Eaglecrest Ski Area as seen in a photo posted to the hill’s Facebook page on Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2025. (Eaglecrest Ski Area photo)

Eaglecrest Ski Area as seen in a photo posted to the hill’s Facebook page on Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2025. (Eaglecrest Ski Area photo)

Eaglecrest boots up for a limitted opening this weekend

15 degree highs usher in the hill’s 50th season.

Eaglecrest Ski Area will hold a “winter preview” for its opening weekend starting Saturday, Dec. 13.

The Porcupine Chairlift will be running 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, serving access to Dolly Varden and Muskeg trails, the mountains easiest, lowest-elevation trails. Ptarmigan and Hooter chairs will not be spinning until the hills see more snow build-up.

The opening weekend marks the city-owned ski area’s 50th season in operation, ushered in by roughly 15 inches of snowfall in the past week, measured near sea-level.

Rain leading up to Saturday, Dec. 6 washed away the hill’s hopes of debuting the season in the first week of December.

The National Weather Service’s forecast says more snow is on its way, with Saturday forecasted to be partly cloudy with a chance of snow, and snow likely on Sunday and later into the week. Temperatures remain in the low to mid teens.

More in News

Eaglecrest Ski Area as seen in a photo posted to the hill’s Facebook page on Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2025. (Eaglecrest Ski Area photo)
Eaglecrest boots up for a limitted opening this weekend

15 degree highs usher in the hill’s 50th season.

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski, speaks Wednesday, April 23, 2025, on the floor of the Alaska Senate. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
State senators express skepticism about proposed Juneau ferry terminal backed by Dunleavy

In a Friday hearing, members of the Alaska Senate spoke critically about… Continue reading

SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium is one of the primary health care providers in Juneau, accepting most major public and private insurance plans. (Mari Kanagy / Juneau Empire)
Marketplace health premiums set to rise in 2026

Here’s what you need to know about how coverage is changing, and for whom.

Capital City Fire/Rescue completes last season’s ice break rescue training at the float pond near Juneau International Airport. (photo courtesy of Capital City Fire/Rescue)
On thin ice: Fire department responds to season’s first rescue at Mendenhall Lake

This week’s single digit temperatures have prompted dangerous ice ventures.

Brenda Schwartz-Yeager gestures to her artwork on display at Annie Kaill’s Gallery Gifts and Framing during the 2025 Gallery Walk on Friday, Dec. 5. (Mari Kanagy / Juneau Empire)
Alaska artist splashes nautical charts with sea life

Gallery Walk draws crowds to downtown studios and shops.

A totem pole, one of 13 on downtown’s Totem Pole Trail in Juneau, Alaska, Nov. 27, 2024. (Christopher S. Miller/The New York Times)
Downtown Juneau experiences its first significant city-level snow fall of the season as pictured on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (Mari Kanagy / Juneau Empire)
Sub-zero temperatures to follow record snowfall in Juneau

The National Weather Service warns of dangerous wind chills as low as -15 degrees early this week.

Most Read