Skiing and Hiking Along Valdez, Alaska’s Thompson Pass

Jeffery Fraser

A former tech industry executive, Jeffery Scott Fraser serves as an investor in job matching platform Job Pose. Jeffery S. Fraser also owns a second business, Tsaina Lodge, in Valdez, Alaska. Offering two dozen luxury single and double rooms, Tsaina Lodge partners with Valdez Heli-Ski Guides to offer heli-skiing and lodging packages on the nearby Worthington Glacier.

Situated at Thompson Pass about 30 miles northeast of Valdez, the Worthington Glacier is in a region that receives the most abundant snowfall statewide. A record 80 feet of snow fell at Thompson Pass in the early 1950s, and the area still receives enough snow each year that the glacier is retreating only slowly.

Popular ski runs around Thompson Pass include the flanks of Girls Mountain, which run into Bravo Bowl. Another peak, Bald Boy, features exhilarating turns along its lower slopes. The Worthington Glacier run is particularly rewarding, as it is protected from the wind and often fills with powder up to the point where it ends in a crevasse field.

In addition to skiing and snowboarding, visitors to Valdez can enjoy ice climbing and guided glacier treks. Hiking options include a short paved walk to a viewing platform and a longer two-mile hike along a ridge comprising narrow, challenging passages.