Greetings Eaglecrest Family!

WE’RE OPEN!

The 2019-2020 season is officially underway after a long offseason of mountain improvements to get us skiing and riding as soon as possible! We continued expanding snowmaking infrastructure, made chairlift repairs, and our trail crew worked countless hours manicuring the slopes.

On the heels of a hot and dry summer, Mother Nature dealt us a warm and wet fall. There have only been a few sustained snowmaking weather windows (below 28°; less than 90% humidity), but the crew had a very productive 49 hours leading up to Thanksgiving, paving the way for Porcupine Chairlift to open on schedule and providing critical snow depths at the base of Hooter.

The first week of December brought more than two feet of snow, just in time of Opening Weekend! We were thrilled to have enough natural and manmade snow to operate both Hooter and Porcupine Chairlifts. December 7th was also a day of firsts for The Tower Bar and Eaglecrest’s new RFID tickets, a welcome byproduct of our newly updated sales and eCommerce systems. Unfortunately, this last week turned warm and wet, and the settled base snowpack went from 15” to 7”. However, the forecast is promising for more natural snow and colder temperatures. We will hopefully start making snow again early Sunday morning!

SUMMER UPDATE

Another ongoing project is the Eaglecrest Summer Development Plan. Simply put, the goal is to generate summer revenue and give Eaglecrest the resources to improve winter operations, address aging infrastructure, become financially independent, and make Eaglecrest a more affordable and accessible, year-round recreation destination. As currently envisioned, summer operations at Eaglecrest will add an aerial gondola to the very top of West Bowl, new Summit Lodge, long span zipline, mountain coaster, ropes challenge course, downhill mountain bike park, and expanded hiking trails. Please read the complete plan and let us know your thoughts with this survey.

On June 10, 2019, the CBJ Public Works Committee gave the Eaglecrest Board and I the green light to develop this adventure park concept, engage with the public, and solicit community feedback. Since then I have hosted 28 presentations to various community groups and organizations. I’ve also met with industry experts, manufacturers, and consultants to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of Eaglecrest’s position.

In early October, Mayor Weldon created the CBJ Eaglecrest Summer Operations Task Force to research and explore potential business models for the development of Eaglecrest for summer tourism growth. Assembly Members on the Task Force are Maria Glaziszewski, Wade Bryson and Carol Triem. Eaglecrest Board Members on the Task Force are Bruce Garrison, Mike Satre, and Jonathan Dale. The first meeting of the Eaglecrest Summer Task Force is scheduled for December 19th at noon in City Hall room 224. For more information about the Eaglecrest Summer Operations Task Force, including meeting agendas, minutes and meeting information packets, visit skieaglecrest.com/taskforce.

I look forward to many great snowy days on the mountain together this winter!

 

Dave Scanlan
General Manager
[email protected]
(907) 790-2000 x221