Alaska Skiing Vacations for the Family
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With miles of majestic peaks and thousands of inches of pristine snowfall each year in Alaska, skiing in the state is among some of the best in the world. Alaska’s largely unchartered terrain provides some of the best cross country, vertical and heli-skiing anywhere in the world. Runs range from slopes for beginners to black diamond courses for intermediate and experts. The Alaska skiing season starts in mid-November and can run through as late as mid-April.
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Some of the best trail skiing can be found within close range of Anchorage. The state’s most prestigious ski resort, Valdez, is set in the imposing Chugach mountains adjacent to Prince William Sound, and 364 miles from Fairbanks.
The Best spots for skiing in Alaska
The Hatcher Pass, en route to Fairbanks, offers exceptional Nordic skiing. Kincaid Park near Anchorage boasts some of the best cross country skiing in the United States, with 65 kilometers of trails. Juneau’s damp winter weather doesn’t provide the dry, packed conditions needed for good cross country trails. The city does boast the Eaglecrest Ski Area, a steep, challenging vertical ski park which has been operating for almost 30 years. Moose Mountain Ski Resort near Fairbanks boasts temperatures and lots of sunshine, with heated buses instead of ski lifts.
‘Alyeska’ is an Aleut word which translates as ‘great land’, and with 83 feet of snow every winter Alyeska certainly lives up to its name. Widely regarded in skiing circles, the resort can claim more hours of sunshine that any other American resort, plus the adventure of skiing at night during Alaska’s long winters. They take your skiing seriously at Alyeska. As well as being able to learn to ski and snowboard with qualified instructors, the park has 1,000 acres of terrain providing ideal conditions for a skill levels.
Forty five minutes drive from Alyeska is the Valdez ski field. It’s set in the magnificent Chugach mountains, which rise imposingly from a fjord to heights of 5,000 feet. The area is a lure for those wanting back country extreme skiing on the area’s vast mountains, and the jewel in Alaska’s skiing crown. Valdez is the state’s prime area for heli-skiing and possesses the largest and oldest heli-skiing operation in Alaska. Heli-skiing – where skiers fly by helicopter to the top of mountains and ski back down – isn’t cheap, but the experience will undoubtedly be worth every penny.
Alaska: The 49th State
