Alyeska Resort facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alyeska Resort
Alyeska Resort in June 2008
Alyeska Resort Location in Alaska Show map of Alaska Alyeska Resort Location in North America Show map of North America
Location	Girdwood, Anchorage, Alaska
Nearest city	Anchorage
Coordinates	60°58′14″N 149°05′54″W / 60.9705°N 149.0982°W / 60.9705; -149.0982
Vertical	2,500 ft (760 m) lift served; 3,200 ft (975 m) total
Top elevation	2,750 ft (840 m) lift served; 3,939 ft (1,200 m) (summit)
Base elevation	250 ft (80 m)
Skiable area	1,400 acres (5.7 km2)
Runs	73 - 11% easiest - 52% more difficult - 37% most difficult
Lift system	8 total - 1 tram - 2 high-speed quad chairs - 2 quad chairs (fixed-grip) - 1 double chairs (fixed-grip) - 2 magic carpets
Lift capacity	10,335 per hour
Snowfall	650 in (1,650 cm) - top 512 in (1,300 cm) - mid 208 in (530 cm) - base
Snowmaking	113 acres (0.46 km2)
Night skiing	Thu–Sat (4–9 pm) nightly (late Dec to early Jan)
Website	alyeskaresort.com

Alyeska Resort is a popular ski resort located in Girdwood, Alaska. It's about 30 miles (48 km) from downtown Anchorage. This resort is part of the Chugach mountain range. It is the biggest ski area in Alaska.

A special building called the Mt. Alyeska Roundhouse is at the top of the mountain. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places because it is an important historical site.

Fun on the Slopes: Alyeska's Features

Mt. Alyeska Roundhouse
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location in Alaska
Nearest city	Girdwood, Alaska
Built	1960
NRHP reference No.	02000562
Added to NRHP	November 5, 2003

The Alyeska Ski Corporation started in 1954. The first chairlift and a day lodge opened in 1959. The Roundhouse ski lodge was built in 1960. It was also a ski patrol station.

The Roundhouse is an eight-sided building. It is still standing today. In 2003, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Now, it is a museum that shows the history of skiing in the area.

Lifts and How They Work

Alyeska Resort has many ways to get up the mountain. There are five chairlifts, one fast aerial tramway, and two Magic Carpets. A Magic Carpet is like a moving sidewalk for skiers.

Two of the chairlifts, Chairs 6 and 4, are "high-speed detachable quads." This means they are very fast and can unhook from the cable at the top and bottom. This makes it easier to get on and off. Chairs 7 and 3 are regular quad chairs. Chair 4 was made into a high-speed quad in 2012.

Chair 4 takes you about halfway up the mountain. The tram goes about three-quarters of the way up. At the top of the tram, there are buildings. These include the Roundhouse, a quick place to eat, and a fancy restaurant called Seven Glaciers. At the bottom of the tram, you'll find the large Hotel Alyeska.

Chair 6 goes to the highest point you can reach by lift, which is 2,750 feet (838 meters) high. Sometimes, areas even higher up are open, but you have to hike to get to them.

Challenging Slopes for Skiers

Mount Alyeska is known for being a challenging mountain. It has many runs for advanced and expert skiers. This is more than most other mountains in North America.

There is a small area for beginners. However, most of the mountain is for skiers who are already good or very good.

• North-facing slopes: 35%
• West-facing slopes: 40%
• South-facing slopes: 25%

Turnagain Arm seen from Mount Alyeska, a beautiful view from Mount Alyeska.

Ski Racing at Alyeska

Alyeska has hosted many important ski races. In 1973, it held World Cup giant slalom races for both men and women. The U.S. Alpine Championships have also been held here several times. These championships took place in 1963, 1981, 2004, 2007, and 2009.

A famous American Olympic gold medalist, Tommy Moe, trained at Alyeska when he was a teenager in the 1980s. He became a great skier there.

Changes in Ownership

In December 2006, Alyeska Resort was bought by John Byrne III. He wanted to make the resort better, especially for people who came to ski for just one day. Some of the improvements included new RFID gates at all the lifts. These gates use special technology to read your ski pass.

Other changes included new paint for the tram. A "superpipe" was also built, which is a special half-pipe for snowboarders and freestyle skiers. It was the only one in Alaska. In October 2018, Alyeska Resort was sold to Pomeroy Lodging.

Alyeska's Weather: Lots of Snow!

Alyeska has a subarctic climate. This means it has short, mild summers and long, very snowy winters. It gets a lot of snow because of something called the Aleutian Low.

On average, the base of the mountain (250 feet above sea level) gets about 209 inches (531 cm) of snow each year. At the top of the Glacier Bowl Express chairlift, the average is over 650 inches (16.5 meters) of snow! The most snow ever recorded at the top of the GBX was 939 inches (23.9 meters) during the 2000–01 season.

It rains and snows a lot here. However, there is less rain and snow from late spring to mid-summer. It has even frozen every month of the year.

Images for kids

• 

  Mount Alyeska, showing its impressive size.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Anchorage, Alaska