Valdez - Joe Stock/Stock Alpine LLC | Alaska IFMGA Mountain Guide, Writer & Photographer

Guided Ski Mountaineering in Valdez, Alaska

Join IFMGA mountain guide Joe Stock in the world's venue for big mountain free skiing

We will stay in the dramatic oil town of Valdez and commute by day to the Thompson Pass area. We have the option of skiing 4,000-foot shots from summits above the highway, tackling long backcountry tours with an emphasis on downhill skiing, or multi-day tours with a backcountry base camp for skiing peaks in the area. Most of the touring in the Valdez area is on glaciers, but the glaciers are relatively benign keeping our options open.

Over the years I have spent over three months skiing and leading guided trips in the Valdez and Thompson Pass area including: day tours, legendary runs such as the Berlin Wall and the Cherry Couloir, 9,000-vertical foot day tours and dragging into Valdez 18 days after leaving Anchorage on the 185-mile Crusher Traverse. Read other Valdez posts from:

Return to Skiing Overview.

Skill Level

Advanced alpine skiing ability
Previous backcountry skiing experience
Ability to complete uphill-facing kick turns on a steep uphill skin track
Endurance for consecutive full days in the mountains

Dates

December through late April. March and April have the ski conditions.

Itinerary

Day 1: Meet in Anchorage, drive to Valdez.

Day 2: Ski Thompson Pass, optional camping.

Day 3: Ski Thompson Pass, optional camping.

Day 4: Ski Thompson Pass, optional camping.

Day 5: Ski Thompson Pass, optional camping.

Day 6: Ski Thompson Pass, optional camping.

Day 7: Ski Thompson Pass, drive to Anchorage.

Cost (2011)

1:1 $3,300 per person
2:1 $2,000 per person
3:1 $1,500 per person
4:1 $1,300 per person

Includes

6 days of backcountry guide services
4 nights bed and breakfast in Valdez, includes breakfast and dinner
Two nights camping
Navigation, first aid and repair kits
Emergency communication & shelter
Ropes
Bookings in Valdez

Does Not Include

Travel to Alaska and to Valdez.
Guide transport to Valdez.
Travel in Alaska. Valdez to Thompson Pass and back each day is around 80 miles round trip
Backcountry food or drinks.
Personal ski mountaineering gear (see Alaska Backcountry and Ski Mountaineering Gear List)
Available for rent: beacon, shovel, probe, backpack, tent
Heli skiing: $925 per person per day
Heli drop: $500-$1,000, ask about availability
Snowmachine taxi: $150 per person per ride, ask about availability.

Max Kaufman skiing the lower glacier on Girls Mountain (6,134') on December 27. Read a post from this trip. Girls is a prize descent above Thompson Pass that begins with an optional 50-degree shot to smooth glacier and rolling hummocks.