Valdez, Alaska, is, or should be, on every skier's bucket list, and for good reason: The Chugach range stretches straight up from the ocean. Valdez is a hotbed of heli operations, so high rollers and hot shot athletes spend their spring there, but there's also skiing to be had for mere mortals, too. http://www.powdermag.com/stori es/travis-ganong-alaska/