Hilltop Ski Area opens for the season in Anchorage

Anchorage’s Hilltop Ski Area kicked off its winter season Friday to eager skiers and snowboarders. Its chairlift began operating at about noon, a slightly delayed start than had been previously planned due to Thursday’s rainy weather.

Open trails include Moose, Caribou, King Salmon, Turkey Trench and the Porcupine Terrain Park, according to Robert DeBerry, Hilltop’s marketing and community development manager. Getting to opening day is a job months in the making, he said. Preparations get started as soon as the hill closes as a bike park in mid-September.

“From dirt work, to putting signs back up, rope lines, trail maintenance, fixing all the snowmaking gear, hauling all the snow guns out,” he said. “It is all hands on deck.”

More trails will open soon, DeBerry said. Skiers and snowboarders will also soon be able take advantage of new features on its new pro-level terrain park.

“Last year we started with about 45 features or so. We added another 8 or 10 this year,” DeBerry said.

Hilltop is open Monday through Thursday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.