that gives rise to some of the most varied, steep skiing in the world. It’s for this reason that so many Alaskan heli skiing operators have obtained Forest Service permits to use in this region. The Chugachs jut out of the surrounding waters incredibly quickly, developing massive glacier steeps that contribute to hard and fast skiing.

Most runs with Valdez Heliski provide 3,500 feet in vertical, but some runs can be even more. Mount Diamond provides a 5,500 vertical foot run. Just look at this view from the top, down a run on the North Face! You have to turn left after the first set of rocks and before the cliff in the middle, (not visible.)

45 degrees plus some...don't fall, right?

These long descents require good physical fitness, as no one wants to be the individual holding everyone else back. With more challenging groups, it’s expected to ski these amounts of vertical without stopping.

Directly surrounding the heli pad at Tsaina Lodge, Valdez Heliski Guides operates in 3,600 square miles of terrain. However, if the weather isn’t good, the operator can extend their reach to over 10,000 square miles, providing thousands of named runs for skiers to explore.

Advanced ability is not required, either. If you can confidently ski in-bounds at a major Western ski resort, you’ll be able to thoroughly enjoy the terrain offered by Valdez Heliski.

As discussed, Valdez Heliski provides package options for both lodge members, and individual skiers looking for a standalone trip. The difference between the two package options is accommodations. Member packages will be able to stay at the on-site Tsaina Lodge, whereas individual package purchases will be provided accommodations at a nearby hotel (when all-inclusive). Package options are:

• 7 Day Group Member: Up to 8 skiers can be accommodated with the member group package. If you don’t have a full group, you’re welcome to join up with another. Included is 10 hours of flight time, two assigned guides, Tsaina Lodge lodging and meals, and transportation to and from Valdez airport. Single load rides feature an A-Star helicopter.
• 7 Day Individual: For a more affordable value, the individual package only provides 4.2 hours of flight time over the course of the week. One guide is assigned to each group of four skiers, and daily lunch is provided on the mountain. Accommodations are the skier’s responsibility with this budget package.
• 7 Day Individual All-Inclusive: For a slight price increase, this package option includes everything found with the standard individual package, except accommodations are provided. Skiers are not lodged in the Tsaina Lodge. Instead, they are put up at Totem Hotel & Suites, located offsite.
• Private: Private groups of up to 8 people are available, for a premium. 10 hours of flight time is provided, vastly increasing the amount of skiing you’d get with a typical package.

Worried about what you’ll do in the event of a down day due to weather? Luckily, Valdez Heli Ski Guides provides one of the most comprehensive selections of additional activities out of any operator. Rather than staying cooped up in the lodge all day, drinking wine and drowning your sorrows over the powder you missed, you’ll have cat skiing, ice climbing, fishing, and target shooting available right outside the lodge.