CBJ extends ‘formal invitation’ to Goldbelt to discuss Eaglecrest takeover

City says deal can’t be tied to company’s proposed West Douglas cruise port; update scheduled to be discussed by ski area’s board of directors Thursday

Skiers ride the Ptarmigan and Hooter chairlifts at Eaglecrest Ski Area on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Independent)

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

A "formal invitation" for Goldbelt Inc. to discuss taking over operations at Eaglecrest Ski Area has been offered by city leaders, who say the two key conditions are the city must retain ownership of the land and any deal can’t be tied to approval of the company’s proposed cruise port in West Douglas.

"Aside from these non-negotiables for CBJ there are almost endless variations of what a partnership could look like," an undated letter from City Manager Katie Koester and Eaglecrest Board Chair Brandon Cullum to the company states.

Goldbelt President and CEO McHugh Pierre, in a brief June 17 response, states "Goldbelt welcomes the opportunity to engage with the City Manager and the Eaglecrest Board Chair regarding the future of Eaglecrest."

"As a first step, I’d like to suggest an informal meeting where Goldbelt can learn about Eaglecrest’s needs, CBJ’s goals, and expectations to achieve desired results for the community," he wrote.

An update about the offer is scheduled to be presented to Eaglecrest’s board of directors during its meeting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. The board is also scheduled, after that presentation, to interview Julie Jackson Piper as its only finalist to be the ski area’s new general manager after Craig Cimmons announced his resignation in January.

Eaglecrest has operated at a loss for many years, with the city providing funding to help balance the books. But those losses have increased in recent years due to extensive maintenance needed to aging infrastructure at the 50-year-old ski area, extended periods of poor snow conditions and other factors.

A plan to achieve long-term stability by installing a used gondola, thus allowing an expansion into year-round operations that would include mass tourism during summer from cruise passengers, fell through earlier this year due to project costs being far higher than initially estimated. The Juneau Assembly, as part of its abandonment, refunded a $10 million payment provided by Goldbelt (plus more than $2 million in interest) to help with the project.

However, city and ski area leaders said they remained interested in Goldbelt — and/or other entities — reaching a new agreement on a gondola and possibly taking over some or all operations at Eaglecrest. Initial discussions this spring included the possibility of the city turning over some land to the Alaska Native corporation as part of a deal.

The recent invitation by Koester and Cullum spells out more specifics about what is and isn’t acceptable. An outright sale of the property is deemed "expensive and time…(and) not in the public interest," although "a long term lease that meets the fiscal needs of investors in the property" is agreeable.

Described in more detail are considerations involving Goldbelt’s plans to build a private two-berth cruise dock on land the company owns along the west coast of Douglas Island, with the hope of opening it for the 2028 cruise season. Pierre has said the port, which might receive up to 500,000 passengers a year, could be the first phase of development on a larger section of land the company owns there.

"The City appreciates that for Goldbelt the success of Eaglecrest summer operations (and therefore the ability to provide winter operations) is deeply connected with Goldbelt’s proposed cruise ship dock development on West Douglas," the letter by Koester and Cullum states. "However, the City cannot make one (taking over Eaglecrest) conditioned upon the other (approval of the West Douglas development). The project is currently under review by the Community Development Department for a conditional use permit. In CBJ code the Planning Commission has the sole authority to approve or deny this permit."

Another issue is how the port will affect the overall volume of tourism in Juneau. The city has voluntary agreements with the industry imposing a five-ship-a-day limit and a daily limit of 16,000 passengers (12,000 on Saturdays). But whether Goldbelt’s new port will result in up to seven ships a day arriving or redirect a significant percentage of traffic away from downtown is an open question.

"There is strong public interest in a Master Planning process that demonstrates the impact of the development on the greater Juneau community," the letter by Koester and Cullum states. "The number one priority for respondents to CBJ’s 2026 Tourism Impact survey was to maintain the 5-ship limit within the boundaries of the CBJ."

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.