Waiting for snow? Stop waiting and start skiing

No doubt, winter has been slow in coming to the Great Land this year, especially at lower latitudes, where lawn mowing has overtaken leaf raking as the primary outdoor chore. The bare foothills of the Chugach Range -- its peaks lightly dusted with snow -- provide a scenic backdrop to Alaska's biggest city. In fact, Anchorage is just days from its late snowfall record, set Nov. 13, 2002.

Many Alaskan are aching to play in the snow, confident that it will fall shortly. But for now, about the only place to dabble is 3,886-foot-tall Hatcher Pass in the Mat-Su Valley, where winter is in full swing. Skiers are already double-poling, testing their rock skis.

It's a different story at lower elevations. Just ask the workers at Hilltop Ski Area, the ski and snowboard recreation area inside Anchorage city limits, where everyone is playing a winter waiting game. Hilltop has the means to make its own snow, yet workers there say doing so is pointless -- at least until temperatures are consistently low enough to keep the manmade snow from melting.

"Yesterday [Wednesday], was the first time we have seen frost on the ground," said Hilltop employee Steve Remme. "And to make snow, you want a few days of frost because you want to ground to be frozen when you make snow on it." Once that happens,, snow-making guns will be running 24/7.

The remnants of a successful summer remain at the otherwise bare ski area, which is popular for youth and beginner skiers as well as snowboarders. But Remme remains optimistic that the lifts will be running by Nov. 15, next Friday.

Farther south in Girdwood, Alyeska Ski Resort "looks a lot like everywhere else in the Chugach Mountains," said Alyeska Mountain Service Manager Brian Burnett, chuckling about an unusually warm start to winter. Wednesday was the first time mountain crews were able to get the snow-making machines up and running. "We have the ability to make snow on the entire mountain, from top to bottom," said Burnett. "Last night, we had about 15 guns going."

The resort still plans on getting winter enthusiasts on the recently upgraded mountain by Thanksgiving weekend, but how many lifts will be running depends on Mother Nature. "If she doesn't give us snow from the heavens, then we will shoot it out of hoses," Burnett said.

Cross-country skiers also will have to bide their time. The Nordic Ski Association of Anchorage (NSAA) has been forced to cancel adult cross-country skiing classes, and plans to cancel a few more. The organization's junior nordic program has resorted to extensive dry-land training on bare trails.

"It is not uncommon for us to cancel races," said NSAA Executive Director Anne Gore. "But we want to be out there as soon as possible."

Skijoring dogs and their cross-country skiers are training under unusual circumstances, too. Becky Voris, a board member of the Anchorage Skijor club, has been hooking two dogs at a time to four wheelers, a training exercise similar to what dog mushers use in the off season. The skijoring club plans its first race at Montana Creek, near Willow, at the end of November.

Nordic skiers at the University of Alaska Anchorage have been forced to train at Hatcher Pass, about an hour and half drive from the Anchorage campus. "Normally, by now they are up on the (Anchorage) Hillside, but instead of just a couple-minutes drive, they are trucking all the way to the pass on the weekends," said UAA's Head Ski Coach Sparky Anderson.

The National Weather Service is predicting light snowfall over the weekend in Southcentral Alaska.

Contact Loren Holmes at loren(at)alaskadispatch.com and Megan Edge at megan(at)alaskadispatch.com. Follow Alaska Dispatch on Instagram.