Outdoors

In an unanimous vote, the Juneau planning commission agreed Tuesday to approve a permit for some major construction at Eaglecrest Ski Area this summer — including installing a used gondola. 

The approval was the final step in a two-year process for the project to finally break ground. 

Eaglecrest General Manager Dave Scanlan said the gondola will be the cornerstone for attracting more summertime visitors and making the city-owned ski area self-sustaining.

“The main focus of the gondola project, obviously, is creating a new durability to climate change, a more resilient revenue stream that’s not so winter dependent,” he said.

The city bought the used gondola from an Austrian ski resort in 2022 for about $2 million, plus an additional $1.1 million to ship it to Juneau. In December, Scanlan revealed that the gondola would need additional parts that would cost almost as much as the gondola itself.

Along with installing the gondola, the ski area plans to build three midway stations, supporting towers and a new lodge at the gondola’s summit. 

The permit also allows Eaglecrest to start building new access roads, new mountain bike trails, bridge crossings and a snow tubing park.

Juneau resident Dave Hanna was the only person who gave public testimony at the meeting. He said he thinks the projects will be exciting additions to the ski area. 

“Some people might be afraid of change, but this is going to be so good for the community,” he said. “It’s going to open up so much more for folks, for the locals to mountain bike and easier access for mountain top hiking.”

Multiple commissioners said they were concerned that the new projects would mean more traffic and less parking during the winter and summer months. 

Scanlan noted that the permit will let Eaglecrest add 30 off-street parking spaces by the Lower Nordic Trail.

Despite hopes to begin construction this May, Scanlan said it’s still going to be some time before the gondola is ready to go for riders. He said Eaglecrest hopes to have the gondola ready by the winter of 2025-2026, and fully operational by the following summer.

Juneau’s Eaglecrest Ski Area finally opened for the winter on Wednesday morning after getting a much-needed 9-inch dump of snow the night before. 

The Ptarmigan Chair was the only lift running on Wednesday, but by Thursday the Hooter Chair was open, too. Eaglecrest manager Dave Scanlan said they hope to have the Porcupine Chair running by the weekend.

“We’re just happy as can be that we have the season underway and looking forward to no interruptions and a good season ahead of us,” he said. 

Scanlan said the Eaglecrest parking lot on Wednesday was nearly full, and a steady flow of users came to the mountain throughout the day. 

The season opener was delayed for weeks by heavy rain and warm temperatures. Despite the cooler temperatures allowing for more snowmaking, Scanlan said the snowpack on the mountain is still very low. He encouraged users to practice caution when hitting the slopes. 

“We really want to always remind people this time of year to keep eyes out for unmarked hazards, little rocks, little trees poking through the snow,” he said. 

Eaglecrest is set to remain open daily now, besides the Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays.

The Eaglecrest Ski Area gondola will need more parts and cost more than expected to put up. That’s according to the area’s manager, who says it will need more towers, wheels and haul rope.

“We were aware we were going to need additional towers for the midway station,” Dave Scanlan said. “We didn’t anticipate as many.”

When the city bought the used gondola from an Austrian ski resort in 2022, it cost about $2 million, plus $1.1 million to ship it to Juneau. During an update on the project at an Assembly committee meeting Monday night, Scanlan told members that another $1.86 million is needed.

He said the extra parts are needed because the gondola will be configured differently at Eaglecrest than it was in Austria, but they won’t require additional funding from the city. He said he’s “very confident” that the gondola can still be fully installed with the $6.5 million the project has left over, largely from a $10 million revenue-sharing agreement with Goldbelt, Inc.

Assembly member Alicia Hughes-Skandijs wasn’t so sure. 

“When I see the number $6.5 million I think, ‘How on earth are you going to set it up for $6.5 million?’” she said. 

Hughes-Skandijs said she has a “real fear” that the cost will go over that, and more city dollars will be needed to get the project over the finish line. 

Assembly member Wade Bryson praised the purchase and its increase in value — Scanlan told members that the gondola had nearly doubled in value since it was purchased.

“We got a $4 million-plus dollar asset for $2 million bucks because we bought it before everybody appreciated what inflation was going to do,” he said. “We’ve scored on this one.”

Scanlan said Eaglecrest hopes to have the gondola ready by the winter of 2025. The goal is to have it fully operational by the following summer tourism season. 

After nearly a decade, the U.S. Forest Service has finalized its plan to overhaul Juneau’s Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area. 

The project has provoked hundreds — if not thousands — of public comments from the Juneau community over the years. 

“I like to see a plan that’s well managed and that listens to residents’ concerns,” said Alexandra Pierce, the city’s tourism manager. “People didn’t want to see motorized boats on the lake and additional visitor center facilities and the Forest Service listens to the public on that, which is a positive thing.”

The finalized plan includes a new welcome center and improvements to the old one. The plan also increases parking, expands trail systems, and adds an amphitheater and new public-use cabins.

The glacier is one of Alaska’s most-visited tourist attractions. Forest Service officials say the improvements will help manage the pressure from Juneau’s rapid growth in cruise ship tourism in recent years. 

When the visitor center was built in the 1960s, the area saw about 23,000 visitors annually. Today, about 700,000 come to the glacier each year. The Forest Service estimates that by 2050, that number could grow to nearly a million.   

But as more and more visitors have been coming to the glacier, the glacier has been moving farther away — a process that’s accelerating due to climate change. Researchers from the University of Alaska Southeast estimate that between 2007 and 2021, the glacier has receded the equivalent of eight football fields. 

In a few decades, it likely won’t be visible from the current visitor center at all. As the Forest Service plan took shape, suggestions for dealing with that included building the new center closer to the glacier’s face or allowing motorized boats on Mendenhall Lake to get people closer. Neither made it into the final plan. 

Pierce said that listening to residents’ concerns about overcrowding while knowing that tourism will keep growing makes managing the area a constant balancing act. 

“I do think that’s a difficult puzzle for the Forest Service to try to solve,” she said. “I think we’re all concerned about the receding glacier and what that means for the visitor experience in our community.” 

According to Tongass National Forest Supervisor Frank Sherman, rather than make drastic changes to get people closer to the glacier, the USFS opted to address more pressing needs like overcrowding, restrooms and the aging visitor center.

Juneau’s Eaglecrest Ski Area is again delaying its opening after this week’s heavy rain and warm temperatures.

Last year, the ski area opened partially on Dec. 3, but this month’s weather has kept that from happening.

Eaglecrest manager Dave Scanlan said on Thursday that temperatures might drop low enough this weekend for snowmaking machines. 

“We’re still on hold waiting for the right combination of natural snow and snowmaking temperatures to really get the lifts turning for the season,” he said. 

Scanlan said there’s just enough of a base of snow for snowshoeing or hiking. He said he’s hoping the area may open its Porcupine lift by Wednesday. 

The nearly 3,000 Juneau skiers who have already bought passes at Eaglecrest Ski Area will have to bear yet another delay to the mountain’s opening date.

Eaglecrest planned to open last Saturday. That was pushed back a week due to a lack of snow. Manager Dave Scanlan said on Thursday it’s still unclear when there will be enough snow to kick off the season.

“We’re still waiting on Mother Nature to give us temperatures for natural snow and also temperatures so we can get our snowmaking system going and get enough snow up and down to get the mountain open for the season,” he said. 

Scanlan said it’s not uncommon for November and December weather to be tricky to predict. He said this year’s warmer and wetter temperatures mean Eaglecrest hasn’t been able to supplement the lack of real snow with its 22 snowmaking machines. He said he’s still optimistic the weather will turn in the mountain’s favor soon enough. 

Last year the ski area partially opened on Dec. 3.

“It’s actually currently snowing at the mountain and the forecast is looking really good over the next couple of days,” he said. “We’re chomping at the bit as much as everyone else is and I definitely have a smile on my face as I look out my office window and see the snowflakes falling.”

Meteorologist Pete Boyd with the National Weather Service office in Juneau said people can expect a weekend snowfall heading to Juneau. But, after that, the weather appears to turn on the warm and wet side going into at least next week.

“Not really looking great for an immediate open at Eaglecrest,” he said.

Boyd said uncertain winter conditions are not atypical for Southeast Alaska, but it appears Juneau could have a lower amount of snow this year. He noted it’s an El Niño year, a natural climate pattern which at times can mean warmer than normal temperatures. 

“We’ve started seeing a lot warmer temperatures through the past few years. So is this normal for December? Not really. But it’s still within climatology,” he said. “And we’re not really seeing anything exceptional with the weather we’re seeing right now. It’s just on the warmer side.”