What is a Private Charter?
A CPG Private Charter is exactly what it sounds like: rather than booking individual seats, your group books the helicopter.
There are no other guest groups rotating through your helicopter, which gives our guides and pilots more flexibility to shape the day around your group and the conditions.
Every day in the Chugach is dictated by the mountains. Weather, snow conditions, avalanche conditions and visibility ultimately determine where we can ski.
Within those parameters, a Private Charter gives us more flexibility.
Maybe your group wants to move quickly and cover as much terrain as possible. Maybe you’d rather slow things down, take photos and enjoy being somewhere few people ever get to stand. Maybe you’ve been coming to Alaska for years and have particular types of terrain you love to ski.
With a private helicopter and guide team, we can build the day around the group or individual in front of us.
How does it work?
Private Charters can be run as either a single-load or double-load operation. For a single-load charter, the ideal group size is 1–3 guests. While the helicopter has four passenger seats in the back, one seat is reserved for a second guide. CPG guides never operate alone in the field, so without a second group and guide traveling alongside yours, the second guide joins your group in the helicopter. For a double-load charter, the ideal group size is 5-8 people.
While both options allow us to customize your trip, a single-load private offers even greater flexibility to chase short weather windows and travel farther into the mountains, creating the ultimate private heli ski experience.
Case Study: Feb 19, 2026.
When the weather isn’t cooperating in Girdwood, flying farther from the ocean toward the Northern Chugach or Talkeetna Mountains can often lead us to clearer skies and better opportunities to safely operate. This is a normal part of the program for our 4-Day Package and Private Charter guests.
On this particular day, we flew north with longtime CPG guest Jamie Pherous in search of workable weather and good snow. It quickly became clear that neither would be easy to find. A layer of fog filled the valleys, obscuring the pickup zones of most runs and severely limiting our options.
Although things didn’t look particularly promising ahead, we continued north in hopes of finding an opening. After a few short runs, a small window of clear weather appeared farther into the Northern Chugach, and we went after it.
What we found was some of the best and deepest skiing either guide had experienced in their time at CPG. A small storm the night before had left a fresh refill of cold, low-density powder, and for the next few runs, we couldn’t believe our luck. We skied run after run of incredibly deep snow, hooting and hollering the entire way.
It didn’t last long. Within a few hours, the window began to close and it became clear that it was time to head home before the weather deteriorated further.
That day is a perfect example of the flexibility a single-load Private Charter can provide. On a morning when it seemed entirely possible that we wouldn’t ski at all, we were able to keep moving, chase a small weather window deep into the Chugach, and find some of the best skiing of the season before the window closed.
Going Private
A Private Charter is a significant investment, and it isn’t the right fit for every trip. For groups and individuals looking for the greatest flexibility, a dedicated helicopter and the ability to make the most of short weather windows, however, it offers a unique way to experience the Chugach.
For more information, rates, and availability, visit our Trips page or give us a call at 907-783-4354.
