Industry News
Eaglecrest Ski Area, Southeast Alaska’s largest ski area and the only in-bounds resort in the region, has announced the indefinite closure of its aging Black Bear chairlift. Owned and operated by the city of Juneau, Alaska’s capital, Eaglecrest Ski Area was established in 1975, and features four double chairlifts accessing 640 acres, with 36 marked alpine runs, two Nordic skiing loops, and access to world-class backcountry. Eaglecrest boasts a vertical drop of 1,620 feet and an average snowfall of 320 inches annually.
The Black Bear chairlift by American manufacturer Riblet was acquired in 2006 from Northstar California Resort in the Tahoe area. In 2005, one year before the purchase, voters approved $800,000 in sales tax revenue to construct a midmountain lift. A community fundraising campaign generated another $200,000, generating over a million dollars towards the project. After being refurbished, it officially opened in 2009. The newly refurbished Black Bear Lift provided new access to previously untouched terrain.
The fixed-grip two-seater Black Bear chairlift is now more than 50 years old. It provided service to the east side of the mountain, accessing the East Bowl Chutes and the Marmot, Drifter, and Vertigo runs. The lift was out of order in the 2024-25 season after a maintenance team discovered a broken bearing that impacts its entire system. Eaglecrest’s general manager Craig Cimmons said cost was the main issue in fixing the dated chairlift. “It’s just become more clear that the investment in time and money would be far more than we have right now,” said Cimmons.
“We all wish Black Bear was going to run this winter. But we do not have unlimited resources of time, people, capacity, and funds. And we would not be able to repair Black Bear to a state that we would feel good about the safety of our guests without pulling these resources away from other, and arguably, more important work” said Cimmons. Eaglecrest’s three other lifts are Porcupine, Ptarmigan, and Hooter. Cimmons continued on to say the ski area wants to focus on investing more in those lifts as they also continue to age. That could include expanding those lift’s capacities to carry more people. “Trust me, if this was one of the other three lifts this would be a very different story. We have to devote our energy to Ptarmigan, Hooter and Porky to make sure that they are 100% so we don’t have the same issues with them coming up.” Cimmons continued on to say.
The announcement comes as the Eaglecrest Ski Area projected it will run a deficit for the foreseeable future. That’s in order to repair some broken and aging infrastructure, boost pay to employees in order to compete with new industry standards and prepare to operate year-round with a new gondola. The gondola project has been in the making for several years now and the ski area is hoping to open it by summer 2028. Eaglecrest hopes to bring in additional summer revenue with the new gondola moving forward, boosting tourism to the area while keeping the eastern portion of the ski area relatively undisturbed.
While the retirement of the classic Black Bear lift marks the end of an era, Eaglecrest is positioning itself for a more sustainable and diversified future. With unmatched views and planned four-season accessibility, the new gondola promises to attract both locals and tourists alike eager to experience the unique beauty of Alaskan wilderness.
