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.