The Trip
Alaska Range Ski Expedition · Pika Glacier, Alaska
A ski plane drops you on a glacier. It comes back in a week.
Base camp on the Pika Glacier, beneath the granite spires of Little Switzerland in the central Alaska Range. A cook tent, sleeping tents, and six or seven days of skiing peaks and couloirs that see very little traffic.
No lodge. No road. No phone signal. You fly in on a ski plane, you live on the ice, and you ski what the weather gives you.
This is the closest thing to an expedition that is still a ski trip — and for many skiers, it’s the trip that tells them whether they want the bigger expedition.
Quick facts
| Length | 10 days — Anchorage to Anchorage |
| On the glacier | Up to 8 days · 6–7 days of skiing, weather allowing |
| Base camp | Pika Glacier, about 5,600 ft |
| Access | Ski plane from Talkeetna with Talkeetna Air Taxi |
| Ratio | 3 skiers per guide · 6 maximum with 2 guides |
| Experience | Advanced backcountry skier · touring experience required |
| Season | April into early May |
| 2027 dates | April 10–19 · April 23–May 2 · or private dates |
| Rate | $7,000 per person |
Why a glacier base camp changes everything
You’re already where the terrain is. No drives, no approaches from a road. You wake up with the objectives around you, so a good weather window gets used rather than travelled toward.
You live in the mountains instead of visiting them. Melting water, keeping gear dry, working in the cold — the rhythm of a glacier camp is what people remember longest, and it’s the nearest thing to a real expedition you’ll find in ten days.
What you’ll ski
Glacier runs, peaks and couloirs in the terrain around camp — from moderate, open skiing to steeper lines for the skiers ready for them. Your guides choose objectives each morning from the snowpack, the weather and how the team is moving.
Small teams
Three skiers per guide, six maximum with two guides. On a glacier, group size isn’t a comfort question. A bigger team is slower on every transition, harder to manage on roped terrain, and makes worse decisions. Six also fits a camp properly: everyone eats together, everyone hears the morning plan, and nobody spends the week as a passenger.
Everything on the glacier is handled
Flights in and out, tents, the cook tent, all group gear, all meals and the cooking. Melting snow and cooking for a team on a glacier is hours of work every day. Having it handled means your energy goes into skiing.
Why ten days for six or seven days of skiing
Because it’s Alaska. Ski planes need visibility to fly you in and out, and storms can sit on the range for days. The buffer isn’t padding — it’s what separates a well-run Alaska trip from a stressful one. Don’t book anything tight on either end.
Where this leads
If the glacier living appealed as much as the skiing, that’s a strong sign you’d do well on a bigger expedition — Aconcagua, or the ski side of a larger objective. Prefer a bed and a road at the end of the day: Valdez.
This is a BBE program. We set the standards, choose the guides and decide how it runs. On the ground it’s operated by Wasatch Mountain Guides, our Utah-based operation, co-owned by Willie Benegas — so registration and payment are completed directly with WMG, and we’ll send you the link when you’re ready.
Questions before you book?
We answer every inquiry personally.
