With a dearth of snow, it’s been a struggle this winter for Anchorage skiers and snowboarders. But opportunities exist for diligent adventurers.

In its first two winters since opening, Summit Ski Co. has become a hub for ski enthusiasts and backcountry adventurers.

When snow conditions are prime, the retail and repair shop is humming with enthusiasm as skiers swap stories and plan outings.

But with a dearth of snow in Southcentral and unseasonably warm conditions, this winter it’s become a place for carvers to commiserate.

“We oftentimes match the general energy level of folks coming in the shop,” shop owner Tony Lombardo said. “So when we have a good snow year, there’s a lot of excitement. There’s a buzz of energy. And conversely, when we have a lack of it, we’re acting as more of a support network.”

Despite the circumstances, there are some opportunities. Outdoor skating and biking conditions have been excellent, and some areas still have good conditions for alpine skiers despite abnormal levels of snowfall.

“People up here are pretty resilient and we’re pretty pragmatic,” Lombardo said. “People want to stay optimistic. We understand that conditions can change, you know, on a whim. I think everybody’s quietly hoping that the snow and the skiing conditions will improve and we’re all prepared if they don’t.”

At Alyeska Resort in Girdwood, mountain general manager Duane Stutzman said conditions are reasonably good, all things considered. Snowfall over last weekend brought extra coverage to the upper part of the mountain and in combination with early-season snowmaking on the lower portion, has provided fairly good coverage.

“It’s really kept our base down low solid, and every time we get cold temperatures, we’re firing up our snow guns and refreshing the lower mountain,” he said. “Now we’ve gotten enough snow up top, you know, we’re going to be able to deploy our snow cats up there, start pushing some of the snow around.”

Avalanche mitigation has also provided snow that crews can move in areas on the upper mountain. Despite that, Stutzman said so far this season it’s been a fairly normal amount of skiers traversing a slightly smaller chunk of terrain. He said injuries are down from last year, at least one indicator that the mountain is able to accommodate the number of skiers.

“We’ve got more people on smaller acreage, so it feels on weekends, when we have heavy traffic, that it’s a little crowded, but patrol has done an awesome job in managing our skier traffic and what we call comfortable carrying capacity,” Stutzman said.

He credited a new SNOWsat system for being able to maximize the ability to spread the snow they do have. The system uses laser technology to give a complete view of the topography.

“We can see the snow depths and can use the snow conditions that we have and take where we’re high, put it where we’re low, and create more consistent terrain,” he said.

Last weekend created plenty of havoc at Arctic Valley Ski Area, where 100 mile per hour winds from the north peeled away precious snowpack. The storm also destroyed a groomer maintenance tent and moved a lift shack off its foundation, damaging the roof.

With a couple days of clean-up, recovery and repair, the area should be back to where it was last week. But without a major snowmaking operating, Arctic Valley still needs snowfall before an official opening day can be set for skiers and snowboarders.

“If the storm was favorable and left us with a fairly significant amount of snow (we were prepared to open),” said general manager John Robinson-Wilson. “We’ve got to get out and do some more evaluation before I can say you know how much more snow we need. But we need a bit more snow before we can connect all of the pieces together.”

While both Robinson-Wilson and Stutzman said based on historical data, this winter is comparable to low-snow years from a decade ago. There may be some recency bias at work, as the last two years have been boons for skiers and snowboarders with significant snowpack.

“It’s been a tough year,” said Robinson-Wilson, who has been at Arctic Valley since 2010. “The last five or so years have been solid snow years for us. ... If you go back 10 years or so, we definitely had some years where we didn’t open until mid- to late-January. It’s out of the ordinary but nothing that’s unprecedented.”

Lombardo said the shop has still been busy as less-than-ideal mountain conditions has meant a steady stream of skiers who need sharper edges or repairs to gear. He said customers are still finding spots that are safe with enough snow in the backcountry.

“Those diligent folks can find good conditions out there,” he said. “It’s going to take more effort but you’re going to be able to pursue the hobbies that you’re actively looking for.”

At Hilltop Ski Area in Anchorage, wind damaged one lift, but there are plans for a big weekend. The Freedom Shred over the weekend that runs through Martin Luther King Jr. Day includes free lessons and free rentals with a $100 3-day pass.

While the year has been subpar so far, there’s still optimism that one big storm can provide the conditions powder enthusiasts are looking for.

“We’re really monitoring it from the aspect of opening up as much terrain we possibly can and being able to create a safe skier environment here,” Stutzman said of the Alyeska mountain. “We’re looking for every single acre we can open, every single day. So it’s fun. It’s been a challenge. But I think all in all, it’s going to end up being a really good year.”