Alyeska Resort

Alyeska Resort
Location	Girdwood, Alaska
Nearest city	Anchorage, Alaska
Coordinates	60°58′14″N 149°05′54″W / 60.9705°N 149.0982°W / 60.9705; -149.0982Coordinates: 60°58′14″N 149°05′54″W / 60.9705°N 149.0982°W / 60.9705; -149.0982
Vertical	2,500 ft (760 m) lift serviced; 3,200 ft (980 m) total
Top elevation	3,939 ft (1,201 m)
Base elevation	250 ft (76 m)
Skiable area	1,400 acres (5.7 km2)
Runs	73 - 11% easiest - 52% more difficult - 37% most difficult
Lift system	9 (1 tram, 1 high-speed quad, 3 quads, 2 double chairs, 2 Magic Carpet)
Lift capacity	10,335 p/hr
Snowfall	631 in (1,600 cm)
Snowmaking	yes (113 acres (0.46 km2))
Night skiing	yes
Web site	Official resort website

Alyeska Resort is a ski resort that is located in Girdwood, Alaska, approximately 27 miles (44 km) from the city of Anchorage. Mount Alyeska is part of the Chugach mountain range. It is the biggest ski mountain in the state of Alaska. The Alyeska Ski Corporation was founded in 1954, and the first chair lift and day lodge were opened in 1959. The Roundhouse ski lodge and ski patrol station at the top of the mountain began construction in 1960, and is still standing today. It currently houses a museum.

Currently, Alyeska has six (6) chair lifts, one (1) high-speed tram, and two Magic Carpets. Of the 6 chairlifts, one is co-owned by Alyeska and the Tanaka Foundation (Chair 5). Chair 6 is a high-speed detachable quad, while Chairs 4, 7 and 3 are normal quads. Chair 1 is the oldest chair lift on the mountain, and leads up to the Roundhouse and Upper Tram Terminal. It also houses a "midway" loading station in the center of the lift.

Chair 4 ends halfway up the mountain. Chair 1 and the tram end three-quarters of the way up the mountain. The interconnected buildings contain the Roundhouse (patrol quarters), and a much newer facility housing the upper tram terminal, a quick-service cafeteria, and the Seven Glaciers 4-star restaurant and bar. At the base of the tram is the modern 300-room Hotel Alyeska.

Chair 6 goes to the highest lift served point on the mountain at 2800 feet. Several areas above Chair 6 are occasionally opened, but require hiking to access. Plans to build a new chair lift higher up the mountain have been announced.

Mount Alyeska is a fairly challenging mountain, and has a much higher percentage of advanced and expert runs, as compared to most other mountains in North America. It has a small section for the novice, but the rest of the mountain is almost entirely for the intermediate and the advanced skiers.

Alyeska hosted World Cup ski races in 1973; men's and women's giant slalom. Olympic gold medalist Tommy Moe sharpened his racing skills at Alyeska as a teenager in the 1980s.^[1]

Alyeska was bought in the December of 2006 by John Byrne III, who says he plans to make many new improvements to the resort, concentrating on people who come to ski for the day. Some of the improvements were, installing rfid gates at all of the lifts, taking the bubbles off of chair 6, because they were vandalized, repainting the tram, and building the only superpipe in Alaska.

See also

Alyeska

References

External links

• Alyeska Resort official website
• Powder Tour Social Community - Member submitted Alyeska images