The Area

Hatcher Pass is located approximately 55 miles north of Anchorage, Alaska in the heart of the MSB, Alaska's fastest growing community. The area has excellent road access by both the Glenn and Parks Highways and is paved to the Alpine base area as well as to nearly the top of the pass. Phase I of the project will provide similar access to the Nordic facility. Local, regional and state support for the development of day-use ski areas at Hatcher Pass is high.

The project area consists of 11,000 acres of Alaska's prime ski terrain, which is easily accessible by more than half the state's residents.

The topography is best described as a glacially carved alpine valley. The altitude of the proposed Alpine facility is 1,479 feet at the base to 4,600 feet up the slopes. Breathtaking views of the scenic Matanuska Valley or rugged peaks of the Talkeetna Mountains can be seen from every one of the 11,000 available acres.

In the Alpine ski area the dominant vegetation is dense, low-lying alder and willow at lower elevations, giving way to alpine tundra at higher elevations. The terrain beneath the vegetative cover is free of large rocks or other obstructions making the site an ideal location for alpine ski trails with minimal impact on the natural environment.

In the Nordic area, vegetation is birch- and spruce-mixed forest followed by alder and willows with open meadows at mid-elevations and alpine tundra in the higher elevations.