Available 2027- Custom Ski & Snowboard Adventures in Alaska
Explore Alaska’s mountains with internationally (Norwegian Nortind) certified ski guide Merrick Johnston. From backcountry touring and avalanche education to custom ski-and-sail adventures, each trip is designed around your experience, interests and goals.
PERSONAL GUIDING. REMARKABLE MOUNTAINS.
Chugach Ski Guides creates personalized backcountry experiences for skiers and splitboarders in Southcentral Alaska.
Whether you want to discover Turnagain Pass, develop your mountain skills, plan a private adventure or experience Alaska from the water on a ski-and-sail trip, we will build a day or journey around you.
Trips are available for individuals and private groups.
Start Your Next Adventure
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Explore the Chugach Mountains with an experienced local guide. Each private trip is adapted to the conditions, your ability and the kind of day you want to have from a welcoming introduction to Alaska backcountry touring to ambitious days in bigger terrain. Extensive experience with multiple generation trips and families.
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Looking for something beyond a standard day trip? We create custom itineraries for individuals, families and private groups, including multi-day adventures and trips combining skiing with other distinctly Alaskan experiences.
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Build practical skills and make better decisions in avalanche terrain. Courses combine current avalanche education with real days in the mountains, giving skiers and riders the tools to plan, observe, communicate and travel more confidently. Contact for custom courses.
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Travel by boat into Alaska’s coastal mountains, then step ashore to explore wild ski terrain. Ski-and-sail trips combine remote landscapes, flexible objectives and the unforgettable experience of approaching the mountains from the sea. Based out of Whittier with https://babkin.com/
AVALANCHE COURSES 2026–2027
Alaska Guide Collective’s small-group courses are designed for experienced skiers and riders who want practical, field-based training. Courses emphasize trip planning, avalanche observations, rescue skills, terrain management and sound decision-making in the field and minimal hours spent learning on Zoom. Joe Stock is an internationally certified mountain guide.
Custom Avalanche Course for Ice Climbers
November 20 & 21, 2026 - $200
With MerrickRec 1 Refresher
December 5, 2026 - $200
With Joe and MerrickRec 1 + Rescue
December 10–13, 2026 - $700
With Joe and MerrickCrevasse Rescue
January 2–3, 2027 - $400
With Joe and MerrickRec 2 Refresher
January 9–10, 2027 - $350
With JoeIntroductions to backcountry skiing
January 9–10, 2027 - $400
With MerrickRec 2
January 16–18, 2027 - $550
With Joe and Merrick
Course registration opens October 1 through Alaska Guide Collective.
Limited space for Women's Winter Community Weekend at Portage Lodge. Flat rate to offset organizer cost for Chugach Ski Guides, Women Climbing Alaska and Portage Lodge.
Portage Glacier Lodge | November 19–22
Join us for a winter community weekend in the heart of Portage, Alaska, designed for women who love being outside in all seasons. This gathering is centered around mountain connection, shared adventure, and time spent together in a spectacular winter setting.
This is a community gathering event, with personal recreation during the day and time to connect with other women who share a passion for the outdoors. There is no formal ice climbing instruction included in the weekend gathering itself.
What’s included
Community gathering at Portage Glacier Lodge
Shared lodging at the lodge
Access to Mobile sauna for registered participants only
Saturday evening slideshow
Kitchen available for personal use
A welcoming basecamp atmosphere for mountain women
Lodging details
Participants should plan to bring:
Sleeping bag
Sleeping pad
Staying is optional and it can be one night or all 3 nights
The lodge offers:
3 bedrooms
Additional floor space for sleeping arrangements
Kitchen available for personal use
Optional avalanche courses
Two custom avalanche courses geared toward ice climbers and mountaineers will also be available to book at Alaskaguidecollective.com Each course includes:
An evening session the night before
One full field day
Friday Course: Thursday evening session + Friday field day
Saturday Course: Friday evening session + Saturday field day
Important notes
First come, first served registration
Limited spots available
Minimal participation fee helps offset event costs
Sauna is available only for event participants
Come join us for a memorable winter weekend built around connection, community, and the love of being outside.
Prince William Sound
SKI + Boat
Boat-based backcountry skiing with Chugach Ski Guides + Babkin Charters
March–May 2027 | 4–5 day custom trips | Up to 6 guests
Ski from summit to sea.
Your floating basecamp.
Experience on land and sea.
Where we guide
Chugach Ski Guides offers trips through Alaska Guide Collective, an authorized commercial outfitter operating under permits and registrations issued by the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management and Alaska Department of Natural Resources.
Authorized operating areas include Turnagain Pass, Summit Lake, Portage Valley, the Girdwood backcountry, selected areas of Prince William Sound, the Tiekel region, Alaska state lands and the 1980 additions to Denali National Park and Preserve.
Depending on the location and authorization, trips may include backcountry ski and splitboard touring, avalanche education, mountaineering, glacier travel, hiking and custom multi-day adventures. Exact destinations are selected according to permit requirements, snow and weather conditions, seasonal access and group objectives.
Trips are marketed by Chugach Ski Guides and operated through Alaska Guide Collective under the applicable permit or commercial authorization. Chugach Ski Guides operates is an equal opportunity service provider.
MEET MERRICK
Merrick Johnston is an internationally certified ski guide with more than 20 years of professional guiding experience in Alaska and Norway.
Raised in Alaska, Merrick began climbing and guiding at a young age and first summited Denali when she was 12. She later spent 16 years living and guiding in Northern Norway, where she co-founded Tromsø Ski Guides and developed extensive experience guiding skiers and snowboarders in coastal and Arctic mountain terrain.
Now based again in Anchorage, Merrick brings her international experience home to the Chugach Mountains. She guides on skis, splitboard, and tellemark and enjoys working with both skiers and snowboarders alike.
Her approach is personal, welcoming and rooted in good decision-making. The goal is not simply to reach an objective, but to create an excellent mountain experience shaped around the people, place and conditions. Increase smiles and mitigate risks.