Alyeska in the Aleut language means "the great land to the east," and in any language the eponymous ski resort some 40 miles southeast of Anchorage is one great ski mountain. The country's best ski racers are competing at Alyeska Resort (tel. 907/754-2108; www.alyeskaresort.com) between Mar. 23-31 when the U.S. Alpine Championships returns there for the third time. But that exciting final event of the international ski racing season doesn't end Alyeska's ski season, which runs through April 22 with weekend operations through Memorial Day when conditions permit.
Lifts and ski runs inhabit a huge glacier-carved bowl to comprise, by far, the largest ski facility in the largest U.S. state. Its far-north location and a low treeline combine to give the upper and lower mountain two distinct looks and feels. The lower mountain consists of conventional trails cut though a thick coastal forest, while the upper slopes are a great white arc of snow. No other resort combines true high-mountain terrain, a low oxygen-rich elevation, and splendid ocean views.
There are two access points to the ski terrain. The Main Face at the wooded bottom of the bowl with a day lodge, chairlift loading areas and parking lots was the original ski area. The more recently developed North Face features a 60-passenger tram just steps from the 304-room Hotel Alyeska (tel. 800/880-3880 or 907/754-2111; www.alyeskaresort.com) that carries skiers in winter and sightseers year-round. It climbs the steep "outside" of the bowl to an on-mountain day lodge and restaurant. The North Face itself some wide slopes and cliff bands etched with double-black steeps. Most skiers and riders stick to the glorious Main Face whose lower section offers mostly novice and intermediate terrain. Two chairlifts ascend higher serving a greater vertical and more challenging trails, several lit for night skiing.
One unloads near the tram's top station, and from there, Chair 6, the highest chairlift, accesses the bowl itself. A few intermediate routes are marked in this upper terrain, but most of it is pure black-diamond steeps. Strong, aggressive skiers and riders -- including those training for extreme skiing competitions in Valdez -- hike from there to Upper Glacier Bowl or take the High Traverse to the double diamonds of Max's Mountain.
Alyeska is blessed with abundant snow (more than 600 inches annually at the top) with dependable conditions December onward, but the resort is at its best from February, when days get longer, and it really shines in spring. Chugach Powder Guides (tel. 907/783-4354; www.chugachpowderguides.com) with an office in the Hotel Alyeska, offers day skiing in an enormous 1,500-square-mile permit area in the Western Chugach Range through mid-April.
Alyeska is both remote and accessible. In addition to the full-service Hotel Alyeska, the town of Girdwood (www.girdwoodalaska.com) offers smaller lodges, B&Bs and condos, and ample lodging at off-season rates is available in Anchorage (tel. 907/276-4118; www.anchorage.net), about an hour's drive along scenic Turnagain Arm.
Alyeska Stats
Lifts: 1 60-passenger tram, 1 high-speed detachable quad, 2 fixed-grip quad, 2 doubles, 2 surface lifts; uphill capacity, 10,335 per hour
Vertical: 2,250 feet (plus 550 hike-to vertical feet).
Base elevation: 250 feet
Top of Chair 6: 2,750 feet
Top of Glacier Bowl: 3,400 feet.
Average Annual Snowfall: 641 inches at mid-mountain (771 inches at the summit)
Record Snowfall: 1,100+ inches (1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons)
Skiable Terrain: 1,400 acres
Trails: 68 (11% beginner and novice; 51% intermediate; 37% expert);
Snowmaking: 28 trails
Night Skiing (Friday and Saturday): 27 trails
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