Tordrillo Mountain Lodge – Heli Skiing at its Finest in the Alaskan Wilderness

April 11th, 2022
Tordrillo Lodge is heli skiing at its finest in some incredible terrain

Mountainwatch | Words and photos Tony Harrington

Mountainwatch contributor Tony Harrington has been chasing storms this past Northern Hemisphere winter and is now in Alaska, where April is the prime time for quality snow. Harro spent the past few days at the remote Heli ski operation at Tordrillo Mountain lodge.

 

Perks of the job for Mike, one of the lodge guides.

Tordrillo Mountain Lodge has always been on my bucket list of things to do but is also one of those places I thought I’d only get to dream about. In a twist of fate, just hours before I was to board a plane to another destination, a call came in from Hugh Barnard, the GM of the Tordrillo Heli Skiing operation. “Harro, we have a spare seat, would you like to join us?” “Hell yeah!!!,” I answered in a heartbeat.

And so, I ditched a jet plane ride on the spot for a fixed-wing light plane ride out across the vast wilderness to a remote part of Alaska where there are no roads, not even in summertime. It’s only accessed by 35-minute plane or 45-min Heli ride from Anchorage.

 

Tordrillo lodge. When the frozen lake thaws the lodge caters for fishing

Tordrillo Mountain Lodges is perched on a frozen lake during the winter months and a stunning fishing lake during summer. It has two luxury lodges, each with their own helicopter. A total of eight people stay in each lodge or for those wishing to have a more personal experience you can book the lodge for yourself as a private.

Now, this is Heli skiing at its finest and it comes at a price, but for those who value such a vacation they don’t come much better. Packages include five hours of Heli time for each person and start at US$15,000 for a week or take a whole lodge as a private for US$180k.

 

Tommy Moe leading guests through some stable, low-angle powder

As a whole the experience is as exceptional as the mountains and skiing. The gourmet meals and first-class service is matched entirely by the crew looking after you and the guides elevate it even more, ’94 Olympic downhill champion Tommy Moe and legendary guide Lel Tone being just two of them.

Runs typically offer 3000-4000 vertical feet of skiing and being located deep in glaciated terrain, the snow predominantly stays cold and dry right into April. The type of skiing here is more suited the powder aficionado over the steep skiing enthusiasts and often (but not always) the more-challenging offerings the other Alaskan Heli Ski operators provide. Sure, there’s steeps if you want them, but the Tordrillo mountains lend themselves to vast open rolling powder fields rather than the steeps and super steeps of the Chugach Mountains to the south.

Come June and it’s “Kings and Corn” time. Fishing for King Salmon and skiing corn – snow that is. Now I have another item on my bucket list ..

 

Tommy Moe hooks in

For more info check out https://www.tordrillomountainlodge.com/

Follow the latest adventures of Tony “Harro” Harrington give him a follow on Instagram @harroart

 

Tordrillo Lodge General Manager Hugh Barnard checks out the product quality

 

Tommy Moe and Lel Tone, relaxing after a hard day at work

 

This is what it is all about

 

Miriam, one of the guests enjoying a rolling powder field

 

The only access to Tordrillo is via plane or helicopter

 

A top-end operation accessing quality snow

 

Tordrillo Lodge – put it on your wish list!