Matanuska Glacier Adventure Trek

We had an incredible day on the Adventure Trek with Maya and Betsy, very capable, knowledgeable leaders, but also funny, kind, and interesting . All of that along with the beautiful glacier and the sun shining on us made for one of the best days of our trip. We've been going to the Matanuska Glacier with Nova for years, they don't disappoint.

Great guides, Angie and Ben were informative and fun with a high regard for safety on the ice. Well worth every penny!!!! What an amazing adventure!!

As an active below knee amputee, I kept my expectations low, as hiking and repelling down a glacier is definitely far beyond anything I have tried in 15 years. Our guide Ben, was amazing. Ben called me approximately two weeks before our trip to discuss my abilities and any challenges that I thought I may experience. By the time the call was over, I was confident that Ben would provide an excellent experience. On the day of the hike, Ben and I spoke prior to check-in. We went over equipment and expectations. As an avid hiker, we both agreed the hiking part would be easy, it was the unknown repelling segment that may be a challenge. From the start, Ben was concerned of the safety of all guests. NOVA only takes four guests at a time which is super nice. (We passed other groups, different vendor, in excess of 20 guests, and the experience looked and “felt” completely different. Even those guides complained to Ben, about the size of their groups.) The check-in/waiver process, was super simple. NOVA provides helmet, boots, and crampons for the trip. Make sure you dress in layers, the temperature changes, especially during the repelling phase. The ride to the glacier was short. We then took a short walk to the glacier where we donned our crampons. Ben gave us one more safety instruction before heading off. Ben “read” the group and adjusted to our hiking styles. The four of us, all in good condition, loved to take photos. Ben allowed us to go at our own pace, while still giving us an experience that will last a lifetime in our memories and in photographs. The weather was perfect!! Sunny and warm. I will recommend NOVA to anyone going to Alaska who wants a top notch experience! We hiked, repelled, and then used hand ropes to climb out of the crevasse. Not a cheap experience, but you get what you pay for. I got so much more out of this adventure thanks to Ben. The expense was well worth the experience. I forgot to mention that Ben is super knowledgeable with a degree in geology. If you want to know anything about plates, rocks, mountains, and glaciers, the man knows the answer. He is very intelligent and kind!!!

What a phenomenal trip with Nova to the Matanuska glacier! My teens and I had a major adventure with Drew, who could not have been a better guide for us! He gauged our level of ability and adjusted the trek to our level, which meant doing some climbing, fixed ropes, and belaying through the glacier's icefalls. It was the experience of a lifetime! Drew was knowledgeable, safe, funny, and a good teacher. We recommend this trip without any hesitation! Do it!

Our adventure trek at Matanuska with Thomas was great! We loved the thrill of stepping over crevasse’s peering down into deep Moulin’s, rappelling down a 60 foot ice wall, seeing a beautiful icefall and basking in the quickly changing landscape of this fragile earth. Thomas was truly incredible - knowledgeable and open to sharing anything and everything. We loved the small group dynamic of 1:4 and loved that this tour did more than the others. Great experience!

My trip on the glacier was wonderful and that was due to Nate, our guide. I really appreciated the small ratio of 1 guide to 4 customers. I especially enjoyed the extra time on the 6 hour adventure trek. Nate knows the glacier well and his attention to safety and adventure was fantastic.