As snow begins to fall across the Last Frontier, Juneauites turn their thoughts to what is happening up at Eaglecrest. Of course, any exercise in contemplating what this coming ski season at Eaglecrest will be like invokes unavoidable and painful memories of what transpired last year.
I have faithfully bought an annual ski pass every year since I returned to Alaska from law school in 2001. Last year was the first and only year in that entire period that I didn’t get to go skiing even once. There were, to be clear, a few days when the Ptarmigan Lift was technically open, but the photographs of the bare mountain under the lift, with exposed rocks, shrubs and trees, didn’t entice me to avail myself of this experts-only opportunity. I thought it better to stay home and avoid injury.
Eaglecrest is a tremendous community asset, and it is difficult for all when there isn’t enough snow to make it accessible in the winter. The loss of a whole season of skiing is tough for pass holders, but at the same time I know that I have been able to ski at an absurdly economical rate if all 14 years of being a pass-holder are averaged together. When last season ended in a whimper, there were some calls for Eaglecrest to refund money to those who bought passes but were unable to use them. After careful deliberation, the Eaglecrest Board of Directors and management decided not to go down this path because it would have been a huge financial hit for the organization while also setting a bad precedent.
Buying a season pass is not a guarantee of plentiful skiing days; rather it’s a strategic choice than can result in great savings but can also yield nothing in return. Over time, it has been a very good choice. This year a better approach has been taken to attempt to account for last season’s disappointments. Season pass prices have been discounted from 15 to 20 percent for this year’s early season sale, and a full adult pass that would have cost $469 last year is available for $399 until the Oct. 11. This will result in less up-front revenue for the ski area, but it should serve to make those who are hesitant about buying a pass this year think again.
This year, season pass prices have been presented with a “break-even” number of days, and for the adult pass I’ll be buying that number is a mere nine. I am more than willing to take the chance that I’ll only be able to ski nine days in order to secure my annual ticket to the mountain. An additional perk of being a pass holder this year is “Bring a Friend,” which allows 2015-2016 pass holders to have someone accompany them for free on three holidays (New Year’s Day, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Seward’s Day), and allows those who bought a pass last year who chose not to buy one this year to ski for free on these same three days.
There are many other exciting things going on up on the mountain and in the wider community to celebrate skiing and all that it does to make life in Juneau more enjoyable. The Porcupine Lodge has been formally opened, situated at the base of the Porcupine Chairlift. A great amount of community support went into making this happen. The new addition to Eaglecrest’s infrastructure houses the ticket counter, the snow-sports school office, and the repair and rental shops. The Porcupine Lodge also has multi-use areas for students and other groups, and is certain to be a highly-used and helpful element in the mountain’s daily operations, freeing up much needed space in the existing day lodge.
One benefit to the increased overall indoor space is the addition of new rental lockers, 30 percent more than the prior stock. Lockers are a scarce commodity and there have been lengthy waiting lists for years, so this will help make skiing more convenient for more people and provide more revenue for Eaglecrest’s operations. Eaglecrest plans to be more aggressive about making snow this year, having augmented the equipment available for this by one-third. Since the road to the top of the mountain was built a few years ago, more and more of the mountain has been cleared, which will make it easier for runs to be opened for skiing and groomed when there is less than the ideal amount of natural snow. Down closer to sea level, Eaglecrest is sponsoring Ski Film Bar Nights at Louie’s in Douglas on Wednesdays through the fall.
We have to put last year behind us and hope for the best in the coming winter. Eaglecrest makes an amazing contribution to the quality of life in Alaska’s capital city, and we are fortunate that those who are in charge of running it are staying nimble and being proactive in doing all they can to make it work as well as possible in the face of challenges beyond our control.
• Ben Brown is an attorney who lives in Juneau.
