Black Ops Valdez - Valdez, Alaska

Steven T.

Recently enjoyed a 3 day heli trip with Black Ops Valdez. It’s a professional operation from start to finish. Lots of communication, great accommodations, awesome food and super professional guides focused on maximizing your experience while keeping you safe as they efficiently move you around in top quality A Star helicopters with pilots that can get you to seemingly endless terrain in very close proximity to base. Our guide consistently found access to great untracked lines at various aspects and pitches. After you do this once, you’ll want to come back for more.

Lisa K.

Had a great heli trip with BlackOps in April this year. Tabatha and the whole staff were so accommodative and helpful. I really enjoyed staying at the lodge on Robe Lake (particularly the hot tub)! More importantly, the terrain we skied was awesome, and I could tell the guides were really trying to maximize our skiing time. BlackOps also runs snowmobile tours, so we were still able to get out on down days. Highly recommended!

Niko V.

This April was my third heliskiing trip to Alaska in what has become an annual tradition, and this was my second time with Black Ops (went with Points North out of Cordova in my first year - also a great operator).

I did the 7-day package (and I extended one day since the weather was the best all season), and got 4 (spectacular!) days of heliskiing and 2 days sled skiing on our down days (super-fun as well).

Robe Lake Lodge is in a beautiful location, and sitting in the hot tub at sunset with the frozen lake and the mountains as backdrop and with a cold beer in your hand and good company around you, comparing the lines you skied up on the mountains during the day is just an incredible experience that you will never forget. Everyone from the guides to the pilots to the ground/lodge staff to Josh and Tabatha themselves work so hard to make the experience for guests amazing. They did a great job of matching skiers/riders with those of similar levels (I actually ended up sharing a cabin, and skiing, with friends I made last year).

The rooms are basic but totally adequate and comfortable (I slept so well every night), the main lodge is the heart & soul of the place and where breakfast and dinner are served and is also where the sauna and hot tub are. There are several smaller cabins dotted around the property (I stayed in the main lodge last year, in a separate cabin this year) and there is some walking (a few minutes max) required from the cabins to the main lodge but as long as you have the right footwear it is no big deal.

The terrain in the Chugach is phenomenal, the best I have ever skied, and even on a day when I did not think we'd get the heli out, the Black Ops crew was able to find a "blue hole" in which we played all day long while other operators were grounded. On the best weather days pretty much the entire Chugach is your playground, and you get to ski some pretty gnarly, spicy, unique lines that you won't find anywhere else on this planet.

Everything is done safely, but guides will absolutely push the limits if they believe the guests can handle it (this is why it is a good idea, if you are able to, to book the longer packages as that gives the guides time to evaluate your abilities and upgrade the terrain they'll expose you to). We skied/rode some pretty amazing lines on the final two days, I think I'll remember every turn until at least next season, when I plan to go again!

Highly recommended.

Brian N.

Black Ops does an amazing job and provides clients a very nice experience. Having been to Alaska many times heli-skiing, we will be return guests to Black Ops. First, the guides and pilots did an amazing job stepping up the terrain to the groups ability, while keeping everything safe. Keep in mind the terrain they access is incredible: some of the best steep lines you'll find anywhere. Second, the overall accommodation situation at the Robe Lake Lodge was very nice. Good food and plenty of it. Proximity to the town of Valdez and other activities during heli down days (which you're going to have in Alaska) was well thought out and guests were provided options. Finally, great company of like minded guests. Overall a very positive experience. Having experienced many of the heli-ski operations in Alaska, we will be coming back.

Riley S.

Best heli operation in Valdez. Despite late season, challenging conditions they were able to put us on some big steep terrain. Guides were awesome and very knowledgeable. I will definitely be booking again with Black Ops next time I come skiing in Valdez. Thanks for making my first trip epic.

Jonathan R.

We did a 7 day Heli trip and it was amazing!

Robe lake lodge is in a great location. It is quiet, the views are incredible, and just a short trip to town. The accomodations were comfortable. The food was fantastic!
Josh, Tabatha, and all of the staff were wonderful! On down days they kept us well informed, and came up with a lot of options for activities to keep us entertained.

And the skiing is as good as it gets! There is endless terrain, and some of the best steep lines you can find anywhere! The guides and pilots are awesome! They do a great job of finding the best lines for the group while keeping it safe.

We also stayed after the Heli week and di a couple days of Sled skiing, which was also a blast! The guides found us some great snow and some really fun lines, and the rides up on the sleds were a lot of fun!

It was an awesome trip! and we are planning on going back to stay with Black Ops again next season

Abby D.

This year was our second year with Black Ops. Both trips, we were greeted with fantastic customer service, great accommodations and epic times in the mountains. Tabitha is a ninja with trying to meet every guests needs and when the weather cooperates, the skiing is unbeatable. The guides are knowledgeable and fun, the helicopter pilots were safe and dependable, and the sled skiing is a great alternative if there’s a down day.

Stuart W.

Heli pilots and guides: 5 stars
Chef and support staff: 5 stars
Lodging and customer service: 0 stars

I visited Black ops this April with a group of 8. When we arrived, Tabitha informed us that she way over-booked the Robe Lake lodge (by over 30 people!). Instead we'd be staying at the 1-star Best Western. No hot tub. 20min drive each way to the lodge each day and lots of extra logistics with our gear / planning.

Tabitha was unapologetic. She made it clear there would be no refund. We each paid $550/night for Robe Lake. The Best Western rents for $79/night. In total we spent about $15K extra vs. booking best western on our own and the Black-Ops 4-day package.

To make matters worse, Tabitha charged my group an extra $6,000 2 months after our trip without any communication. We got a total of 20 runs in 4 days; their site says 3hrs should cover 18-30 runs.

The location, pilots, guides, chef and lodge itself is wonderful BUT you should never book with Black Ops.