Juneau, Alaska — It should be a good anniversary weekend at Eaglecrest Ski Area. Ptmarigan is open for the first time this season. This weekend, they’ll be offering $7 lift tickets as part of their 50th anniversary celebration. Unfortunately, a lot of chatter is revolving around the ski area’s future.
It’s been a rough season for Eaglecrest’s operations. Season pass sales are down. The lodge has been barely able to operate due to a water main break, and its core chairlift was closed until today because of mechanical issues. This is despite one of the snowiest Decembers ever for the city-owned ski area.
Here’s a breakdown of recent events that could impact one of Alaska’s largest ski areas down the road.
Old Infrastructure
Eaglecrest’s aging infrastructure has played a large part in the 2025-26 season. Needed repairs to the Ptarmigan chairlift delayed its reopening until today. In the base lodge, a main water break left the lodge and bathrooms inoperable for a couple of weeks. Their snow groomers are also broken, but are scheduled to be repaired soon.
These struggles follow the permanent closure of the Black Bear chairlift, which last operated during the 2023-24 season. The ski area determined that the costs of repairing the lift weren’t worth it. Reportedly, some outside maintenance teams offered a fix for the lift, but the ski area declined the offers.
Part of the solution to this infrastructure was the acquisition of a used gondola in 2022. However, the cost of that project continues to grow, and the ski area’s deficit could stop its installation.
Budget Deficit
According to the Juneau Independent, the ski area is also losing money for the city. The ski area could face a deficit of between $7-8 million by June 30, 2028. It’s expected to lose $2 million this year, and another $2 million over the two following years. The gondola is aimed at reducing this deficit, but the costs of construction are what concerns locall officials. A decision to move forward with the gondola project will be made in March.
Resignations & Increased Oversight
Following some key leadership departures over the past few years, KTOO reports that two more leaders stepped down last week. Due to health reasons, Hannah Shively had to resign from the Eaglecrest Board. Additionally, Eaglecrest General Manager Craig Cimmons, who was hired in 2024, resigned. The reasons for his departure are unknown.
The ultimate result of all these headlines is that more oversight from the City of Juneau could be on the way. The Juneau Independent reports that Mayor Beth Weldon is trying to reduce the power of the Eaglecrest Board. They would serve as an advisory board, and the city would make the final decisions.
“This action has nothing to do against the board…and it’s nothing against the staff,” said Mayor Beth Weldon during a recent Assembly meeting. “I just think the city needs to have more oversight of what’s happening to Eaglecrest.”
Ultimately, local skiers and riders believe that the key error made here was the forced resignation of Dave Scanlan, the former General Manager of the ski area. Scanlan was experienced, with extensive knowledge of lift and snowmaking maintenance. Prior to leaving the position, he put together a transition plan to ensure the ski area remained operational. However, this plan wasn’t followed. Supporters of Eaglecrest put together an opinion piece highlighting the errors made in recent years, which is worth a read.
A tough road awaits Eaglecrest. Let’s hope they can figure it out, because Juneau deserves to see this mountain thrive.
Image/Video Credits: Eaglecrest Ski Area
