The Chugach Mountains were made for skiing, and few places on the planet deliver a big-mountain ski experience quite like Thompson Pass near Valdez, Alaska. Famous for deep snow, enormous terrain, massive glaciers, and seemingly endless ski lines, Thompson Pass is one of the world’s legendary backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering destinations.

What makes Thompson Pass truly special is the access. The highway tops out at roughly 2,700 feet—already well above treeline—while enormous glaciers descend to within a few hundred feet of the road. On the right day, we can step out of the vehicle and immediately start climbing toward huge alpine bowls, steep faces, couloirs, glaciers, and classic Chugach ski descents without hours of low-elevation approach.

And the skiing can be phenomenal. Combine Alaska’s legendary snowfall with huge vertical relief and you get an almost endless playground of 3,000- to 4,000-foot-plus fall-line ski descents. One day might be about stacking incredible powder laps directly above the highway; the next could involve traveling onto a remote glacier and skiing a massive alpine line surrounded by some of the most spectacular mountains in Alaska.

The sheer variety makes a guided Thompson Pass ski trip incredibly fun. From beautiful glacier runs and wide-open powder faces to steep couloirs and technical ski mountaineering objectives, we can choose terrain based on the group, weather, snowpack, and where the best skiing is each day.

For skiers dreaming about backcountry skiing in Alaska, Thompson Pass is hard to beat: huge mountains, deep snow, incredible access, massive vertical, and unforgettable skiing in the heart of the Chugach. This is the kind of ski trip you dream about all year—and one you’ll be talking about long after you get home.

6-ski days +1 Travel day (7 total days in Alaska)