The best "little" ski area in the world, Eaglecrest is Juneau's community-owned ski area - rather than a ski resort - so it has no hotels, just great skiing. Located 12 miles from downtown on Douglas Island, it has 31 trails covering 640 skiable acres.
There is lots of skiing at eagle crest ski resort, including groomed trails, glades, open bowls and ultra-steep faces. There is also a tubing area and snow terrain park.
Local family skiing is the theme here with 45 percent of skier visits being from Juneau's youngsters. Eagle Crest gets abundant snowfall, so expect great snow day in and day out, and usually lots of fresh powder.
Resort ratings summary (out of 10):
Overall: 7
Skiing: 7
Snow: 8
Apres Ski: 6
Suitable for: beginner / intermediate / expert
Not suitable for: non skiers
Resort Summary:
Population: none - Eagle Crest is a ski area, not a resort. Juneau (which is 12 miles away) has a population of 36000
Currency: US dollar
Language: English
Resort Altitude: top elevation 2600 ft (792 m), base elevation 1200 ft (366 m)
Winter Season: early December to mid-April with 'legendary' spring skiing
Number of beds: there are many many places to stay in Juneau, including bed and breakfasts, hotels, a hostel and plenty of motels.
Nearest Airport: Juneau is about 2 hours from both Anchorage and Seattle.
Nearest Town: 12 miles from Juneau, Alaska on Douglas Island.
Nearest rail station: Whitepass Railroad in Skagway
Getting there by road: Juneau, Alaska's capital city, is only accessible by air or water with no roads leaving town. It is cut off from the rest of the mainland by a huge icefield (daily ferries are available).
Snow:
Snow reliability: very good - average annual snowfall 300 inches (762 cm)
Current snow conditions: snow conditions from the BBC
About the ski runs:
Total piste length: 2 miles
Skiable acres: 640
Vertical Drop: 1400 ft (427 m)
Total Vertical Feet: 2600 feet from Base lodge to the Eagle's Nest - the top mountain perch / mini lodge
Number of ski runs: 31
Longest run: 2 miles (10560 feet or 3219 m)
Beginner %: 20
Intermediate %: 40
Advanced %: 40
Cross country: 8 kms (machine-groomed and track-set trails)
Night skiing: limited
Snowboard parks: yes (terrain park - featuring tabletops and jumps)
About the ski lifts:
Highest lift: 1600 ft.
Lowest Lift: 1200 ft.
Number of Lifts: 4 (1 surface lift, 2 double chairs, 1 tubing lift)
Lift capacity: 2600 per hour
The cost of ski passes (2004 / 05):
Adult 1 day: $29 (out of high school, under 65)
Adult 5 days: $135
Youth / Senior 1 day: $21 (over 65 or in high / middle school)
Youth / Senior 5 days: $95
Child 1 day: $16 (elementary school and younger)
Child 6 days: $70
Restaurants, Apres ski and non skiers:
The eagle crest ski area has a self run cafeteria style food service. Hot food is avaliable all day, as well as snacks, desserts and beverages. There is plenty of lodging, restaurants and shops in downtown Juneau, 12 miles away.
Resort contact details:
Telephone: 907 790 2000
Fax: 907 835 3291
Email: ecrestak@alaska.net
Website: www.juneau.org/eaglecrest/
