Julie Jackson Piper named Eaglecrest’s new GM as city-owned ski area ponders private takeover of operations

Former instructor and supervisor at ski area says she wants to rebuild community trust and support; board member says possible private operating agreement is ‘probably years away’

Julie Jackson Piper, Eaglecrest Ski Area’s new general manager, is interviewed by its board of directors at City Hall on Thursday, July 2, 2026. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Independent)

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

Eaglecrest Ski Area’s new general manager is returning to a familiar place, but far from a familiar situation.

Julie Jackson Piper, a former ski instructor and supervisor at the ski area between 2009 and 2015, was unanimously appointed to its top position Tuesday by Eaglecrest’s board of directors. She was also the aquatics manager at Juneau’s two public pools from 2015 to 2018, and has been recreation manager for the City of Richland, Washington, since 2018.

"I would say really the love of the mountain and the challenge that it poses" are the reasons for seeking the job, she told the board of directors during an interview last Thursday at City Hall. "I feel like I'm uniquely prepared for this challenge, having ski industry experience, a degree in business, which is related to ski area business management…so I have that mindset, even inside of a bureaucracy that is a public entity."

Piper is scheduled to start her new job Aug. 31 at an annual salary of $134,014.40, with her contract also calling for a $5,000 sign-on bonus and up to $10,000 in relocation expenses. Her predecessor, Craig Cimmons, hired two years ago at an initial salary of $121,222, announced his resignation in January.

Erin Lupro, Eaglecrest’s director of snowsports school, rental, retail and repair, has served as the interim general manager for the past few months. She declined to seek the permanent position.

Piper was the only finalist interviewed by the full board. Fourteen applicants went through a human resources screening interview and five were interviewed by Eaglecrest’s Human Resources Committee before Piper was recommended as the finalist.

The board’s interview of Piper occurred at the same meeting where members also talked about the possibility of Goldbelt Inc. taking over operations of the city-owned ski area that is facing major questions about its financial sustainability. The resort has lost money for many years, is facing many millions in costs to upgrade aging infrastructure, and some city leaders are suggesting a private operator would have the resources to develop year-round mass tourism facilities.

However, board member Jim Calvin said at the meeting that "it's a conversation and nothing more, and any kind of formal arrangement is frankly probably years away."

Piper, who's been assessing the ski area during her visit and was on the mountain when her hiring was announced Tuesday, stated in a text message to the Juneau Independent she will approach her new job with that mindset.

"From what was shared at last week’s board meeting it seems early informal conversations are being scheduled and in very early stages," she wrote. "Partnerships of that magnitude can take years to dial in. As for how it will impact my short and long-term decision-making, I’ll know more as I jump into the work later this summer."

When asked during the board interview how Eaglecrest can achieve greater financial stability and community support, Piper said talking with Goldbelt and other partners is a worthwhile endeavor, as is seeking grants and other significant funding sources.

"As far as increased community support, it's really tapping into those relationships that may or may not have been utilized, possibly ignored, maybe overlooked and unappreciated," she said, "and just ensuring that we're not doing any of those things, and having a more global view as a board, as a staff, not just in what our singular operations are, but kind of pulling our heads up and looking around, and having that at every level of the organization."

Piper said she remembers getting in spirited discussions about Eaglecrest with residents in town who recognized her when she was a ski instructor. A key thing she remembers from such encounters is "when someone's even yelling at you and so upset about something there's something in that that we can both relate to, is we both love Eaglecrest, we love the ski area."

Among the short-term challenges Piper said she expects to confront are the poor snow seasons that have affected the ski area in recent years and are predicted to be a problem in the future. One specific possibility she discussed with the board is "making a plan and surveying the community to see if they're ready to rally behind the Black Bear (chairlift)" that has been closed the past two seasons due to major maintenance needs.

"It can give you access to the upper mountain on a low snow year, like the year (of) the winter that wasn't where there was a ribbon of snow and it was a bit of a gauntlet to get from even the top of Hooter down," she said. "I mean, that saved our bacon in quite a few years and it's just a priority."

Cimmons and Eaglecrest’s board decided a year ago to permanently shut down Black Bear because repairs were deemed too expensive. A number of major decisions affecting the ski area have been made by city and Eaglecrest leaders since — most significantly abandoning plans to install a gondola that was seen as the foundation of an expansion into year-round operations when its installation cost turned out to be far higher than initially predicted.

Piper was one of two finalists interviewed for Eaglecrest’s general manager job two years ago when Cimmons was selected. She told the Juneau Independent it doesn’t make much sense to think about what might have been different now had she gotten the job then.

"It’s hard to say specifically what I would’ve done differently two years ago and not sure if it’s worth much to spend time thinking about that," she wrote. "Instead the staff, the board and I are looking forward to a positive path into improved sustainability."

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