Charter Flights to Valdez

Pulseline works with several charter flight companies and will arrange a charter flight to Valdez from Anchorage (based on availability and weather conditions). Upon arrival in Valdez, a Pulseline van will shuttle you from the Valdez airport to the hotel.

If Flying to Valdez on Ravn Alaska

From Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage, book a Ravn Alaska flight to Valdez. Check Ravn Alaska's flight schedule carefully to ensure that you arrive in Valdez in time for orientation at 7:00 PM on Saturday. Please send us your flight itinerary in advance. Upon arrival in Valdez, a Pulseline van will shuttle you from the Valdez airport to the hotel.

If Driving to Valdez

Plan for a 5-6 hour drive. Check the road conditions/weather forecast in advance and be prepared for winter driving conditions. We recommend a 4WD vehicle. Anchorage has numerous vehicle rental options.

Lodging in Anchorage

Need lodging in Anchorage before or after your travel to Valdez? We recommend The Hotel Captain Cook or The Lakefront Anchorage. Let them know that you're with Pulseline Adventure to get our corporate rate.

Participants in this program must be proficient in alpine touring or splitboarding with at least advanced skiing or riding skills and the ability to efficiently descend variable snow conditions including deep powder.

A high level of fitness and stamina is required for this program to maximize your experience, prevent fatigue, and decrease the potential for injuries. At the time of your trip, you must be able to ascend up to six thousand vertical feet over the course of a day at a moderate pace. While every day will not be this strenuous, you should be prepared for several longer days in a row.  

We’ve created a recommended pre-trip conditioning plan, or you should design your own, similarly rigorous conditioning plan, to ensure peak fitness before arrival in Valdez. (Please check with your doctor before starting any pre-trip conditioning plan). 

No place on Earth compares to the Chugach Mountains surrounding Valdez, Alaska. The vast network of sub-ranges, ridgelines, peaks, and glaciers that comprises the Chugach Range makes it a skier’s paradise. 

The range stretches more than 250 miles in a crescent shape, from Anchorage in the west to the Copper River in the east with Prince William Sound and the Gulf of Alaska to the south. From Valdez we can access thousands of square miles of rugged mountains in every direction.

Premium Quality, Mass Quantity

There’s simply nothing that compares to skiing and riding in the Chugach Mountains. Chugach snow is magical. The powder has been described as silky , smooth, and incredibly forgiving - truly pleasurable. People often ask if Chugach snow is wet and heavy like other coastal mountain ranges, and the answer is definitely not! Average snow conditions range from bottomless dry powder to soft boot-top-deep powder. We invite you to join us in the Chugach and see for yourself.

Valdez is the snowiest place in Alaska and the snowiest incorporated city in the United States, averaging 326 inches of snowfall annually. The National Weather Service office at Valdez recorded more snowfall from July 1985 through June 2015 than any other location in Alaska (725 feet). During a two-day period in 2013, Valdez recorded more than 10 feet of snowfall. Thompson Pass, located at mile 26 of the Richardson Highway east of Valdez, averages about 46 feet of snowfall annually at 2,700 feet above sea level. 

Snow accumulation is far more extreme in the surrounding glaciated Chugach Mountains where we go skiing, with an estimated 30 meters (100 feet) of annual accumulation.

Massive glaciation makes all the difference. Nearly everywhere we ski is glaciated or near glacial ice, and this creates a cooling effect that enhances snowfall and the quality of the snow.

Quite simply, nothing compares to skiing and snowboarding in the Chugach Mountains!

Flying out of Valdez

Note that Ravn Alaska has a limited number of flights to and from Valdez. Their flight schedule is subject to change without notice, or flights may be cancelled by weather, and this is out of our control. Therefore, consider staying an extra night in Valdez and flying out on Sunday (as mentioned, you would need to make your own lodging arrangements to stay extra nights once your reserved lodging dates end).

Due to the unpredictability of Ravn Alaska's flight schedule, and the fact that flights often get cancelled due to weather, you may want to build an extra day or two at the beginning and end of your trip as a buffer and consider renting a vehicle in Anchorage. 

Also, note that Ravn Alaska has no change or cancellation fees.