Like Nowhere Else ....

Heli-skiing with Valdez Heli-Ski Guides is unlike skiing anywhere else in the world. Our ski runs average 3,500 vertical feet; the longest runs, like our backyard test-piece Mount Dimond, top out at 6,200. Our low client-to-guide ratio (4:1) provides you with individualized attention, allowing us to guide you down the exciting peaks showcasing the long couloirs and broad faces only found in the Chugach.

Not for beginners ....

Valdez Heli-Ski Guides caters to advanced and expert skiers and riders only. If you enjoy dramatic ski runs and can safely ski in control on the steep runs found at most ski areas, you will love VHSG!

Terrain Progression ....

To those new to big mountain skiing, VHSG’s unique Terrain Progression Program is designed to teach you the skills, like sluff management, necessary to ski this incredible terrain. For the Chugach veteran, VHSG guides will help you safely push your limits on the most memorable runs of your life. All of our clients will leave VHSG with more developed big mountain skills, giving each more confidence on his or her our ski hill and the other big peaks of the world.

Tsaina Lodge ....

Valdez Heli-Ski Guides operates out of the new Tsaina Lodge, located 35 miles north of Valdez, Alaska, in the heart of Thompson Pass. The new lodge stands on the footprint of the original and infamous Tsaina, birthplace of big mountain skiing and VHSG 20 years ago. The early big mountain skiers, including VHSG founder Doug Coombs, found its location to offer weather conditions more reliable than anywhere else in the area. The same is true today and we can often fly in weather windows unavailable to those located farther from Thompson Pass. In fact, some of our best terrain is only a two-minute flight from the heli-pad, giving clients the option to ski directly back to the lodge, something no other heli-ski operator in Alaska can offer. The Tsaina Lodge truly is the epicenter of heli-skiing.

Other things to do....

Typically we are able to fly 80 percent of our season. On days when weather prohibits safe flying, we offer down-day activities in Thompson Pass and out of Valdez: ski touring, ice climbing, snowmobiling, sea kayaking, and halibut and salmon fishing.