Traveling to Alaska to Ski Last Week Was Cheap, Easy, and Safe

See those pretty lights down there? That’s Alyeska Resort—Alaska’s premier resort with over 1,600 skiable acres and 2,500 vertical-feet of skiing… | Photo courtesy SnowBrains

I safely flew to Alaska last week to ski and it was a lot easier than I thought it would be.

The entire trip from Salt Lake City, UT took roughly seven hours and cost $507.18 round trip, even after having purchased flights only three weeks in advance. I flew from Salt Lake to Seattle, WA, then direct to Anchorage. Sure, I had to jump through a few COVID-19-regulation hoops, which was expected, but it all went much smoother than I thought.

Related: Study: During COVID, Is Flying Safer Than Grocery Shopping?

To get to Alaska as a non-resident right now, you have to:

Show up at an Alaskan port of entry (In this case it was the Anchorage airport) with a negative COVID-19 PCR test result taken in the previous 72 hours.
Upload that negative test result to the quick and easy-to-use Alaska Travel Portal.
If you can’t get a COVID test prior to your departure, you can buy one at the Anchorage airport upon arrival for $250.
Declare where you’ll be staying for the duration of your trip on that travel portal.
Wear a face mask for the entirety of your time at the airport and on the plane.
Social distance appropriately.
And enjoy the absolutely stunning views from the plane.

And then BOOM—seven hours later you’re in Alaska ready to ski. I would also like to add the flight from Seattle, WA to Anchorage, AK was one of the most beautiful plane rides I’ve ever taken, and that the views of the coastal mountain ranges going up the west side of North America are absolutely breathtaking.

I highly recommend getting a window seat on the right-hand side of the plane for this leg of the journey—you will not regret that you did!

And, as always during these pandemic-times: don’t travel if you are sick, practice social distancing to the best of your ability, wear your mask, wash your hands, and be kind to others!