The Wall Street Journal-20080126-WEEKEND JOURNAL- Travel- Skiing-s Last Frontier
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WEEKEND JOURNAL; Travel: Skiing's Last Frontier
[The winter sun doesn't rise until 10:30 a.m. There's not much of an apres-ski scene. But Alaska has something that many resorts have lacked in recent years: tons of snow.]
Girdwood, Alaska -- Die-hard skiers will travel far and spend big for untracked powder and near-empty runs. Now the intrepid are looking to fresh terrain, in Alaska.
Alaska's winters have in abundance what the Southern Rockies and the Swiss Alps have lacked in some recent seasons: snow. Snowfall at Alyeska, the state's major ski resort, averages 630 inches a year, and reached about 1,000 inches last winter. Aspen, by comparison, averages about 300.
Devotees love Alyeska, located in this south-central Alaska town, for its unspoiled rustic charm, dramatic coastal views and sticky, highly skiable powder. A multimillion-dollar overhaul is bringing new amenities to the resort. And after disappointing ski seasons at several major resorts in Europe and the U.S. last year, some in the tourism industry are betting that the little-known ski town in the northernmost state may have a shot at becoming the next big ski destination.
There are drawbacks to Alaska in ski season. For one thing, there is little daylight at this time of year. On a recent visit, lifts at Alyeska didn't open until around sunrise -- at 10:30 a.m. -- and by 4:15 p.m. the sun had gone down. There's also the reputation for extreme cold, though in reality Alyeska, about two miles from the coast, generally isn't much colder than mountain towns in the Rockies. Getting there isn't always easy. Airlines cut daily trips to the closest airport, in Anchorage, by as much as a third in winter, which means flights are expensive and book up early.
Nine ski areas, mostly catering to locals, are spread out across Alaska, according to the National Ski Areas Association; Alyeska is the largest. The skiers and snowboarders who venture to the state in the winter tend to be of the adrenaline-rush set, coming to heli-ski in Valdez, a mountainous area also in south central Alaska, or to take on Alyeska's double black diamonds. Situated in the Chugach Mountain range about 40 miles south of Anchorage, Alyeska is known for its sharp drop-offs and the dauntingly steep slopes of its north face.
A new owner, John Byrne III, is hoping to soften that image. He has invested more than $10 million in a facelift for Alyeska, with plans for about $30 million more in upgrades to the hotel and mountain. There are new runs open for beginners and a new snowboarding school. Several million dollars have been spent upgrading snowmaking facilities for better-groomed trails. At the hotel, a new spa sells "glacial facials" and the rooms now have high-speed Internet service. The goal: to attract more families and put Alaska on the map for mainstream destination skiers.
Girdwood (pop. 2,000) is a 50-minute drive from Anchorage along an icy but scenic stretch of the Seward Highway. If visibility is good, the drive alone is almost worth the trip -- there are breathtaking views of snow-topped peaks in almost every direction along the Cook Inlet.
The town feels like a quaint throwback to U.S. ski resorts from the 1960s and '70s. Streets with names like Alpine Meadows and Davos are lined with A-frame houses covered in thick blankets of snow. There are no traffic lights and just one paved road. Downtown consists of a few wooden buildings, including a ski-gear shop and a couple bed and breakfasts. Locals bundled in puffy coats and thick mittens glide around on cross-country skis.
In the afternoons, many people head to the Sitzmark Bar & Grill ("the Sitz," to regulars) for Glacier Amber ales and burgers. For nightlife, there are a few restaurants and bars decorated with old- fashioned skis and snowboards, 1960s concert posters and stuffed moose heads.
"Alaska offers that kind of last-frontier opportunity," says Michael Berry, the president of the National Ski Association. "And people are looking north."
Last year, there were 485 ski resorts in the U.S., down from 674 a decade earlier. The ski industry in the U.S. saw about 55 million skier and snowboarder visits last winter and spring, down from 58.9 million the previous season. The drop was likely because of low snowfall and warmer temperatures in many destinations, according to the National Ski Areas Association.
That could make this a time of opportunity for Alaska. Skiers and tour operators say that in addition to the abundance of snow, the consistency of the snow at Alyeska makes the skiing unique. Because of its far-north coastal location and relatively mild temperatures (the average high in February is in the upper 20s), Alyeska boasts maritime snow, which is slightly wetter than the powder found in most of the U.S. and Europe. The snow sticks more easily to very steep dropoffs, making extreme terrain accessible on skis. There can be a downside to the climate, though: Warmer coastal weather fronts can bring rain, temporarily wiping out the latest snowfall.
The developed area of the mountain at Alyeska is smaller than at most major ski resorts in the U.S. and Canada, with 1,400 acres of ski-able terrain. That is about a sixth of the size of Whistler Blackcomb in Canada and a quarter of the size of Vail, in Colorado, which has more than 5,000 acres. The far-north location also means that Girdwood usually isn't ideal for skiing until later in the season. In the spring, that is an advantage: April sees as much as 16 hours of light a day. Girdwood also still lacks the kind of apres-ski scene -- shopping, art galleries and a centralized village -- that travelers tend to expect at major resorts.
Girdwood was founded in the early 1900s as a gold-mining hub. It began its life as a ski town in 1954, when a group of locals formed the Alyeska Ski Corp. In 1960, Alyeska opened its first lift, which was financed by a Frenchman who lived in the area. Alaska Airlines bought the resort later in the decade, investing in several more lifts and installing lighting along a few of the runs. The company built a small lodge for overnight stays with about 32 rooms and opened the Sitzmark bar.
Chris von Imhof, a German hotelier who took over the resort as general manager in 1967, says Alyeska used to stay busy all winter with guests from Europe and Asia who would stop on layover in Anchorage to refuel. As the Japanese economy boomed in the 1970s, it also became a popular ski resort for visitors from such places as Tokyo, who popped over easily on direct flights. But when long-haul air travel developed and fuel stopovers in Alaska became rarer, winter business at the resort slowed.
Then, in 1980, Japanese conglomerate Seibu Corp., known for its hotels and railroads, bought Alyeska and spent more than $200 million on improvements, including a 60-passenger tram to the top and the upscale Seven Glaciers restaurant, which serves king crab legs and veal loin at 2,300 feet. Seibu also built the resort's 304-room, four- star hotel, which opened in 1994.
In December 2006, Mr. Byrne, the son of former Geico and Fireman's Fund chief executive Jack Byrne, bought the resort. Though he now lives in Alta, Utah, the 48-year-old Mr. Byrne, an avid skier, spends about 10 days a month in Girdwood, sleeping in a hotel room at the resort that he keeps full of his gear.
Mr. Byrne says he immediately started looking for ways to improve the terrain and increase skier visits, which were dwindling. When he came to the resort with his 8- and 11-year-old daughters, he realized that much of the mountain was far too perilous for beginners. Even the lift operators seemed unprepared for kids, he says, not slowing the chairs down enough for his daughters.
In addition to adding more beginner terrain and widening some runs, Mr. Byrne has added more ski patrol staff to open more runs on snowy days. So far, he's increased daily visits by skiers and snowboarders by 30% to about 210,000 since taking over the resort, he says. The local planning and zoning committee has also approved an expansion plan that would add a tram to access more skiable terrain and develop a village area with condos, shops and a hotel.
Local heli-skiing operators say they have also seen a big bump in business this year. Alaska has become a relative bargain for foreigners owing to the strength in the euro and Canadian dollar. Matt White, the president of Valdez Heli-Camps, says last season he had almost no Canadian customers; so this season they make up more than 10% of his business.
Though most people in Girdwood say they are looking forward to seeing winter tourism grow, some are worried about drawing too many outsiders. "This town is changing so fast," says Ryan Davis, a self- described diehard skier and snowboarder who moved to Girdwood in 1992.
Mr. Davis says he will likely be moving to the quiet mountain community of Haines, Alaska, soon, in search of new undiscovered terrain.
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Trip Planner
Girdwood, Alaska
-- Where to Stay: Girdwood has a handful of bed and breakfasts and hostels, but the most convenient (and upscale) option is the 304-room Hotel Alyeska at the base of the mountain. Room rates start around $169 in winter.
-- What to Do: Lifts are open from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and on weekends there is night skiing until 9 p.m. (daily lift tickets start at $50 for adults). Chugach Powder Guides, a Snowcat and heli-skiing operator, takes snowboarders and skiers to untouched vertical runs of around 3,000 feet. Day trips start at $870 with a helicopter or $223 with a Snowcat (chugachpowderguides.com).
-- Where to Eat: Take the tram up the mountain to the Seven Glaciers restaurant, which serves grilled Alaskan salmon. Off the mountain, check out the Double Musky Inn for the extensive wine list and Cajun- influenced Alaskan seafood (doublemuskyinn.com).
-- Candace Jackson
