Ever boarded in Alaska? (Alyeska in March, actually)

Came across a good trip to Alyeska Resort, Alaska.

Has anyone ever been there?

It isn't very high, but it gets a buttload of snow, 782 inches, a
year and has 1000 acres of terrain, which isn't huge, but still
impressive.

Curious if anyone has any first hand knowledge of the terrain
and snow quality? Also interested in how close it is to good
heli terrain (would have to be shuttle pickup from resort)

I did a little usenet searching and found one report of wet conditions
in March (?) and multiple reports of very steep terrain which could
make up for any slow snow...kind of like Tahoe.


Thanks in advance for any info,

-todd

This year I did a summer trip in Alaska and I've seen the resort: it's nice
and close to Anchorage. The snowboarders I met there told me to go to the
Valdez region during winter timr (the ski/board capital of Alaska they
said).
Regards, Ronald




"toddjb" wrote in message
om...
Came across a good trip to Alyeska Resort, Alaska.

Has anyone ever been there?

It isn't very high, but it gets a buttload of snow, 782 inches, a
year and has 1000 acres of terrain, which isn't huge, but still
impressive.

Curious if anyone has any first hand knowledge of the terrain
and snow quality? Also interested in how close it is to good
heli terrain (would have to be shuttle pickup from resort)

I did a little usenet searching and found one report of wet conditions
in March (?) and multiple reports of very steep terrain which could
make up for any slow snow...kind of like Tahoe.


Thanks in advance for any info,

-todd

Has anyone ever been there?

It isn't very high, but it gets a buttload of snow, 782 inches, a
year and has 1000 acres of terrain, which isn't huge, but still
impressive.


We did Alyeska last February...had a great time. It's an interesting
place...almost all of it is above treeline, although it's not very
high. It's basically on the water. If you're looking for steep and
deep, take the tram and then hike up a bit and drop down the north
face. I could have done that run all day every day. Very long,
steep, and ungroomed.

We had very flat light the whole time..consider some good goggles if
you don't have 'em already. Lists open late because of the
light...you can be the first one on the lift at 10:00am.

I figured it was going to be more of a destination...it's not. It was
almost completely empty during the week, then was packed with locals
on the weekend.

Beyond that, get ready for wide open runs...there aren't many trails
since there are no trees. We also did the Wasatch Powder Guides trip.
Supposed to take the helicopter, but there was a blizzard, so they put
us on the cat. Seemed like it might have been fun if the weather had
been better.

Alyeska in March can be very good or possibly wet. The base is at sea
level so at times can be wet, but this is Alaska and can also be quite
cold (just depends on the storm patterns). I have boarded in March with
temps slightly above 0 and other times in spring like conditions. More
often than not if raining at the base will be snowing on the top. Lots
of snow on the upper part of the mountain serviced by tram and 1 quad
lift. Lots of steeps with plenty of room for those seeking speed on the
groomed or those looking for jumps ( most anywhere on the mountain). If
the conditions are right, the North face of the mountain has some
wonderful steep powder runs which empties to the base of the tram and
the Alyeska Hotel. Crowds are rarely an issue even on the busiest of
days as this is more of a local mountain for Anchorage folks. Spring
break is the last full week of March, so could be busier than other
times. Lifts operate 10:30-5:30 with weekend night skiing (fri/sat till
9:30) from mid December through mid March Fun mountain geared towards
the more advanced skier and riders. Night life is somewhat limited as
this not a destination resort but does have a couple of hang outs.
Good luck and have fun!

The other replies were right. I'd add that it's a crap shoot, depending
on the conditions at the time. I've had the BEST POWDER OF MY LIFE (waist
deep, light as down) there and have also seen it dump, rain, and freeze,
turning the entire mountain into a mono-sheet of concrete ice. It's
a fairly steep and challenging hill, and there's a nearby heli operation.
I favor the Valdez area at that time, but there are no lifts there,
just helis, snowcats, and hiking for it. The Valdez/Thompson Pass area
is higher: T pass (bottom of many Valdez runs) is about the same elevation
as the upper lift station at Alyeska, so you have a better chance of finding
powder there than at Alyeska in March. The scenerey is GREAT at either
place - glaciers and awesome peaks everywhere.

Jesse Venable wrote in message news:1068745929.668267@prawn...
The other replies were right. I'd add that it's a crap shoot, depending
on the conditions at the time. I've had the BEST POWDER OF MY LIFE (waist
deep, light as down) there and have also seen it dump, rain, and freeze,
turning the entire mountain into a mono-sheet of concrete ice. It's
a fairly steep and challenging hill, and there's a nearby heli operation.
I favor the Valdez area at that time, ...


What about Dec/Jan of this year? (New Years trip)

I realize it is a bit of a gamble, but could I expect Whistler-like
conditions? Better? Worse?

-t