"A cat has nine lives. For three he plays, for three he strays, and for the last three he stays."

-- English/American proverb

If a ski area had just nine lives, Arctic Valley would have used them up long ago.

This cozy Anchorage ski area, just 10 miles from downtown, opened for its 71st season on Friday. For years -- decades even -- the place has tottered on the brink of ruin. Who can count all the reasons?

• Lifts that don't run or aren't up to code.

• No snow.

• A mountain of debt.

• Not enough volunteers to run the place.

• Shuttered on several occasions.

• Icy conditions making the steep 6-mile drive up Arctic Valley Road to the lodge treacherous.

• Skiers lured to Alyeska or Hilltop or a thousand other diversions that didn't exist in Anchorage decades ago.

• Exhausted Anchorage Ski Club volunteers who simply ran out of good will.

Despite its tortured history, the Arctic Valley Ski Area -- which has dropped Alpenglow from its title -- is attempting another revitalization and, to hear some folks tell it, may emerge stronger than ever with a paid professional staff and a commitment to blossom into a dependable and affordable ski option for Alaska's largest city.

"I have given many, many days of sweat -- and even some blood -- as well as more financial contributions than I care to remember," said Bruce Rein, a former president of the Anchorage Ski Club, which holds a 55-year lease for 320 acres within Chugach State Park to operate the ski area. "It's all in the attempt to keep this small jewel from going the way of several other small ski areas in Alaska and the rest of the U.S.

"We nursed it along to a point we could make this push."

SO WHAT'S NEW?

• Lynne Lloyd was hired as executive director and general manager. The former Portland attorney and Outward Bound instructor is aiming to make the area popular in both winter and summer.

• Cameron Bain moved from a lift supervisor position at the huge resort in Crested Butte, Colo. (16 lifts serving 1,167 acres of ski terrain) to take over as mountain manager at Arctic Valley, aiming to bring a new standard of dependability to lift operations.

"I can see the potential," Bain said. "It's a fantastic area so close to Anchorage. It's obviously different than a commercial ski area like Crested Butte, but I like being a part of building something. I'm hoping I can bring in some professionalism that may not have been there in the past."

• An expanded kitchen menu at the lodge, including quesadillas and panini sandwiches. Lloyd has applied for a beer and wine license, too, and hopes to have that by mid-January. During the summer, an espresso shack with a small deck will be open on weekends with food and drinks available.

• An Arctic Valley season pass is just $299. Although the area is open just weekends and other special days, $299 would only buy you five days of skiing at Alyeska.

"We want people to know that Arctic Valley is this great Anchorage community asset that's sort of been forgotten about," said board member Jim Renkert.

Anchorage's Rebecca Mamrol, a 17-year-old telemark skier who competed at the World Telemark Championships at Alyeska earlier this year, prefers Arctic Valley when the weather is poor in Girdwood or when she's showing friends how to telemark.

"I've done fair bit of skiing there, especially when I started," she said. "It's a really nice place for beginners, and there's a fair amount of backcountry you can branch off into."

And the difference between success and continued struggles for Arctic Valley may be as few as 100 skiers a day.

"With just a small bit of response from the community, it could be an incredible alpine center," Rein said.

SURVIVAL EQUALS 200 SKIERS

Last season, he estimated, Arctic Valley attracted 80-90 skiers a day. Bump that up to about 200, he said, and survival would be ensured. "Another 50 to 100," Rein said, "and it could develop into something great."

Arctic Valley occupies its own niche. Hilltop is a beginner hill and feeder area; Alyeska is a destination resort.

"We're kind of in between," said board member Karen Loeffler, a past president of the ski club. "Since I joined the board (in 2001), we've been moving forward every year."

And how would she describe a perfect season.

"Good snow and not 20-below zero ... No unforeseen issues with lifts ...

"And Santa Claus giving us a bunch of money."

Bain's not counting on Santa Claus, but other than that, the new groomer agrees.

"If we had a fantastic snow year, that would make a huge difference," he said. "What a lot of people don't realize is that often it's really nice up there (because of a temperature inversion). On Saturday (Dec. 13) it was a good 15 degrees warmer up on the hill."

SUMMERTIME GETAWAY

Despite the importance of a good winter season to Arctic Valley, summer may be equally critical.

"There is great potential for Arctic Valley to be a year-round alpine center -- another gateway into Chugach State Park and a complementary learning center to Eagle River Nature Center and Campbell Creek Science Center," Rein said.

As autumn berry pickers know, Arctic Valley offers alpine access to Chugach State Park along with Glen Alps and Eklutna. The lodge sits at an elevation 2,735 feet, nearly equal to the top of Chair 6 at Alyeska.

"We are one of the alpine accesses to the Chugach, which needs to be pushed as one of our great benefits -- instead of the road (to the lodge) being our big deterrent, Rein said."

Consider how packed the Glen Alps parking lot can become on a sunny day. With a little more promotion, summer hikers might opt for Arctic Valley instead, drawn by its views and the chance to grab a bite to eat on weekends, something unavailable at Glen Alps.

"There's talk of our lodge becoming a real destination for alpine visitors," Renkert said.

"It would be really nice to start earning enough money to renovate the lodge with a log facade so it looks more alpine," he said. "In the summer, we could be the equivalent of the Eagle River Nature Center, only in an alpine environment."

One deterrent, said Chugach State Park chief ranger Matt Wedeking, is that a gate closes off the road leading to the lodge at 10 p.m.

"But I'm not sure why it's not used more," he said. "It's a great spot and I think it's only going to get better."

But summer is months away, and skiers are carving turns on Arctic Valley's slopes now. This weekend, including Monday, skiers will use Chair 1 and the T-bar; the runs leading from the top of Chair 2 still need more snow.

AND THE OPENING BRINGS OPTIMISM

"I am hoping ... the club can break out of the rut of survival and start making the gains it needs to into the community," Rein said. " Too many folks put too many hours and other contributions to let this place down"