March – April · Thompson Pass
Alaska
Spring heli-skiing in the Chugach with Andy and Valdez Heli-Ski Guides — the operation that helped put Thompson Pass on the map.
500″+
average snowfall on the pass
3,600 mi²
of home terrain
10,000 mi²
permit area across the Chugach
~3,500′
typical run, some double
1993
VHSG founded
The operation
Valdez Heli-Ski Guides
Doug and Emily Coombs founded VHSG in 1993 and helped turn Thompson Pass into the most famous heli-ski zone on Earth. Three decades on, it’s where Andy spends his spring.
VHSG flies from two bases right on the pass, deep in the terrain rather than down in town, so when the weather clears you’re in the air in minutes. With a permit covering much of the Chugach, the pilots can chase blue sky when one valley socks in.
Both operations Andy guides for cater to intermediate through expert skiers and riders. If you can link turns in powder, there’s terrain for you.
The terrain
Not just the lines from the ski films.
Confident in-bounds? You’re ready.
Wide-open glaciers and mellow bowls give strong intermediates a world of fresh snow — more blue and black terrain than any resort.
Steep when you want it.
Couloirs, spines and natural halfpipes on peaks that rise straight out of the North Pacific. Mount Dimond alone serves up 5,500+ vertical feet.
Why the snow stays good.
Wet Gulf of Alaska storms build a deep, well-bonded snowpack, and the cold clear nights that follow dry out the surface. Stable slopes and light snow make the steep stuff skiable.
Where you’ll stay
Two lodges. Same terrain.
Both sit on Thompson Pass, about ten minutes apart by private shuttle, and each has its own helipad, bar and restaurant.
Tsaina Lodge
35 miles from Valdez
The original VHSG base, with Worthington Glacier out back and the helipad out front. Private rooms with their own baths, three meals a day built on Alaska seafood and wild game, a big hot tub in the snow, and a bar with 30 years of stories.
Alaska Rendezvous Lodge
45 miles from Valdez
VHSG’s second base, fully renovated in 2025. Private yurt suites with their own baths set around shared lounges, private chefs, and The Crow — a guests-only bar for cold beer and hearty dinners.
Options
Ski with Andy in Alaska
Getting there
- Fly into Anchorage (ANC) — most major US hubs connect daily.
- Rent a car and drive about 4½–5 hours to the lodge. It’s the route VHSG recommends, and the scenery is half the trip.
- Rather not drive? VHSG can book a shuttle from the Anchorage airport straight to the lodge, or pick you up in Valdez if you charter a flight in.
- Ship your skis and bags door to door ahead of time and travel light.
Valdez & Thompson Pass, by the numbers
- Valdez is the snowiest city in North America, averaging about 326″ a year.
- Winter 1952–53: 974″ fell on Thompson Pass, Alaska’s single-season record.
- December 29, 1955: 62″ in one day, still the Alaska record.
- The Chugach hold the greatest concentration of glacial ice in the state.
Spring dates fill early
Send Andy your dates, group size and ability, and he’ll come back with options for this spring.