Juneau, Alaska — After years of miscues, the door has been officially shut on a gondola installation at Eaglecrest Ski Area. However, the move puts the ski area’s future at further risk.
The Juneau Independent reports that on Monday, the Juneau Assembly approved a plan to cancel the gondola installation project at Eaglecrest. It will also repay around $12.2 million to Goldbelt, which provided financing to the city to install the lift in exchange for potential lift-ticket revenue. They will attempt to sell the gondola at a loss.
“We did not come up with the idea for the gondola — that was totally the general manager and the board at the time,” said Juneau Mayor Beth Weldon. “And we grasped at the straw, trying to save Eaglecrest. So call us gullible, call us naive, but that’s what we were trying to do, so that was our intent.”
Eight out of nine Assembly members voted to end the gondola pursuit. Those who ended it argued that it should be studied as to what went wrong. Assembly member Nano Brooks argued that they should try to make it one more year before scraping the project.
“There is a lot to figure out if that goes forward and I don’t know why we would do that while there is interest continuing to accumulate,” said Nano Brooks. “By my math it would be almost another million dollars if we were to spend a year going down that road — and we would be doing it under duress because we want to do it quickly. And so I think we should do it carefully and on equal footing with Goldbelt, and so the only way we get there in my mind is we end this agreement and we try again, if that is the will of both parties.”
The Gondola
Back in 2022, the City of Juneau approved the purchase of a used gondola from an Austrian ski resort. To purchase the gondola, the city put down $2 million. The fixed-grip pulse gondola features 12 enclosed cabins. The system would have included a mid-station, with its top station being on Pittsman’s Ridge. The lift would have modernized the lift infrastructure, improved the skiing experience, and enabled them to expand into summer operations for cruise tourists.
However, what was originally intended to take a few years stalled out. As time went by, costs ballooned due to factors like inflation and tariffs. In addition, the ski area faced various operational difficulties, including the resignation of the GM who had pushed for the gondola. It eventually led to an adjusted total price estimate of $37 million, well above the original estimate.
If only there were an Alaska ski area that was looking to install a gondola…
The Uncertainty of Next Winter
Recent city meetings have discussed the funding for next season at Eaglecrest. For years, the ski area has struggled to maintain its aging infrastructure and recruit workers due to low wages. Given the city’s budget issues, the plan is to reduce next winter’s Eaglecrest budget by 44%. This is the bare-minimum plan, with just enough employees to operate, meaning some things (like concessions) won’t be available unless a third party steps up to provide them. However, it does beg the question of what happens if they run into operational difficulties, as was the case last winter.
A 56% reduction was considered, which would have resulted in the ski area not operating next winter. However, locals showed up to city meetings, dressed in ski gear to show their support. The long-term feasibility of operations will also be analyzed in the months ahead. Discussions also continue on whether it’s time to lease the operations to a third-party operator, with Goldbelt being a potential suitor.
The City of Juneau’s budget is currently going through it. Overstuffed budgets from the past have left Alaska’s capital with a huge deficit. According to the Juneau Independent, cuts include either a partial or an indefinite closure of the Juneau Museum, along with reductions in some grants.
What’s Next?
The budget must be approved by June 15th, and a meeting with public comments is scheduled for June 8th. While the road ahead for Eaglecrest is full of uncertainty, one thing is clear: local Juneau skiers and riders, along with outsiders, should voice their support for the ski area before, during, and after this meeting.
Image/Video Credits: Eaglecrest Ski Area, City and Borough of Juneau
