Located just outside the city of Anchorage, the Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson (JBER) is the home to many members of our armed forces. The winters in Alaska can be pretty rough and isolating, so JBER has a fair share of amenities for members of the armed services to enjoy.
I’m fairly knowledgeable about the ski industry, but I honestly had no idea about this ski area until yesterday’s Alaska’s New Source video report on it.
The Hillberg Ski Area is a small mountain located on the Joint Base that is catered towards beginner/intermediate skiers and riders. There’s one chairlift to the summit, along with a rope tow for the learning area. In addition, they have lift-serviced snow tubing Their base lodge features a rental shop, bar/grill, wax and tuning shop, and a ski school.
For service members and their families who are new to the area, this place can be a pivotal gathering space to meet new people:
“They may be new to Alaska, they may not be familiar with all the wildlife and things that are outside the gate,” Torry Lundberg, who’s non-appropriated funds director for the U.S. Air Force said to Alaska New’s Source. “So it’s nice to have a safe place on post — somewhere they’re familiar with — that they can go to and have fun with their families.”
Torry Lundberg explained to Alaska’s New Source that the money raised at the ski area goes back towards the community:
“All of the revenue that comes into the places like this — the childcare that we do, [the] bowling alley — it goes towards all the morale, welfare and recreation things that our military members depend on.”
Lift tickets cost $15 for members and $20 for non-members. Discounted tickets are available for people who are a part of JBER Life! Membership. From what I’ve researched, this is a private ski area, as the joint base is only accessible through gated access.
For more information, check out the video report from Alaska’s New Source below.
Image/Video Credits: Alaska’s News Source, Skimap.org
