Ok i will break down my review into each category rated:
Family friendly: Alyeska is extremely family friendly, you see parents teaching 2 and 3 year olds all the time. The whole bottom of the mountain is easy runs, though there are a few blue star runs. however, the easy runs are spoiled a bit by the fact that all the expert skiers from the top must go through the easy runs to get home, so there is a bit of a buildup with good skiers skiing like crazy and almost running over beginners. 4/5
Downhill Terrain: Alyeskas runs are THE BEST!!! Try the North Face. Believe me, the adrenaline rush you get is huge. At 30 degrees everywhere but sometimes up to 60 degrees, north face in sthe longest double black diamond in the US. Then you have Headwall (gorgeous hike), High and Low Traverse (extremely powdery), Maxs Face(steep as hell), and Glacier Bowl and monies. Of course thats just expert runs. The easy runs are well, easy. intermediate runs are filled with little areas of expert runs, which makes a really good transition. 5/5
Terrain Park: Alyeskas new terrain park looks awesome from the bottom. Huge jumps, 2 sweet rails, couple tabletops, 3 little rails, and a couple other things. All on the same hill as the racing course. FUN. Tried it yesterday, and the only reason im giving it 4/5 is because i didn't have the guts to do some of those jumps. If i did, im sure it would be 5/5.
Apres Ski: What the hell is that :)
Anonymous - March 14th, 2008
2 of 2 people found this Resort Review helpful.
Overall
4 of 5
Family Friendly
3 of 5
Downhill Terrain
5 of 5
Terrain Park
1 of 5
Apres Ski
4 of 5
The deck was stacked in my favor, but I had one of the best days I have had in a long time. I flew to Alaska on business from CA and had a spare day left over. I found the long expert powder runs at Alyeska ranking up with the best skiing anywhere. Very similar to the steeps at Squaw Valley or Jackson Hole. It was middle March so the conditions were very comfortable with partly cloudy conditions and 30 degrees temperatures. The views are breathtaking. I had a great meal in Girdwood after skiing. The Hotel Alyeska was comfortable and clean. This place does have some downsides. The resort is small; if the North Face is closed you are very limited. The resort is on the coast; visibility (e.g. fog, clouds, no trees) can be a serious issue. Unless you live in Alaska or Seattle, it take forever to get here.
Anonymous - March 14th, 2008
1 of 1 people found this Resort Review helpful.
Overall
2 of 5
Family Friendly
1 of 5
Downhill Terrain
3 of 5
Terrain Park
1 of 5
Apres Ski
3 of 5
Mediocre at best. Although steep, it has no variety. You'll be bored after a day. No trees but incredible views. The hotel is nice. Nightlife is small but fun. Not very family friendly. Tpark needs help. Daylight is serious issue. Doesn't get good until April. Lots of heavy snow = lots of area closures on an already small hill. Great expert terrain when open. If you`re in the area heliskiing, check it out. Other than that, if you plan on going on a destination ski trip, go elsewhere.
Wow! What a great place to ski. Ski being the key word here. No lift lines, no glitter and glitz, no rude people just skiing. The hotel is nice but it isn't a resort. Lots of young, healthy people skiing in Alaska. The place is perfect. If your looking for fancy restaurants, and expensive shopping, go to Aspen. If you are looking for the time of your life, go to Alyeska. Nothing about it is easy. Its far, cold, steep, and wonderful. I will go back. I'm from Texas.
Anonymous - February 14th, 2008
1 of 1 people found this Resort Review helpful.
Overall
5 of 5
Family Friendly
5 of 5
Downhill Terrain
n/a
Terrain Park
n/a
Apres Ski
n/a
I lived and worked at Alyeska (lift crew) in the early 90's. Alyeska Resort is the only ski resort in the U.S. with an ocean view. Ok, somedays the conditions are variable. And you could arrive a beginer and leave intermediate skiier thanks to variable conditions. When the Glacier Bowl is open, untracked fresh powder awaits you. Also, when the High Traverse is open, its steep and deep. And the North Face below the tram can be awesome. A beginer can enjoy chair 3 and will find the ride on chair 1 memorable. There's 1,000 acres of skiing on the right days. Expert skiiers will find Alyeska challenging and rewarding. If your looking for a 3 mile groomed run called "Easy Street", go to Vermont...
Anonymous - February 5th, 2008
0 of 1 people found this Resort Review helpful.
Overall
1 of 5
Family Friendly
1 of 5
Downhill Terrain
1 of 5
Terrain Park
1 of 5
Apres Ski
1 of 5
This place is a waste of time. When they get snow all advanced/expert slopes are blocked off because of poor visibility or avalanche risk. Then the rain comes. There are really only two main runs & 90% above tree line, so no visibility when they have fog most of the time. Food is real expensive
Anonymous - January 15th, 2008
1 of 1 people found this Resort Review helpful.
Overall
5 of 5
Family Friendly
3 of 5
Downhill Terrain
5 of 5
Terrain Park
3 of 5
Apres Ski
2 of 5
Grew up here, moved to the states to compete rode everywhere (almost), had to come back. It's AK all the way. Cold and dark, tons of snow, steep scary terrain. Where else can you ride a 45-50 degree slope for 1500+ vertical. Spring time, 18 hrs of sun, 25 F, freshies every couple days. Huge natural jumps (if you're balls are big enough). Low altitude (no gasping, unless you're buried in snow). Pretty quiet night life. NOT A BEGINER MOUNTAIN, no cruzer runs. POW,POW,POW if that doesnt get you we got chopers, cats, sleds and more mountains than you could ride in 10 life times-just look at a map.
Anonymous - January 8th, 2008
1 of 1 people found this Resort Review helpful.
Overall
5 of 5
Family Friendly
3 of 5
Downhill Terrain
5 of 5
Terrain Park
3 of 5
Apres Ski
3 of 5
I lived in AK for about 27 years, living in Girdwood and working at the resort for three of the twenty-seven. In the mid-70's, five of us flew in from Fairbanks, and rented a car to get to Alyeska. The winds and snow were awful that night. When we awoke, there was 3' of fresh light snow covering everything in sight, beneath a cloudless blue sky! The temp was in the mid-20 degree F range, which made for ideal skiing conditions. The roads were closed in both directions for avalanche control The 5 of us were the first on the lifts that morning. The snow cats were buried and had not packed any snow anywhere on the mountain by opening. Resort staff shoveled and cleared walkways from the lodge to Chairs 1 and 3. We never crossed a track until around 12:30 pm. The roads had re-opened about that time, so the parking lots began to fill shortly thereafter, as well as the slopes. The best morning of skiing I ever had at Alyeska. But having lived and worked there for three seasons, I have seen some really spectacular days, and some rasty ones as well. I sure miss AK, but will never forget my fun, party, work, ski times at Alyeska. (PS. I've skied in Colorado, Montana, Utah, Nevada, and Idaho as well).
Anonymous - November 5th, 2007
1 of 1 people found this Resort Review helpful.
Overall
5 of 5
Family Friendly
4 of 5
Downhill Terrain
5 of 5
Terrain Park
4 of 5
Apres Ski
n/a
Alyeska is enjoyable. I went there on a day of powder and it was amazing. The tram is a great way to get up the mountain, and most of the trails are of good quality. Alyeska has a good ski lesson program. I can't wait to go back.
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