Rain dissolves Eaglecrest Ski Area’s hopes of opening this weekend
- Mark Sabbatini
- 14 hours ago
- 2 min read
Forecast for cold temps and snow starting Sunday may allow resort to open the following weekend
By Mark Sabbatini
Juneau Independent
There may be a decent amount of snow at Eaglecrest Ski Area this weekend — but it’ll arrive too late on Sunday for skiers to take advantage of it.
Hopes the resort could open its 50th season on Saturday were put on hold due to rain dissolving what had been enough natural and manmade snow to open the runs served by the Porcupine lift at the base of the mountain, Eaglecrest General Manager Craig Cimmons said in an interview Wednesday.
"There’s just not enough snow to offer an experience that we would be excited about," he said.
A notice posted at the ski area’s website during the day tells visitors to "Check back December 10th for Our Official Opening Day Announcement."
The extended National Weather Service for Juneau calls for high temperatures in the 40s until Saturday, with rain turning to mixed rain and snow by the weekend. Temperatures are expected to drop beginning Sunday, resulting in snowfall through at least next Wednesday.
Eaglecrest is planning some special events during the season to commemorate its golden anniversary, although the first day will likely be a simple ceremony if only the Porcupine lift is operating, Cimmons said.
"We're going to do a bigger kind of grand opening the day Ptarmigan opens," he said, referring to the lone bottom-to-top lift that will be operating this year. "We don't know what that date is yet, but we're saving the big celebration for Ptarmigan because it’s the 50th year since (that lift) opened."
Another major 50th anniversary event is scheduled Jan. 16, 2026 — the actual official anniversary of Eaglecrest’s 1976 debut — with $7 lift tickets to match what was charged that first year. Tickets will be valid for all-day and Friday Night Lights skiing.
The ski resort will be operating for its second straight year without the Black Bear chairlift that offered bottom-to-top access on the east side of the mountain, including the East Bowl Chutes. Officials decided earlier this year the aging lift was too costly to repair, leaving the resort with three total lifts until the planned debut of a gondola scheduled to provide access to the top of the mountain by 2028.
Eaglecrest’s website as of Wednesday states that — assuming the resort is open by Dec. 19 — it will be open daily during the holiday season until Jan. 4, except for Christmas and New Year’s Day when it will be closed. It will operate a regular Wednesday through Sunday schedule from Jan. 7 through April 5, except for being closed Jan. 19 and Feb. 16 for holidays. The final day of the season is scheduled April 12.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
