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Available 2027- Custom Ski & Snowboard Adventures in Alaska

A person dressed in winter outdoor gear, holding ski poles, hiking on rocky snow-covered terrain near water, with a ski and mountains visible.

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.

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A skier's perspective traveling down a snow-covered slope with a large snowy mountain range in the background under a clear blue sky.

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.

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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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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/

A woman smiling in sunglasses and a red, white, and blue beanie taking a selfie in snowy mountains. Behind her, a group of children and adults are snowshoeing or hiking with snowy trees and mountains in the background.
Two climbers or mountaineers resting or preparing on a snow-covered mountain slope, wearing winter gear and helmets, with one person pointing or adjusting equipment.

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.

Winter 2026-27 Courses

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A man with a green beanie and a black winter jacket sitting on snow, smiling while holding a blue thermos. He is in a snowy forest and wearing ski boots with skis on his feet. There are trees in the background.

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.

Women's Winter Community Event Women's Winter Community Event
Sold out
Women's Winter Community Event
$50.00

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 Crevasse Rescue Workshop

Price: $100

Booking: Alaska Guide Collective

Duration: 4 hours

Morning Session: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Afternoon Session: 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Join Chugach Ski Guides for a hands-on crevasse rescue workshop as part of our Women's Wilderness Weekend at Portage Lodge.

This four-hour workshop focuses on building confidence with essential glacier travel and rescue skills. Through practical exercises, participants will learn and practice:

Personal crevasse rescue equipment and gear setup

Rope ascending techniques and self-rescue

Building simple snow anchors

Partner rescue techniques and basic hauling systems

The emphasis is on hands-on learning, teamwork, and becoming more comfortable with the equipment and systems used in glaciated terrain.

Registration: This workshop is exclusively for registered Women's Wilderness Weekend participants.

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.

Book Avi for Ice Climbers

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

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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.

A person skiing on a snowy mountain slope with a backdrop of snow-covered mountains under a clear blue sky.
A person dressed in red winter gear, wearing a helmet and skiing goggles, stands on snow-covered terrain with snow-capped mountains in the background.
A woman in winter gear, wearing a pink jacket, white pants, and ski goggles, stands on snowy mountain terrain holding a snowboard and making a peace sign with her hand, with snow-covered peaks and a partly cloudy sky in the background.

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.