Imagine the perfect day skiing at Alyeska Resort. It's probably a day with deep powder, blue skies, no lines at the lift, and first tracks everywhere you look.
How about no chairlifts at all?
That's what WJ "Wally" Wellenstein captured in this 16mm movie from an Anchorage Ski Club outing in the 1950s.
Alyeska's first chairlift, now Chair 1, began operating in 1959. Before that, skiers had to either hike up or take a helicopter. Today, Alaska's largest ski resort boasts six chairlifts and a high-speed tram, allowing access to 1,400 skiable acres.
Wally Wellenstein was a prominent Anchorage architect. He came to Alaska in 1942, serving in the Army in Juneau. After World War II, he got his architecture degree and moved back for good in 1949.
Find out more about Alyeska's history at the Roundhouse Museum, near the upper tram terminal at the resort.