Anchorage Daily News

GIRDWOOD -- Die-hard skiers will travel far and spend big for untracked powder and near-empty runs. Now the intrepid are looking to fresh terrain, in Alaska.

Alaska's winters have in abundance what the Southern Rockies and the Swiss Alps have lacked in some recent seasons -- snow.

Snowfall at Alyeska averages 630 inches a year, and reached about 1,000 inches last winter. Aspen, by comparison, averages about 300.

Devotees love Alyeska for its unspoiled rustic charm, dramatic coastal views and sticky, highly skiable powder. A multimillion-dollar overhaul is bringing new amenities to the resort. And after disappointing ski seasons at several major resorts in Europe and the United States last year, some in the tourism industry are betting that the little-known ski town in the northernmost state may have a shot at becoming the next big ski destination.

There are drawbacks to Alaska during ski season. For one thing, there is little daylight at this time of year. On a recent visit, lifts at Alyeska didn't open until shortly after sunrise -- 10:30 a.m. -- and by 4:15 p.m. the sun had gone down.

There's also the reputation for extreme cold, though in reality Alyeska, about two miles from the coast, generally isn't much colder than mountain towns in the Rockies. Getting there isn't always easy. Airlines cut daily trips to Stevens International Airport by as much as a third in winter.

Nine ski areas, mostly catering to locals, are spread out across Alaska, according to the National Ski Areas Association; Alyeska is the largest.

Skiers and snowboarders who venture to the state in the winter tend to be of the adrenaline-rush set, coming to heli-ski in Valdez, or to take on Alyeska's double black diamond runs. Situated in the Chugach Mountain range, Alyeska is known for its sharp drop-offs and the dauntingly steep slopes of its north face.

Alyeska Resort's new owner, John Byrne III, is hoping to soften that image. He has invested more than $10 million in a facelift, with plans for about $30 million more in upgrades to the hotel and mountain. There are new runs open for beginners and a new snowboarding school. Several million dollars have been spent upgrading snowmaking facilities for better-groomed trails. At the hotel, a new spa sells "glacial facials" and the rooms now have high-speed Internet service.

The goal: to attract more families and put Alaska on the map for mainstream destination skiers.

Girdwood is a 50-minute drive from Anchorage along the Seward Highway. If visibility is good, the drive alone is almost worth the trip -- there are breathtaking views of snow-topped peaks in almost every direction along Cook Inlet.

"Alaska offers that kind of last-frontier opportunity," says Michael Berry, the president of the National Ski Association. "And people are looking north."

Last year, there were 485 ski resorts in the United States, down from 674 a decade earlier. The ski industry in the United States saw about 55 million skier and snowboarder visits in 2007, down from 58.9 million the previous season. The drop was likely because of low snowfall and warmer temperatures in many destinations, according to the National Ski Areas Association.

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