Alaskan Adventures at the Tsaina Lodge

Experienced businessman and entrepreneur Dr. Jeffery Scott Fraser operated for nearly two decades as the CEO of NIC Inc. Dividing his time between Wyoming and Alaska Dr. Jeffery S. Fraser now focuses on restoring the historic Tsaina Lodge with his wife.

Located on Thompson Pass in Valdez, Alaska, the Tsaina Lodge is a contemporary resort and lodge that features 24 guest rooms. In addition to being nestled amongst a wild but pristine Alaskan setting, the lodge itself boasts locally sourced fine dining, spa and fitness rooms, reading rooms, and other comforts. Guests can also participate in a variety of custom excursions that are easily accessible via the onsite helipad.

Guest activities at the Tsaina Lodge include guided and unguided excursions. Guided activities, which include equipment and instruction, take advantage of Alaska’s rivers, mountains, and glaciers. Some examples include mountain biking, rafting, fishing, and glacier trekking. Unguided activities occur around the lodge itself and include yoga, cooking, and trail hiking. For additional information, visit www.tsainalodge.com.

Thompson Pass - Destination for Generations of Sports Enthusiasts

Since their purchase in 2011, Jeffery S. Fraser and his wife have enjoyed rebuilding a luxury winter sports lodge in the spirit of the historic Tsaina Lodge near Valdez, Alaska. The old Tsaina Lodge had served as a popular low-key roadhouse for generations of sportsmen. Jeffery Fraser and his wife preserved as many components of the historic structure as possible, incorporating them into an upscale, contemporary Tsaina Lodge designed to welcome today’s adventure travelers.

The lodge is situated in an avalanche-safe area in the north shadow of Thompson Pass, the snowiest location in the state. On average, more than 550 feet of snow falls in the pass annually.

Thompson Pass is also the gathering point each spring for many of the world’s most accomplished and daring helicopter pilots, skiers, snowboarders, and other lovers of extreme winter sports. The 2,800-foot-high pass serves as their only land entree to the rugged glories of the Chugach Mountains beyond.

For generations, Thompson Pass has drawn legions of anglers to the lakes, rivers, and streams that crisscross the lands around it. The Tsaina River is particularly known for its wild rapids.

In 1899, Army Captain William Abercrombie named the area in honor of Frank Thomson, a native of Pennsylvania. While Thomson spelled his name without a “p,” Abercrombie’s map gave it the added letter, and this is the spelling currently in use by the United States Geological Survey. The pass had already been long known to the native Ahtna people.