November 14, 2012 (Girdwood, Alaska) – The mountain operations team at Alyeska Resort is preparing for opening day, Wednesday, November 21, 2012. The resort is scheduled to be open for ski and snowboard operations from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The Mountain Learning Center and Sitzmark Bar & Grill will begin daily operations and the aerial tram will also be offering sightseeing and lunch at Glacier Express. As the resort nears opening day, announcements will be made on specific terrain and chairlifts that will be available to the public for opening day.
Ted's Express
The Resort is excited about a major upgrade to winter operations with the installation of Ted's Express, a new high-speed detachable quad chairlift that has replace the old fixed-grip Chair 4 which was installed in 1992. The new chairlift, manufactured by Doppelmayr USA Inc., will greatly increase the uphill skier capacity while shortening the lift ride time to approximately five to seven minutes; 40% faster than the previous chairlift. Ted's Express will provide primary lift access from the Daylodge base area of the resort to the upper mountain and the base area adjacent to The Hotel Alyeska.
Skiers should expect new traffic patterns at the base of Chair 6 where trail widening and grading projects have been completed to improve user access, decrease skier speeds and create a safer corridor for skiers and riders. The new grading gives skiers and riders two different route choices. One option is to travel skier's right of the trail to access the lift line at the base of Chair 6. Alternately, skiers and riders can opt to travel skier's left of the trail to bypass the base of Chair 6 and continue on to the lower mountain trails. This bypass will improve traffic flow and safety in this zone.
Alyeska press release