Summer days in Alaska are long and sunny, but everything has its season. And with the lodge closed up tight all winter, and everyone hunkered down, people often ask: what do we do in the off-season?

Being a part of a great Alaskan adventure lodge is a full-time, year-round job but it sure has its perks. When we’re not at home in the mountains, improving the grounds, gardening, planning, building, or wintering in Anchorage, we travel abroad. Winters give us a chance to visit some of the friends we’ve made over the years as hosts to visitors from just about every continent.

Each day we share adventures in the wilderness, flying and seeing and touching and doing things together that we never imagined. But it may be at the dinner table, each night -- when guests and family come together to share stories -- that each of us truly becomes a part of the ongoing story of Ultima Thule.
 

"True wilderness." Dig deep and ask yourself what those words mean to you.

In this modern world it’s more important than ever that we unplug, leave behind our daily routines, and take a step into something larger. There aren’t many places left on earth to do this.

Check out the latest video installment of Beyond, our video series that gives you a chance to fly along with the Claus family and guests as we explore one of the world’s last great wilderness locations.

One thing about Alaska that amazes our guests is the sheer scale of the wilderness here. There are mountain peaks here no one has ever scaled. Hidden valleys no one has ever explored. Places it would literally be impossible to go -- unless you can strap on a pair of wings.

Check out the latest video installment of Beyond, our video series that gives you a chance to fly along with the Claus family and guests as they explore the Alaskan wilderness.

Meet Alpha, one of two Piper PA-18 Super Cubs at Ultima Thule’s Alaska lodge. A Piper Super Cub, Paul likes to say, is the “closest thing to a pair of wings you can strap on.”

But Alpha’s special...