Ice Climbing with Nova was amazing!!! Family of 4 (2 boys, 10 and 13) all went ice climbing together. Quite challenging for mom, but I made it to the top. Easier for dad and boys. All had a blast doing ice climbing for the first time. Matanuska glacier is truly beautiful, and it was so fun to hike across the glacier. Exit Glacier in Seward paled in comparison. Give ice climbing a try, it is truly amazing.
On our trip, we did the six mile creek rafting and the glacier hike a week later. The rafting starts out with a swim test and then you can choose to do either a two canyon or three canyon trip. We originally signed up for two but decided to do the three canyon which includes Class V rapids along the way. We've been whitewater rafting before, but this was definitely our favorite trip. Everything about NOVA was professional. We called and all the registration went smoothly and the guides are great! They are experienced and care about your safety. Our guide was Jon and he did a phenomenal job. Make sure you check out the Seaview Cafe and Bar while in Hope. It was recommended by one of the river guides and they have great food!Our Matanuska glacier hike on the fourth of July was also a great experience. We had Gabby and Nick as our guides and they made us laugh the entire time. We've traveled a lot and done various activities with many different companies, and I would say our experience with NOVA has been the best. Thank You for making our trip great and for inviting us to the Blue Lagoon :)
As part of a party from Ireland & Scotland who came to Alaska for a wedding we were excited to see what this great state had to offer. White water rafting with Nova was the higlight of our trip! Rafting down the Matanuska river on a beautiful June evening was a fantastic experience due to the great service, care and above all fun the guys & girls at Nova bring to the table. The whole experience will live long in the memory, and we cant wait to visit again so we can do it all over! Travis was fantastic - such a cool guy with lots of info, knowledge and plenty of jokes!
Nova River Runners is a first class operation featuring the best guides and equipment. We appreciated the fact that they focus on safety. It is difficult to describe what an exceptional experience they provide, one that we will never forget.
We rafted all three canyons of Six Mile Creek and had a blast!!! Nick, our rafting guide was amazing. We have been on other white-water rafting trips and all of our guides have been great but Nick went above and beyond preparing us both mentally and physically for each canyon run. The swim test before was new to us but it totally gives you a feel for what you need to do for a self-rescue should you come out of the raft which none of us did!!!Thanks Nova for such a great experience!
I did the glacier hike and the white water rafting. Very professional guides and a good day of adventure. The glacier hike goes for 4 hours with about 4 hours on the glacier, all equipment supplied, very safe. The white water rafting was good, but not a very dangerous river when I was there, but still quite a few good rapids. You can do hike and rafting in one day. I booked over the internet from Australia and it worked out well, the owner is very good with emailing. I did want to do a multi day trip, but I gather they don't run that frequently.
This was a favorite activity of the whole family. We did the solstice evening raft from 7pm-11pm. We stopped part way down and walked back to a secluded lake with gorgeous flowers everywhere. Beautiful views the whole time as well as a lot of fun. You are in a dry suit so only your face may get wet. Wished I would have had a go pro to have recorded part of it. They do take pictures of you that you can buy the CD for memories.
We started our day with heavy rains and were wondering if the glacier trip would be worth it but they assured us, cloudy days are amazing, and they weren't wrong! Due to the weather, it ended up being only the two of us on the trek and the colors, guide, and scenery did not disappoint! It was a trip of a lifetime!Later that day we rafted down Lions Head and it was another amazing experience. You could tell from both of our guides that this was not only a passion of theirs, but they were treated right by the company as well. Kudos to Nova for supplying us with an exceptional adventure with enthusiastic guides with our safety and enjoyment as their #1 priority. We highly recommend this company to anyone wanting a great adventure! Thanks Reis and Shaun for making our rainy day one we will not forget!!!
I was in Alaska over the weekend on a business trip and the team and I decided to try out the 6 Mile Creek trip (Class III - V rapids). Garrett was our guide. He and all if the other guides were funny, informative and helped keep us safe. I GoPro'd our entire trip (fell out of the raft twice) and got some amazing footage. We survived all the rapids including the "Suck-hole," "Merry-Go-Round," and "Staircase." Honestly the trip is worth every penny. Just make sure to respect the river, and listen to the guides. Absolutely great for team building.
I have utilized NOVA twice and both times has remarkable experiences. Emily, my climbing guide, did an exception job. I highly recommend this company and will use them in the future.