Chugach Powder Guides
Based in Girdwood near the Alyeska Resort, Chugach Powder Guides offer epic Alaskan heli skiing. Choose from single day heli skiing, 5 day packages that include lodging at the deluxe Hotel Alyeska, or a customised private heli skiing trip if you really want to fully explore the Alaskan Mountains.
Alaska heli skiing is world renowned for challenging steeps, the bountiful snow, and a coastal snowpack that enables the steeps to be skied. Alaskan heli skiing and snowboarding is also well known for the massive snow storms that can ground the helicopter for a day or days. However Chugach Powder Guides heli skiing provides the distinct advantage over other AK heli operators of a “no cabin fever” policy on no-fly days. Chugach Powder Guides offer more down day activities than any other heliski outfit in Alaska. These include snowcat skiing or inbounds resort riding at
Alyeska Ski Resort.
Other Benefits of Heli Skiing with Chugach Powder Guides
- The proximity to Alyeska Resort is a huge pro for the heli skiing outfit. Firstly it offers the ability to purposefully mix and match resort skiing/snowboarding with heli skiing, or to ride in-bounds when weather factors ground the helicopter. Hotel Alyeska offers lovely creature comforts and there are various options for dining at the resort. And CPG heli skiing is particularly ideal if you want a ski vacation with family or friends and not everyone wants to go heli skiing.
- CPG can cater to a range of ability levels. The heli skiing isn’t just for uber experts and Warren Miller stunt skiers.
- In addition to slopes for different ability levels, terrain diversity is also apparent with respect to big mountain alpine terrain and tree skiing.
- CPG only offers small group heli skiing in agile B3/A-star helicopters.
- Back-up cat skiing is an option for down days, with 4,000 acres of terrain adjacent to Alyeska.
- The guides are not only well qualified and highly experienced. Many of the guides are Alaskan locals and knows the mountains intimately.
- Girdwood is only 45 miles from Anchorage and there are regular flights into the large airport from various locations, so CPG heli skiing is more easily accessed than other AK heli skiing operations.
Where is Chugach Powder Guides Located?
Chugach Powder Guides is based in the town of Girdwood Alaska, which is home to
Alyeska Ski Resort. Girdwood is just 45 miles from Anchorage and is easily accessible via shuttle (included for multi-day packages) or rental car.
Most of the heli skiing terrain is north and south of Girdwood in the Western Chugach Mountains. The terrain includes the Northern Chugach Range, the Talkeetnas, and the Seward Range. Some of the terrain offers views of Turnagain Arm (near Girdwood) and Prince William Sound.
The main heli pad is located in Girdwood (1.8 miles from Hotel Alyeska) but CPG can also stage from other areas. Transport between Hotel Alyeska and the helicopter staging area is included in the packages.
Hotel Alyeska is located at the base of the Alyeska Ski Resort in a convenient ski-in ski-out position.
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Chugach Powder Guides Snow & Terrain
Heli Skiing Terrain
Chugach Powder Guides have massive terrain choice with 750,000 acres (303,514 hectares) on offer, so you never have to ski or snowboard the same line twice. CPG have catalogued hundreds of runs and tens of thousands of landings.
CPG heli skiing is between elevations of approximately 6,500 feet (1,981 metres) and almost sea level, so there is the potential for very long runs, and the tenure includes lots of high alpine terrain and glaciers as well as some below timberline skiing through old-growth forests.
The single day packages and 5-day packages typically ride the terrain near Girdwood, but with a private customised ski safari package you can head further afield to the mountain zones from the Tordrillos to the Talkeetnas, to the Northern and Western Chugach, to the Pacific Coast.
Ability Level
Chugach Powder Guides Heli Skiing caters to strong intermediate, advanced, expert, and professional skiers and riders. The Chugach Range has a reputation for catering to the latter, and it doesn’t disappoint, with massive Alaskan lines, steep spines, curtains and couloirs. At the other end of the spectrum there are mellow rolling powder bowls.
In order to ski big Alaskan lines, the weather, snowpack stability, and your skiing or riding ability all have to come together. CPG will place individuals of a similar ability together in a group. Of course, the best way to guarantee riding with others of like ability is to get your own group together.
Snow
The heli skiing terrain at Chugach Powder Guides scores 700 inches (17.8 metres) of snow on average per year. The Western Range of the Chugach Mountains is uniquely situated between the warm, moist air currents of the Pacific Ocean and the artic winds that blow in from the vast interior of Alaska, which culminates in great powder snow that sticks well to the steep terrain that the Chugach is famous for.
CPG Terms and Conditions
We do everything we can to accommodate our guests' needs, changes, unforeseen mishaps and cancellations. Here's everything you need to know.
Payments and Deposits
We accept all major credit cards as well as secure wire transfers. When you book your reservation, with Chugach Powder Guides we require a 50% deposit, and you have 90 days prior to your first ski date to pay the remaining balance.
If you're doing a day trip, we require reservations to be made no more than 30 days in advance for weekdays, but reservations for weekends can be made at any time. Payment in full is required when booking this option.
Client / Participant Responsibilities
1) All clients and participants will be required to follow the safety policies and procedures of Chugach Powder Guides as well as the guides' instructions during activities.
2) All clients and participants will be required to sign a Participant Release of Liability, Waiver of Claims, Assumption of Risks and Indemnity Agreement in favor of Chugach Powder Guides before departing on any trip or activity; and 3) Each client or participant agrees and acknowledges when they sign up for Chugach Powder Guides activities that they have significant responsibility for their own safety and agree they are ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE for their own safety during participation in an activity.
Policies: All the CPG Pertinents
We may be renowned the world over for our incredible heli-skiing terrain, but it's our attention to every detail of our guests' stay with us that truly sets us apart. We do everything we can to accommodate our guests' schedules and needs, including the unexpected:
Cancellation – Oh man, I forgot about dinner with my in-laws, and other acceptable excuses...
Refund – We have a vertical footage refund and overage policy of $50 per 1,000 vertical feet.
Privacy – We guard your information and ours to the best of our ability and current technology.
Insurance: We Recommend It
We highly recommend that all of our guests purchase trip insurance, as well as medical and emergency evacuation insurance.