Alyeska Surpasses 700 Inches of Seasonal Snowfall

What's perhaps more impressive is that on April 7, just eight days ago, Alyeska had just hit 630" of snow at the top of Glacier Bowl Express (GBX). For those bad at math like me, that means they've gotten 96 inches of snow in the last week. Unreal.

The weather has definitely made for an eventful season at Alyeska. While there have been impressive snow totals, several wet and windy storms have also made for some tough conditions both to ski and to operate the mountain in.

On January 12, Alyeska had to close for a day due to a storm that came in with gale-force winds. High winds, debris from damage to trees, and low visibility all made opening the mountain a bit too treacherous, forcing them to remain closed.

It was the second time that month that the resort had to close due to a storm. Just six days prior, another storm with high winds caused a power outage not just across the ski area but its lodge and more than 500 homes in nearby Girdwood as well.

It took several days following the storm to reopen the entire mountain due to dangerous avalanche conditions. 

Alyeska will celebrate their closing weekend with their 48th annual Spring Carnival and Slush Cup over April 25 to April 27. Events for the Carnival include a costume contest, a tug-of-war, Dummy Downhill, and something called an "Idiot Swim" where you can jump in the pool from the Slush Cup and swim around with your buds. 

There's another 19 inches of "wintry mix" on the way to Alyeska this week. Grab your Gore-Tex, wax your skis, and enjoy the last two weeks of the AK season.