Valdez, Alaska 7-Day Ski Mountaineering
Don't part ways with ski season just yet! Join us for the ultimate backcountry adventure: a week of intensive big-mountain & ski mountaineering instruction while exploring Alaska's legendary terrain.
Please view the information packet for more photos, information, and equipment list.
Dates: April 11-18, 2010
Location: Valdez, Alaska, in the Chugach Range
Ratio: 1 instructor per 4 participants
Cost: $2200
Cost covers seven nights of lodging, breakfast and dinner in Valdez, transportation to the mountains each day, a pickup at Valdez Airport, group gear, technical gear, guide fees, and permit costs.
Cost does not cover personal equipment, lunch or transportation to or from Valdez.
Requirements:
- Ages 16 and older
- Expert level (please refer to our chart) or higher skiers and snowboarders
- Comfortable skiing in avalanche terrain, on ungroomed & natural snow
- Physically fit to climb and ski 5000+ vertical feet per day
Recommended Prerequisites: Intro to Mountaineering, AIARE Level 1, Backcountry Skiing II, or equivlent experience
Equiment Requirements: See Equipment list
This camp is open to any expert (able to ski all black diamonds) Alpine Tourer/Randonee, Telemarker, or Split Snowboarders. Utilizing Alaska's spectacular terrain, we'll cover:
- Big mountain & backcountry travel
- Climbing & descent techniques
- Line selection
- Route finding & tour planning
- Equipment use
- Mountain terminology
- Weather interpretation
- Crevasse rescue & glacier travel techniques
- Snow stability, avalanche transceiver use and general avalanche awareness
The nature of this trip is such that our itinerary will be flexible based on weather and conditions. Please see below for a sample day-to-day itinerary.
Day Zero, Sunday, April 11
Arrive no later than 5:00pm to Valdez. (Airport pickup can be arranged and is included in our cost). Meet and greet guides and other participants, equipment inspection and introduce the week.
Day One, Monday, April 12
Our first day skiing in the Chugach will be geared towards getting acquainted with the terrain, reviewing beacon skills and glacier travel techniques, and making our first turns in Alaska. We will our up either Twenty-Seven Mile Glacier to Tones Temple or up the flanks of Goodwills Peak to ski the spectacular School Bus area.
Day Two, Tuesday, April 13
Condition-dependent, we hope to tour up and ski the Berlin Wall, a classic Valdez line and a great introduction to steep skiing. This line was once a stop on the World Extreme Skiing Championship and offers descents from mild to wild. Depending on the group's stamina, there may the the opportunity to ski multiple lines.
Day Three, Wednesday, April 14
Today we attack Python; one of the mos striking features in Thompson Pass. This tour offers the potential for some of te finest descents of your life... gems like the Bertha and Cherry Couloirs, and the adjacent Cracked Ice to let your fat skis rip.
Day Four, Thursday, April 15
Taking it easy today, we explore Gully Two, or as the locals call it, "Snatch." This gives us an array of options from the 50 degree Rector's Couloir to superb "mini-golf" descents, with a long mellow run back into Thompson Pass.
Day Five, Friday, April 16
Today is our biggest tour of the trip: Mt. Dimond. This peak tops out at 7,202 feet, with glaciers clinging to several ascpects and knife edge ridges leading to the summit.
Day Six, Saturday, April 17
This final ay of skiing can take a variety of forms. Our options vary from seeking out another large peak to finding and skiing the best snow available in the Pass... our plan is open to best fir the conditions and to finish our week in Alaska with a great day of skiing.
Day Seven, Sunday, April 18
Please make arrangements to depart Valdez and tell your story & show off your amazing photos to family and friends!
