Six Mile roared beneath our raft, While Alaska's beauty left us awestruck. JP and the Nova guides were outstanding--skilled, encouraging, and fun every step of the way. From the thrilling rapids to the unforgettable scenery, it was an adventure we'll be talking about for years to come. read more

We did the 3 hour Matanuska Glacier tour Saturday 6/13/2026. It was amazing. For me it was the first time I have been on a glacier. Our guides were amazing and we would do it again and again! Highly recommend! read more

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A must do tour if the Matanuska Glacier. Nova Alaska guide (Jackson) was well versed with the glacier and helped with the do's and don'ts for our group. An amazing experience in all. We all loved it. read more

NOVA Alaska Guides - Matanuska Glacier - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Palmer, Alaska

I had a fantastic rafting experience with the NOVA guides. Prior to driving by the sign on the road that says "NOVA rafting," I was lamenting about how I didn't think I was going to be able to raft due to my tight schedule while visiting Alaska. I drove by the sign and thought "I will just pop down there and see if they have any space." Lo and behold, that had some space on the trip that was starting ten minutes after I got there. They got me signed up and off we went! Adam did a great job driving our bus and photographing us along the way, Gavin kept us well entertained and got us excited on the bus, Coffee (manager) gave us a very informative safety speech, and my rafts personal guide, Maria (from Louisiana), was awesome. I felt safe and had a wonderful time with her guiding our raft. Getting a gla-cial (facial from the glacier water) was a top experience of my trip. I also thought the tour and photos were appropriately priced. Overall, a great experience and worth the money and I'm so happy I did it. read more

3 canyon river rafting. 4 of us went - river was almost too high to even go and they had warned us night before it might get canceled due to the high level of water. When we arrived the trip was still on - however, I wasn't feeling super comfortable at this point. They let me off the hook and they reimbursed me and totally understood my uneasy feeling. They agreed that the level of the river can make a serious no joke rafting experience. Anyway rest of family went - they had an awesome time!!! Would definitely be back!! read more

Amazing! That's the one word I would use to describe this company. The quality of guides this company has sets the bar very high. Shoutout to David (for glacier trekking) and Jon (for whitewater rafting) for making the respective excursions memorable! Let me start with the glacier trekking. My buddy and I did the adventure trek.This was perhaps one of the most unique excisions over ever been on. The fact that you're exploring a glacier (the matanuska glacier) by walking on it and through it leaves you with a sense of wonder. It seriously feels like a whole new world that's not in earth. Our guide , David, took us to see a lot of features of the glacier and we got to see glacier crevasses and glacial pools. So beautiful and majestic. This left an imprint of Alaskan glacial beauty and I'll be sure to never forget. He even created a spout on the glacier so we can taste the freshness of glacier water! We felt completely safe with his knowledge of the glacier and he made sure to answer any questions we may have had. Thanks David! The next excursion was to whitewater rafting down the Matanuska River. For the second excursion, we did the lions head rafting tour. Let me start out by saying that it was utterly fun and unforgettable. Going through class 3 and 4 rapids is sure to excite any thrill seeker. The guide definitely makes this trip exciting especially since they are integral to your safety as well as fun. Jon made sure that we were all engaged and having a great time! Thanks Jon! I cannot recommend this company enough. Definitely do multiple activities (you'll get a discount for booking more than one)! This was the end cap for my Alaskan adventure as it was drawing to a close. I couldn't have chosen better adventures to end on! Keep it up Nova! read more

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My family (2 adults and 2 teens) went on a 6 hour trek tour with Drew. He made it a great trip for all of us as we hiked up high on Mat glacier, propelled down and hiked through the crevants - areas that no other tour was around us for 90% of the trip. From Carson to the office and Drew as our guide - our trip was incredible. Thanks Nova! read more

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Nate was an amazing guide and was thoughtful to a family member of mine who has chronic illnesses and needed extra consideration on the glacier tour. Tyler and Nate clearly both love what they do and it was really educational without being lecture-y. We'd considered exploring the glacier without doing a tour but it was well worth it to pay for the tour. read more

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We did the Matanuska Scenic Float. Class 1-2. If you sit in the back, it's a nice, calm, float. If you sit in the front, you're sure to get a little bounced around and wet. Definitely wet. Not 30 seconds into our ride and we had a wave come over me. Because I was not wearing the rubber jacket, my left arm was soaked. My bottom and feet were perfectly dry so no worries. I was wearing a thin, quick-dry top since it was a warm day so no issues. The cold glacier water was Very Refreshing! Travis (our guide) was awesome. Our only job was to hold on and not fall out of the boat. Easy enough. My mom and I enjoyed this. I know my husband would prefer to do the more stimulating ride.... the Class 3-4. So, if I go up again with him, we'll give that a whirl! read more

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We had an amazing time on the Matanuska Glacier with Thomas. He is a very safety-conscious guide and was able to customize our experience to fit our expectations. His skills, both technical and personal, made the day exceptional. read more

My wife and I did the Adventure Trek. Our guide Thomas was awesome! We could not have had a better time. Thomas made sure that we got to see lots of cool features and went out of his way to make sure we felt safe. Highly recommned! read more

Excellent guides, communication, safety and fun- beautiful day! The only thing was that we couldn't bring our own camera to take pictures... read more

It's our first day in Alaska. We have some rock climbers in the group so we were very excited to observe the glacier and try out ice climbing. Our guide David was awesome! He is knowledgeable, patient, insightful and takes awesome pictures lol. He is such an experienced climber and also gives clear instructions. We learned a lot about the glacier as well as ice climbing. He shared some of his personal experience and those are the best stories that I've ever heard about expedition. He truly enjoys helping people and inspiring people to try out new things. A little bit about the tour. It was a 6-hour ice climbing tour that 80% of it was hiking on the glacier. All the gear were provided. The actual ice climbing was straightforward but really tiring. The hiking part was also fun. It was my first time walking on a glacier so I was just so stoked this entire time. I would recommend this tour to people who don't mind hiking but also curious about climbing some steep ice. read more

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Thomas She was our guide and he was super friendly, helpful, and explained a lot of facts. We had an awesome time with him and definitely recommend everyone to check him out! Overall very good experience and beautiful views with safety always in check! read more

We used Nova to book a combo package of two experiences: the Matanuska Glacier Adventure Trek, and Six Mile Creek 3 Canyon Whitewater Rafting. Both were awesome! Our guide for the glacier trek, Coffey, did a great job of making sure safety was the first priority, while also allowing good opportunities for exploration and adventure on the glacier. We got to try some harnessed ice climbing for the first time, including being lowered partially into a chasm/crevasse, and rappelling down the side of a long ice face. This is a great trek to do if you want a little sampler of some of the more advanced, technical ice skills, while also having a chance to do some basic glacier hiking. We weren't sure whether to do the 3-canyon or 2-canyon Six Mile Creek rafting, but we're so glad we chose the thriller that included Canyon 3. All three of the guides were experienced pros, and we immediately felt like we were in good hands. They did a good job of communicating the techniques and expectations, while also keeping safety first and monitoring everybody's ability to handle what was coming up, starting with a swim test before you even embark on the raft. This river run is great, because there are very few "lulls" (about half an hour stretch between two of the canyons), and the excitement and challenge just keeps building gradually as the trip goes on. I highly recommend both of these activities, as long as you are physically fit enough to handle them (I am 42 years old and my father who came with me is 61, and we're not super athletic, just moderately healthy.) read more

NOVA Alaska Guides - View from being lowered into a crevasse with a harness - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Palmer, Alaska

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Highly recommended!!! This was not our first experience with river rafting but it was certainly our best! ... we capture on video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTWflccora8 1. Prerequisites: have a good lunch and also pack some snacks of having them after the river rafting. you need energy before and after you are done! 2. Swimming Suits You reach the parking lot as stated by them. you are not allowed to keep any of your valuables like mobiles, wallets with you. if you do want to carry them, it's better to be a very high waterproof packet as you are going to get in the deep river. The swim suits cover you from neck to toe and protect you from water at all times. 3. Swim Test Nova River Rafting starts off with a River Swimming test! you put on your life jackets and jump in the river! you are asked to swim for 200 meters in the open river and reach a destination. my wife is afraid of water and this was a gigantic task for her! she lost the shoes in the process. This river test wakes you up from all your slumbers and jolts you! one of the best parts of Nova River Rafting is that you feel safe, there are two safety boats, one at the start and one at the end to ensure anyone who falls are picked up! 4. Rafting We signed up for Level 3, 4 & 5. The initial level 3 & 4 are completed first and you do have the option to opt out if you are not comfortable with being in water any longer. The level 5 rafting is much more thrilling and adrenaline rushing waters! 5. do you fall from the raft? yes, I did! and like me, there were many who fell on many occasions. they were easily rescued by their fellow rafters! 6. Photos & Videos they offer photos for $40 which comes in a pen drive. we loved the photos. No videos are offered but we took our GoPro Hero5. Videos are available here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTWflccora8 read more

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This is my first, but won't be my last, trip to the great state of Alaska. Booked my tour as a "must do" and am very glad I did. The staff were awesome, especially Matt. I was a solo traveler in a large group of smaller groups. Everyone asked for a group photo and he offered to be my group. Little touches like that make a HUGE difference to an already awesome trip. I can't say thank you enough! I'll be back with more time for the rafting and ice climbing. read more

NOVA Alaska Guides - Too many pics to choose from - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Palmer, Alaska

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We had 10 in our group so two boats on the 6 mile river adventure from Hope. Our group was from 15 to 60 year olds and Everyone agreed it was something we'd all do again. The river itself is a great mix of relaxing beauty and awesome powerful rapids. The guides were amazing! They obviously love what they do and did a fantastic job. Their humor relaxed a nervous bus full of us at the beginning and their attention to safety made it seem like a Disney ride instead of crazy class V rapids. NOVA out of Hope should be on everyone's summer Alaska plans!! read more

NOVA Alaska Guides - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Palmer, Alaska

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Fantastic adventure on the ice !! We went for the ice climbing, and our guide David did an excellent job to make our experience unique. He is patient, and full of enthusiasm. He explained a lot of glacier knowledge, like how the glacier moves the rocks, how the ice cone is formed. He is full of experience, we feel very safe with him on the ice wall. The whole trip was just extraordinary. We actually finished the ice climbing ahead of time, and David brought us to see the 'blue ice canyon', where we knocked down a huge piece of ice, and saw it falling into the deep whole. It was really really fun experience. Huge thanks and shout out to David, and definitely recommend him as your guide. read more

NOVA Alaska Guides - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Palmer, Alaska

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Couldn't say enough great words about Mike & Petra! They made our glacier hike trip amazing! Very tentative、patient、and informative to our group of 4 with kids. They provide all necessary gears included waterproof boots! The glacier itself is very impressive & a must when visit Alaska. Very few glacier has such convenience access and allow you to hike on it. But unless you have extensive experience with glacier hiking & know about this glacier, hire a guide is very very important. read more

My wife and I were lucky to be the only ice climbers with our guide Ben. Alaska is such a beautiful place, but being on the Matanuska Glacier was such an amazing experience in itself. Ben was not only extremely professional and knowledgeable, but an amazing dude. On the walk up to the climb, Ben explained tons about glaciers, the geology of the mountains in the area, and the Nova company. It's amazing how much more an experience like this is when your guide is genuinely happy and excited to be doing what they do. Ben was an excellent instructor, and I would 100% recommend this company for people who want to try out ice climbing. Hopefully you'll be as lucky as we were to get Ben as your guide. read more

My father and I did the Matanushka Glacier Trek a couple of Saturdays ago with NOVA. This was actually the first thing that we did on our Alaska trip and it was arguably our favorite thing we did in the 10 days we were in Alaska. Upon getting to the NOVA office we signed a couple of waivers and proceeded down to the equipment area. My father and I knew we had signed up for a 5 hour Glacier hike with possible ice climbing and just assumed we were on what they were calling a hike. After getting the wrong boots, we found out we had signed up for the trek and had to trade it our hiking boots for some mountaineering boots. We also found out that we were the only 2 people on this particular tour and our guide was Colton. He was really excited about ice climbing out on the Glacier and since my dad and I are adventurous, we just went with it even though it was not what we expected. Colton drove us out to the Glacier and had us put on all of our equipment. As we walked toward the ice covered part of the Glacier he told us a lot about glaciers. Right before we got to the part with ice, he had us put on our crampons. Then we proceeded to the face of the Glacier where he taught my father and I how to ice climb. What an amazing experience it was to not only use the ice picks and crampons to ice climb but to do it up a Glacier! Colton was great about going at the speed that we wanted as well as letting us climb as much as we wanted. After we had finished up at the face he asked if we wanted to climb some more or hike more. We chose climb some more and ended up going to a second spot which was over a beautiful blue "lake" of water. After we were done there we slowly hiked our way back to the car with Colton taking lots of pictures of my dad and I up on the Glacier. Whenever our time was done, both my dad and I were sad to have to hop back into the transport vehicle. The bottom line for me is that I would highly recommend this experience to anyone who likes a little adventure! While I don't think my father and I truly understood what we had signed up for, we had an amazing time. Ice climbing probably isn't as difficult as you think and Colton was a great guide for it as well as to just see the Glacier. We enjoyed it so much that I know I will have to come back in the future so that my wife can experience it also! read more

Best ice climbing experience ever. Super cool folks (Thanks, James and Mitch!) who showed us the ropes and challenged us to go beyond the "easy" climbs. Also, it was just as educational as it was fun. Much stoke was had. I'd say this is a must for anyone visiting Alaska. read more

NOVA Alaska Guides - Our guide James throwing us off a mountain (in the best way possible). - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Palmer, Alaska

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The gears provided were great. But the guides we sub par. Maya and one other guide seemed to have very less knowledge and interest in guiding us through the hike. They randomly threw in some buzz facts! All along they were secretly discussing when to head back and they were both in a rush. read more

My husband and I were fortunate enough to sign up for one of NOVA's glacier hike/ice climbing adventures last summer and it remains both the highlight of our trip and one of our favorite memories period. We were in a small group - just the two of us and another novice + our guide, Reese, which gave us tremendous flexibility and allowed us to get to know one another. It was a wonderful afternoon and the views of the glacier were spectacular. Reese challenged us, while keeping us safe throughout. The glacier hike provides you with more access deeper onto the glacier, whereas the ice climbing mostly happens at the perimeter. We were out on the ice for over five hours altogether, hearing the ice crack and learning to climb and navigate over Matanuska Glacier. Although we saw beautiful glaciers on our railroad trip and at Resurrection Bay, actually being on the glacier was an entirely different event. The scale and beauty of the ice was unlike anything I've ever experienced before or since. Highly, highly recommend. We want to go back! read more

Fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. Highlight of my trip. Price- Not bad. I researched NOVA against 3 other competitors and it was cheaper, that's why I picked it. Quality- Fantastic! We had Reese as our guide for the glacier hike. GET THE GLACIER HIKE. Reese showed us a cool ice cave that he''s never shown anyone. I was debating between this and the ice climb, but I heard the climb is just climbing. The tour took us further out onto the glacier and we got some great climbing too. DO IT. Quantity- Lots of ice Atmosphere- Very chill family. They are very cool and relaxed, but will take care of you. Staff- Like I said, Reese was a great guide and loves what he is doing. If you think it's a lot of money, it's actually cheap compared to an airplane ride over the glacier and you get to explore for about 5 hours! Honestly, highlight of my trip. Don't have a cold heart like the glacier- go out to this with NOVA and make some friends. read more

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I decided last minute to go on a glacier hike. I was in Alaska for a wedding and the night before I left, I booked a guided glacier hike with Nova. It was easy and straightforward. I suggest you adventure with friends, but I booked solo. You put in a deposit and you pay the rest at the location. Make sure you read the emails they send you! The details they put in are there for a reason! Very helpful. Make sure you print out the directions because there is very little signal on the way there. I travelled alone, but got placed with a group! Our guide was Mitch and he was great! Very knowledgeable and personable. Actually, all the staff were really welcoming and friendly. With the guided hike, you get to borrow some crampons and a helmet and they lump in the fee to access the glacier. The hike itself is relatively easy. It's not a lot of effort for the opportunity to hike on a glacier! The view is breathtaking and just an awesome experience overall. I highly recommend going and I highly recommend Nova. read more

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These guys are awesome! I'm pretty sure our guide Reed is a Marvel Action Figure. We rafted down Six Mile and I was terrified and thrilled. Controlled Chaos is the best description. Listen to your guide! Like he said, " This ain't an amusement park." I highly recommend these guys and I will definitely be back. read more

Adequate but nothing more. The guides spent more time talking about other experiences they had than they did talking about the glacier. We had a better time walking on the glacier on our own. The only added benefit to the tour were the micro-spikes they provide, which you can buy for $25 on Amazon. read more

We did the glacier hike with ice climbing combo with my homie Max. Max was awesome throughout the hike and was super knowledgeable about the glacier's history. Throughout the hike he kept encouraging and pushing us. It was amazing to know the whole Nova community and understand their passion toward ice climbing and hiking. I will definitely be back here read more

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Our river guide, Coffee did a great job and we really enjoyed our rapids. My 16 year old twins were so intrigued they begged to go to the 4 and 5 rapids the next day but instead we did the shorter glacier tour with, Betsie. She did a great tour and tolerated the twins who were at times a bit much. Kids were torn between which was a better tour the rafting or glacier tour. We drove 1.5 hours out there w days in a row because it was so great! Highly recommend! read more

My husband and I can't stop talking about how awesome our glacier trek was. I'm so glad we upgraded to the ice climbing package! Such an amazing/fun experience. It's definitely been our favorite activity out here in Alaska. Definitely gotta give a shout out to our super chill trek guides (Emily, Jacob & Pat) for the laughs and for waking up hella early to take us out lol if you're in the anchorage area you have to add this to your itinerary. Thanks again Nova! read more

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I'm glad we took the time to do our research. We picked nova based on reviews and prices. My wife and I are happy we did. The guides were awesome. The tour was fun and educational. I'm glad we picked the ice climbing tour. Thanks again Emily, pat and Jacob ! read more

We are an older couple, part of a tour group, and we chose the float trip as opposed to the white water trip. We were provided water proof boots, pants, jacket. Not exactly fashion forward but effective. Rest rooms were available where we suited up. 4 of us in raft with guide. I had purchased waterproof phone case. River was high due to record high temperatures. All staff and guide were professional and engaging. Guide took us over some bumps, fun. Views just awe inspiring. Did not want trip to end. read more

NOVA Alaska Guides - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Palmer, Alaska

We had a great time hiking to the Matanuska Glacier! It was definitely the highlight of our trip. Our guide, Adam, was absolutely wonderful! He knew so much about the glacier and made the tour so worth while. I highly highly recommend Nova guides for this tour! You will not be disappointed :) read more

NOVA was the company that took me on a rafting trip while I was in Alaska and I had an excellent time with them. The company pioneered whitewater rafting in Alaska and they do all kinds of trips including fishing, glacier hikes, and camping. I took the Lion Head whitewater rafting trip ($80/person) and it was a total blast. I was still sore from hiking the day before so the Lion Head trip was the perfect length (2-3 hours) and amount of work. It goes down a glacial fed class III & IV whitewater river next to the Matanuska Glacier. The views were beautiful, the rapids exciting, and the water very cold. Kinda everything you wish for in a rafting trip I guess. NOVA provides all the river gear which includes dry suits, life-jackets, booties, gloves, and helmets. Make sure you dress in layers because although the dry suits will keep you from getting wet, it won't keep out the cold. You first have to check in with their main office which is about 20 miles away from where you'll be rafting. Once you check in, you'll head out to to their river station and then you'll get all your gear and head out to Caribou Creek which later feeds into the Matanuska River (I think). You have the option being in Oar rafts where you can sit back and your guide will do all the rowing for you, or you can do a full paddle raft where you'll be doing ALL the rowing. I'd definitely recommend the latter. After all, what's the point of going rafting if you're just going to sit there? They will take pictures for you while you're rafting. It's $20 for the picture CD. read more

The guides were very cool, experienced and down to take us to whatever level we could handle. It was cold as ballz but we still had the time of our lives! Thanks nova! read more

NOVA Alaska Guides - Headed towards some class III RAPIDS. - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Palmer, Alaska

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Anywhere I travel, one of the first activities I look for is white water rafting. We chose Novo because they run Six Mile Creek which is Alaska's most challenging trip. Six Mile Creek river which is about 70 miles south of Anchorage on the Seward Highway. This river is class IV and V with 3 canyons. You have a choice of 2 canyons for $95 or 3 canyons for $139 a person. The third canyon has class V rapids. We opted for 2 canyons because we were told that even if we didn't commit to 3 canyons when we called to reserve space, if there was room on the rafts at the end of the 2, there might be a chance to do the last canyon. We really wanted to do 3, but just didn't want to commit to it just yet and wanted to see how we liked the river. However, I must note that once we were done with the 2 canyons our guide just asked us informally if we wanted to go onward and everyone on our raft said yes so we went forward. I honestly didn't see much of an area to stop and get out nor did anyone from the other 4 rafts get out. I think it's sort of a scam to get you to have a little bit of fun then nonchalantly get you to commit to another canyon. Regardless the third canyon was the best. I've rafted some amazing rivers in Costa Rica and Panama where it's just rapid after rapid at class IV and V levels. Six Mile Creek did have some great rapids with great names but they didn't come consistently. We would drift along not paddling for awhile and then hit IV and V rapids and then drift along again. It was nice the down time in between the big rapids but I do wish there was more intensity. We rafted the river about 12 miles and on the website it says 2 canyons would take 3 hours and 3 canyons would take 4.5. After completing the 3 canyons, we were back at our car in 2.5 hours, no joke. The guides were great, they seemed to really love their jobs and being on the river. They were very safety oriented which I appreciated because you don't always get that overseas. They were humorous and played off each other and made it a great experience. The scenery (which you did get a chance to fully enjoy) was beautiful and the drive down the Seward Highway was worth it alone for the trip. I would book again with Novo because I trust they are really concerned for safety and loved what they do. But I was disenchanted by how short the day was. read more

Whitewater rafting! On day two of our Alaskan vacation, we met up with the NOVA guides for a run down the glacier fed Matanuska River. We launched from a secluded area of Caribou Creek, which later turned into the bigger Matanuska River. The water was full of grey minerals from the Matanuska Glacier, but extremely cold. We navigated Class III and IV rapids, getting drenched with glacier river water every time! In between the rapids, you can appreciate the beautiful Chugach mountain range. The guides will point out the Lion Head mountain face for which the trip is named. The whitewater rafting trip was a great experience. If you're lucky, the guides will let you 'ride the bull' (go through a rapid sitting over the rim of the bow). At one particular rapid, a photographer will take pictures of your raft. You'll be able to purchase the picture CD for $20. NOVA provided all the gear we needed to stay dry and safe. Dress warmly and you'll have a blast. review 2/2/08 I.M.Y. read more

This review is long due. My wife and I purchased the ice-climbing tour in summer and woo was that fun.. This was the first time for both of us, so we were a little nervous, but it turned out to be the highlight of our Alaska trip, better than cruise in Kenai-fjords, even though we saw like 25 whales and even better than Denali.. By the end of the tour, both of us felt like pros in ice climbing. Since we are the only 2 people for ice climbing that day, they gave us a personalized tour with our guide - Mitch. He was accommodating and very knowledgeable and friendly yet professional. He customized our tour, where he taught us the basics of ice climbing and then when we got tired after 4-5 climbs each, we went on an adventure hike on the glacier and once we had recovered our enegery and strength we performed few more climbs. The glacier itself is beautiful and it was bright and sunny in 70's and most of the time I was just in half sleeves t-shirt. Thanks to Mitch we had an excellent time and without hesitation we would re-visit this place! read more