Good Ice: Alaska Has It All

Late February through early April is the time for ski flying in Talkeetna, Alaska. Your base will be the five-bedroom lodge on Christiansen Lake, just a stone’s throw from the charming little town of Talkeetna, which in the summer is bustling with tourists, but in the winter is almost left to the locals.

The area is beautiful. To the east Denali and the Alaska Range burst out of the flat surroundings, shouldering away the sky, and peaking at just above 20,000 feet. It is a mesmerizing sight on a clear, crisp day. Snow covers everything here, foot upon foot of it. This is dry snow, it creaks under your tread, it glistens in the sun. Gliding around silently on skis, trudging along on snowshoes, or noisily careening along in a snow machine, it is a pleasure experiencing this untamed, wild land.

On a rocky outcrop beside the glacier is an emergency shelter hut. A single room about 15 square feet. Large glass windows warm it on a sunny day. It has a log fireplace and is fully stocked for any emergency, including huge sleeping bags, folding camp beds, and a mattress. If you get the chance to overnight, take at least three days of supplies just in case the weather changes and you are stuck. A night here on the glacier with the clearest star-filled sky and perhaps the aurora borealis is unique and awe inspiring.

By Peter Fraser

There are only a few places in the world where you can learn to fly on skis and even fewer where you can learn to land on glaciers, high in remote mountains. One such place is Alaska Floats and Skis, offering ski flying instruction in the winter, and float and bush flying courses in the summer.