Guest FAQ
Everything you need to know before booking your SMG Alaska heli ski trip.
You should be a confident, fit expert skier or snowboarder who is comfortable in variable off-piste snow all day long. There is a pre-screening conversation before any reservation is taken, and if SMG is not a good match we will refer you to another Alaska operation that fits better.
We enjoy a variety of terrain covering endless mountain ranges over thousands and thousands of square miles, which lets us ski the best possible snow and terrain at any time.
Early season is when it's best. The snowpack is fresh, cold, and untouched — no sun damage, no wind-scouring, no tracks. You're skiing a whole mountain range nobody has touched yet. It's also can be easier to book: most of the industry crowds into a narrow March-April window, so coming early can mean more flexible dates and less competition for a spot. Other operators don't fire up for months. With local knowledge and plenty of daylight you can ski 9:30am to 3:30pm on even the shortest days of December. Experience matters — which is exactly why SMG has quietly sold out every season on word of mouth alone since 2008.
Paying for Hobbs hours is better for the guest; paying for vertical feet is better for the operator. If snow quality is poor due to a wind event you want to be able to fly further away to find better snow. Flying by the hour meter means we lose nothing by going to the best snow, so we always do.
It varies. We like to ski 10 to 18 plus high quality runs per day per group. Aggressive trophy-line days burn around two hours per load for 14 plus runs, while efficient days working a single zone can produce 10 runs in one hour. If a six run day sounds satisfying, we are probably not the best choice for your Alaska heli skiing trip.
It is extremely rare for our guests not to ski all of their Hobbs time. We have low visibility heli tree skiing terrain and access to endless mountain ranges, so we normally out-fly the weather. If you cannot achieve your flight hours due to grounding weather, adverse avalanche conditions or helicopter mechanical failure, you receive an SMG credit of 50 percent of your unused flight hours at our standard hourly credit rate (inquire for details).
No. We choose not to have snowcat backup skiing. Our focus is on basing you in the best possible location to get out heli skiing, which is why you come to Alaska. Our Girdwood trips are based at Alyeska Ski Resort and we almost always get guests out for their full allotment of Hobbs each week.
No. SMG has been operating in Alaska since 2008 under the same ownership and management, and is the only operation open for the full winter season from October to May. Trips were invite-only for years and the operation sells out every season on word of mouth alone.
Where you sleep, what the resort offers, and how easy it is to get to Girdwood.
Our Girdwood-based trips are headquartered at Alyeska Resort, Alaska's only AAA Four Diamond hotel, set at the base of Mt. Alyeska in the Chugach Mountains. You're not staying in a roadside motel between ski days — you're based ski-in/ski-out at a full-service resort, and every heli launch happens right from your front door.
Alyeska Resort has diverse rooms and suites, a ski-in/ski-out setup, and the kind of amenities you'd expect from a destination resort rather than a heli-ski basecamp: an indoor saltwater pool and hot tub, a fitness center, and Alaska's first Nordic Spa — a 50,000-square-foot indoor-outdoor hydrotherapy circuit of hot and cold pools, saunas, and steam rooms set in old-growth forest at the foot of the mountain.
If you want a more elevated stay, the resort's eighth-floor Black Diamond Club offers upgraded rooms and suites with a private lounge and dedicated concierge.
Plenty. Between flight days (or if you bring a non-skiing partner), the resort's aerial tram climbs 2,300 feet to the Mt. Alyeska summit station for glacier and Turnagain Arm views, and the Nordic Spa is exactly what your legs will want after a big vertical day. Girdwood itself also offers dog sledding, glacier hiking, and other Alaska-specific activities the front desk can arrange.
Yes. Girdwood sits about 40 miles southeast of Anchorage — roughly a 45-to-60-minute drive along the Seward Highway, one of the most scenic drives in the state. Direct flights to Anchorage are plentiful and even access from Europe is pretty painless. Anchorage is an all-weather airport so flight delays or cancellations are extremely rare. We coordinate airport logistics as part of your trip planning.
Seven restaurants on site and a ski town that punches above its weight.
Seven Glaciers — Alyeska Resort's tram-accessed, mountaintop fine-dining restaurant and one of only three AAA Four Diamond restaurants in Alaska. It's a full experience: tram ride up, then dinner with a view over the glaciers.
The Double Musky Inn — Girdwood's most famous restaurant and a genuine Alaska institution, serving New Orleans-style dishes built around Alaskan seafood (think crab-stuffed halibut and their well-known pepper steak). No reservations, always busy, worth the wait.
Jack Sprat — the local favorite for a more casual, globally-inflected menu with strong vegetarian options, in a bright, window-filled room with mountain views.
Forte — Alyeska Resort's on-site farm-to-table restaurant for a more everyday breakfast, lunch, or dinner without leaving the hotel.
Sakura Asian Bistro — Sushi, sashimi, Japanese dishes, and other Asian-inspired options inside Alyeska Resort.
Aurora Bar & Grill — Casual dining at Alyeska Resort with approachable American fare; a convenient option for hotel guests.
The Pond Café — Alyeska Resort's casual breakfast and coffee spot.
Bore Tide Deli & Bar — Casual mountaintop option at the top of the Alyeska Aerial Tram; sandwiches, snacks, drinks, and great views.
Coast Pizza — Local pizza spot offering pizza, sandwiches, and other casual fare.
Chair 5 — Girdwood's resident bar and local hangout, affectionately called "the Dive," serving burgers, sandwiches, seafood, beer, and cocktails in a casual, no-frills atmosphere.
Hightower Pub — Neighborhood pub with burgers, sandwiches, beer, and cocktails.
Basecamp — Casual Girdwood dining/bar option.
Alpine Café & Bakery — Coffee, pastries, breakfast, and lighter café fare.
Absolutely! If the resort's own kitchens and Girdwood's restaurant variety doesn't work for you, we can arrange private chefs to accommodate any need or desire.
Alaska snowpack, pitch, vertical and experience compared honestly.
The DEEPEST snowpack! Alaska's zones sit right off the Gulf of Alaska, pulling in a massive amount of snow that plasters and covers onto the mountain and bonds tight even on the steepest faces. Then it gets cold and dries out the snow and becomes the best skiing in the world.
It's a very rare combination, and it's why Alaska guides can put eager skiers on terrain — steep long pitches when conditions allow.
There's no real contest on scale. Alaska heli terrain sits predominantly above treeline — big, continuous alpine faces, couloirs, and glacier descents, run after run, with runs regularly hitting 3,000 to 5,000+ vertical feet.
Canada is a great option and has some of the best tree skiing found anywhere. If you want a generally mellower day with trees BC is the place to be. If you're already an expert skier looking for the bigger, Canada's terrain simply doesn't go where Alaska's does.
Bingo! It's exactly why SMG operates the way we do. We don't sell fixed daily runs or guaranteed vertical, and we don't tie ourselves to one zone. We're built to traverse an enormous tenure of terrain and fly around weather rather than sit and wait it out, which is how we consistently get our guests their full allotment of Hobbs hours.
Combine that with the fact that we're the only Alaska operation running the full season, October through May, and weather stops being a factor when compared to shorter-season outfits with far less terrain options.
Canada has some very nice lodging options, but Girdwood has the Four Diamond Alyeska Hotel which is quite nice and also many luxury homes available for accommodations. Canada is built around catering to a broader range of ability levels; Alaska is built around the single best big-mountain skiing on the planet.
Iceland is unique but has no flat light day alternatives or alternate zones. Most people do Iceland because they have done everything else and want to try something new. The nice thing is SMG has endless zones and we can guarantee if you are looking to experience new terrain, we have you covered. Alaska is simply the more efficient use of your trip. It's also why SMG has the longest season of any Alaska operation and guests book us out on word of mouth alone, year after year.
Getting to SMG is comparatively much easier than getting to the popular BC heli/cat destinations. Even with your own private jet, getting to a BC lodge is complicated. You can only clear customs in a few locations which may require an extra leg to your flight before reaching your destination. Then for instance from Kelowna or Kamloops BC, once you land you need to clear customs, then jump on a heli flight to reach your lodge. But if weather doesn't allow for the heli flight you are looking at a very long drive followed by a lengthy snowmachine ride to the lodge.
Getting to SMG, is easy. Jump on one of the many direct flights, or connections. If you have private aircraft fly direct to Anchorage and we can meet you at the FBO with the heli or our luxury suburbans and then in under an hour you are relaxing at the hotel.
Tell us your dates, group size and ability level and we will build the trip around the best snow in Alaska.