Anchorage Daily News

Chugach Adventure Guides of Girdwood said it is merging with a leading Lower 48 heli-ski operator, Sun Valley Heli-Ski Guides of Sun Valley, Idaho, and they are launching an international adventure travel company called Epic, which will be based in Jackson, Wyo.

Chugach is an adventure tourism business featuring skiing, rafting and fishing, said Mike Overcast, founder. He hopes the merger will expand its customer base, the kinds of experiences it offers and give the business "great exposure in the U.S. ski market." Sun Valley said it is the oldest heli-skiing operation in the United States.

Epic is about building "a multi-sport and international adventure company," said Chris Owens, Chugach co-owner and general manager.

The merged business will immediately supplement the existing sports activities by adding:

• International fishing expeditions.

• Exclusive private lodges in Africa, with safaris, mountain biking, fishing and equestrian activities.

• A water-sports program in Hawaii, developed jointly with surfing legend Laird Hamilton.

• Biking excursions, domestically and internationally.

Through Epic, Chugach intends to increase offerings to include less-common adventure activities, such as paddle boarding through the icebergs on Strandline Lake and glacier trekking in areas that could only be reached by helicopter.

Overcast is in Hawaii working with Hamilton to help create a luxury watersports lodge and suite of active experiences for Epic's clients, Owens said.

Joining the team to create Epic are ski legends Tommy Moe and Jeremy Nobis, as well as Dirk Collins, a founder of Teton Gravity Research, a ski film and media company based in Jackson Hole.

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