Backcountry skiing in Alaska’s Chugach Mountains is the stuff of legend—endless glaciers, wild terrain, and the kind of untouched solitude that pulls skiers from all corners of the world. At St. Elias Alpine Guides, our Chugach Backcountry Ski Base Camp offers a rare chance to spend a full week living, skiing, and exploring deep in one of Alaska’s most iconic ranges. But what is this experience actually like? How does it feel to step off a plane and watch it disappear into the distance, leaving you and your ski partners alone on a massive glacier?

To dig deeper into the magic (and the madness) of ski mountaineering in the Chugach, we sat down with one of our veteran ski guides for a candid interview. From big-vertical days and blank-canvas terrain to group dynamics, glacier surprises, and the art of staying flexible in mountain weather—this guide has seen it all. His answers paint an honest, hilarious, and inspiring picture of life on the glacier and what makes the Chugach one of the best backcountry ski destinations on Earth.

Meet Ryan Smith, a multi-year veteran of St. Elias Alpine Guides. Hailing from Revelstoke, BC, Ryan lives up to the Canadians’ friendly reputation – his gleaming smile can be seen from space, and no one is more stoked to see you and dive into the adventure than Mr. Smith.

What trip did you guide? I’ve led countless backpacking , mountaineering trips, and courses in the Wrangells, but for the purposes of this interview, I’ve led 4 awesome ski base camp trips in the Chugach!

Who was in your group? Any standout personalities or dynamics? We’ve had every variety of skier you can imagine! From the ‘this is how you put on your skins’, to ‘let’s see if we can get 10,000 vertical today!’. There is something for everyone, and we love it all. But a word of caution for all the Strava enthusiasts out there: If you request a ‘big day’, Alaska will always deliver…will you be ready?!?!

What was the general vibe or intention of the trip? Vibes aren’t a thing you can curate; they are baked into the intention that you come with. If you show up hungry for fresh air, big mountains, and thirst for adventure, the vibes will take care of themselves!

Walk us through the route. What were some key waypoints or landscapes? Ever wonder what an artist sees when they look at a blank canvas? That’s the secret to these amazing landscapes. We all wake up to the same view, but everyone imagines their own brand of adventure. One landscape, endless interpretations. Lucky our blank canvas is interrupted by a few adventurous ski lines right through the middle!

Any sections that were particularly challenging or surprising? Glaciers are always a treat. Always different, always challenging, always surprising! But always beautiful 🙂

How did the group handle the terrain, weather, and mileage? We always do our best to work with the weather and terrain to make sure everyone gets what they came for. If you come prepared to be patient and flexible, the adventure will undoubtedly reveal itself!

Was there a moment that made everyone stop in awe? I would argue that even amongst the most experienced, most knowledgeable, most crustiest guides out there, listening to the whirl of a plane disappear after it has abandoned you on a glacier in the middle of the Chugach Mountains, promising to ‘be back in a week’, is always among the most awe-inspiring experiences you can ever have.

Any unexpected twists in the trip? Never, they always go perfectly to plan. Just plan for them never to go perfectly…

What was a standout moment for you, personally? As a guide, my job is to facilitate a mountain experience for people who could not otherwise enjoy that experience. There is no greater standout moment than when a client, whether consciously or unconsciously, conveys their expectations for their trip have been met. Or even exceeded?!?!

How would you recommend future clients prep for this trip, mentally or physically? This probably sounds too forward, but the first step to preparing is to commit to a trip. Dreaming about once-in-a-lifetime adventures is an epic pastime, but committing is the hardest part. Once you know it’s in the calendar, your motivation to prepare yourself both mentally and physically will emerge from the ashes. But if you’re looking for a more concrete answer, then I’d say mentally – the more you know, the more you’ll learn. As in, if you have a good base knowledge of ski touring and mountaineering, the more you’ll understand what’s going on. Not just knots, but the whole process of decision making, managing terrain, making plans (and backup plans), track setting, snow analysis, and on and on. So go skiing, take an AST or AIARE course, watch YouTube videos, whatever you’re into. Can’t go wrong! Physically, just be physically prepared for the trip you want. The longer your trip, the harder it is on your body. Anyone can ski hard for a day. Skiing hard for a week is a different beast!

What was your proudest moment as a guide during this trip? Putting the whole thing together. Just going from never having seen a zone before to envisioning how the week will work, slowly building objectives, gathering info, and culminating in a really cool peak to glacier ski straight down a 7,000ft face! That and, of course, when everyone returns absolutely destroyed, but safe!

If you had to describe this trip in one sentence, what would it be? Wow, I kinda can’t believe how well that went!

Any advice you’d give to someone eyeing this route next season? It’ll be different. You can get sprayed by a waterfall of beta, but you’ll never know what you’re getting into until you get out there. So be prepared and expect the unexpected!

Why are the Wrangells so special to you? Where else can you spend a week skiing anywhere you want and not even SEE another ski track, let alone another group of skiers. It still feels like the remote mountain wilderness we all dream of.

What’s something people don’t realize about being a guide? We are actually having fun! It can be stressful managing the delicate balance of safety and adventure, but if it’s safe, we want to go ski it too! And yes, we’re making it up a lot of the time…

What’s your favorite part of trip prep? The energy at the breakfast table the morning of the departure day. The introductions are finished, the food is packed, the gear has been exploded and sorted, questionable gazes have been cast about being told to leave the electric toothbrush in McCarthy, the emergency EMERGENCY gallon of fuel has been repacked, and it’s just pancakes and anticipation!

What’s your favorite on-trail snack or meal? On Trail: Combo High Chews and Ginger Chews in the Napoleon pocket. Good luck, blood glucose. Meal: Loaded Mac and Cheese Cheese Cheese (Powder, Parm, and Cream), the ‘Load’ is up to you…

Any pre-trip rituals or post-trip decompression habits? No pre-trip ritual specifically, unless you count checking the weather every 35 seconds and telling everyone while simultaneously convincing yourself that ‘Oh yeah, she’ll go for sure!’. And of course, the post-trip sauna may be among the best return-from-sterile-frozen-land-of-snow-and-ice decompression of all time. Especially when it’s HOT!

Can you describe a time you felt especially supported, challenged, or inspired by another guide? Haha do pilots count?!? I’ve felt especially challenged a few times by the amazing pilots who do their best to drop us at our objectives, even if their best is several miles away from Plan C! I was certainly inspired by a certain Mr. Cody Simmons and his absolute beast mode trail breaking on more than one adventure. And there is a pretty amazing support network that comes from a row of offices on the second level of the Powerhouse! Never have I felt alone or abandoned with the SEAG superstars on the other end of inReach!

If this interview made your heart beat a little faster or sparked daydreams of remote ski lines and glacial sunrises, you’re not alone. The Chugach has a way of calling to people who crave big mountains, real adventure, and the rare kind of solitude only Alaska can offer. As Ryan  reminded us, you don’t need to be a professional athlete to join—just curious, committed, and ready for the unexpected.

Our Chugach Backcountry Ski Base Camp is built around exactly that spirit. With expert ski guides, a remote glacier camp, adaptable objectives, and plenty of opportunities to push yourself, it’s a week that stays with you long after the snow melts off your skis.

If you’re looking to level up your ski mountaineering, explore wild new terrain, or finally commit to that “bucket-list ski trip,” this is the place to start!