Hilltop Ski Area is a

ski area A ski area is the terrain and supporting infrastructure where skiing and other snow sports take place. Such sports include alpine and cross-country skiing, snow boarding, tubing, sledding, etc. Ski areas may stand alone or be part of a ski resort. ...

Anchorage Anchorage, officially the Municipality of Anchorage, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alaska. With a population of 291,247 at the 2020 census, it contains nearly 40 percent of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolita ...

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

established in 1984. Located in Far North Bicentennial Park near

Chugach State Park Chugach State Park covers 495,204 acres (2,004 square kilometers) covering a hilly region immediately east of Anchorage, in south-central Alaska. Established by legislation signed into law on August 6, 1970, by Alaska Governor Keith Harvey Mi ...

at the base of the

Chugach Mountains The Chugach Mountains of southern Alaska are the northernmost of the several mountain ranges that make up the Pacific Coast Ranges of the western edge of North America. The range is about long and wide, and extends from the Knik and Turnag ...

, Hilltop Ski Area is owned and operated by Youth Exploring Adventure, Inc., an Anchorage

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...

organization established in 1979Corporations Database
Youth Exploring Adventure, Inc.
Division of Corporations, Business & Professional Licensing, Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development. Retrieved on 2007-04-08. to provide recreational programs for Anchorage youth.Hilltop Ski Area. (2003)

Retrieved on 2007-04-08.

Facilities

Hilltop has a triple

Riblet The Riblet Tramway Company of Spokane, Washington, which operated from 1908 to 2003, was once the largest ski chairlift manufacturer in the world. History The company was founded by Byron Christian Riblet, who was born in Osage, Iowa, in 1865 ...

chairlift An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers. They are the primary on-hill tran ...

, a

rope tow A surface lift is a type of cable transport for mountain sports in which skiers, snowboarders, or mountain bikers remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill. While they were once prevalent, they have been overtaken in popularity by higher ...

, a

platter lift A surface lift is a type of cable transport for mountain sports in which skiers, snowboarders, or Mountain bike, mountain bikers remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill. While they were once prevalent, they have been overtaken in popularit ...

, and groomed ranging in difficulty level from easy (80%) to more difficult (10%) to most difficult (10%). Adjacent facilities include the Karl Eid Ski Jump Complex, with 15 meter, 40 meter, and 60 meter jumps (all lighted); Hillside Park with 7.5 miles (12 km) of trails suitable for Nordic skiing; and Bicentennial Park with 20 miles (32 km.) of trails suitable for Nordic skiing.

Programs

Hilltop offers a ski school with group and private lessons in skiing and

snowboarding Snowboarding is a recreational and competitive activity that involves descending a snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard that is almost always attached to a rider's feet. It features in the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralym ...

for all people of all ages and ability levels, the after-school Hot Dogger Program for children aged 16 to 14, and Alpine Alternatives, which offers skiing instruction to people with

disabilities Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physica ...

. Additionally, the area is home to the Hilltop Alpine Racing Team (HART) which offers race training for ages 6–19. Hilltop's instructors are members of the

Professional Ski Instructors of America A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...

.Hilltop Ski Area. (2003)
"Learn to Ski."
Retrieved on 2007-04-08. Hilltop offers ski and snowboard camps during

Anchorage School District The Anchorage School District (ASD) manages all public schools within the Municipality of Anchorage in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the 107th largest school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local p ...

in-service days (scheduled teacher/staff training days that students get as days off), the December

holiday A holiday is a day or other period of time set aside for festivals or recreation. ''Public holidays'' are set by public authorities and vary by state or region. Religious holidays are set by religious organisations for their members and are often ...

season, and

spring break Spring break is a vacation period at universities and schools that includes the Easter holiday, and takes place in early Northern Hemisphere spring. Introduced in the U.S. during the 1930s, spring break has been observed in Europe since t ...

.Hilltop Ski Area. (2003)
"Ski and Snowboard Camps."
Retrieved on 2007-04-08.

History

The nonprofit corporation Hilltop Youth, Inc. was established in Anchorage in the 1950s with a focus on providing recreational and educational opportunities for Anchorage-area youth. In 1962, Hilltop Youth installed a rope tow powered by a surplus military troop carrier motor in a gravel pit west of what is now known as Old Seward Highway. The rope tow was moved in 1967 to a new location near the intersection of the newly constructed roads Abbott Road and Hillside Drive. In the early 1980s a 10-meter jump for novices designed by Karl Eid was also built on this site. This site, the original Hilltop Ski area, was in operation from 1967 to 1983, when the Hilltop Ski area was moved to its current location about half a mile north of the original site.Alaska Lost Ski Areas Project. (ca. 2005)

Retrieved on 2007-04-08. Since its establishment in its current location in 1984, Hilltop Ski Area has been operated by Youth Exploring Adventure, Inc.Anchorage Assembly. (2000-02-01)
"Minutes for Regular Meeting of February 1, 2000 continued to February 8, 2000"
, p. 13. Anchorage, AK: Municipality of Anchorage. Retrieved on 2007-04-08. In the early 1980s, operators of the "old" Hilltop replaced the rope tow engine, rope, and motor shack through a grant from the State of Alaska. The current Hilltop Ski Area still uses this equipment on its beginners' slope.

References

External links

Hilltop Ski Area
(official site)
Alaska Lost Ski Areas Project
(ALSAP). Historical website which documents lost downhill, cross country and jump ski sites in Alaska. {{Alaska Ski areas navbox Sports venues in Anchorage, Alaska Ski areas and resorts in Alaska 1984 establishments in Alaska