NETJETS US VOLUME 12 2020

MIKE STONER
ON THE EDGE
of mind. They know what they’re doing and can dial it up or down
depending on what you’re ready to handle mentally and physically.”
VHSG’S 4-1 CLIENT-TO-GUIDE ratio also helps ensure you’re skiing
the runs you came for. Fraser prides his team on their ability
to progress Alaska newbies. “Medium-level skiers start out on
comfortable terrain and think each day is their best day ever,” he
says. “By the end of the week they are skiing stuff they never
thought they could.” With 3,600 square miles in Tsaina’s backyard,
the ideal run for almost every client is a short flight away. And
when the weather outside the window doesn’t cooperate, VHSG
has some 10,000 square miles of the Chugach in its permit area.
George has also heli-skied in Haines and Cordova but says
what Fraser offers stands apart for its experienced guides and slope
progression as well as its five-star service. “Luxury in Alaska is
different from luxury in St. Moritz or Aspen,” George says. “Alaska
is really remote, but Tsaina still flies in the best wine for its cellar
and just-caught fish for a sushi dinner.” And after a refresh last
year, it’s hands-down the cushiest base in the Chugach, complete
with a cigar room, gym, spa, Wi-Fi, and restaurant that serves
wagyu steak and Alaskan king crab legs. With a smile, Fraser says,
“We want to be the experience of a lifetime on and off the slopes.”
WHITE WONDER
The attraction of skiing in Alaska lies
partly in the untouched snow on its
picture-perfect slopes.
54 NetJets