Alaska— The ski areas nearest Anchorage are the last in the state to operate their lifts this season. Alyeska Resort, which has received over 700″ of snow, is scheduled to close on April 28th. Located just ten miles away from downtown Anchorage, Arctic Valley is reopening this weekend and aims to be the final ski area to close in The Last Frontier.
Since they closed for daily operations on April 14th, Arctic Valley has been able to operate for some bonus weekends. It costs $12,000 to operate each weekend, so to continue into May, they’ll need to recoup those costs from guests coming in to ski this weekend. They’ve reached that threshold, so they’re reopening this weekend (April 27-28).
Arctic Valley will operate from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Their tentative lift schedule could consist of the T-bar and rope tow being open for the full six hours, Chair 1 spinning from Noon to 3 p.m., and Chair 2 operating from 3 to 5:30 p.m. If they can pass this threshold again this weekend, the non-profit ski area plans on spinning its lifts one final time on May 4th.
It’s cool to see a non-profit ski area pushing for May skiing and riding, so if you’re around Anchorage this weekend, head up to Arctic Valley.
Mountain Stats
Trails: 15
Lifts: 4
Skiable Acres: 320-500
Vertical Drop: 1400 feet
Location: Anchorage, Alaska
Image Credits: Arctic Valley Ski Area
