Alaska snowboarding?

Hi guys, I work on a cruise ship and from April until October I'll be in Alaska. The question I have is first, is there year round snow in Alaska and 2nd, is there any snowboarding in these cities:

-Ketchikan
-Juneau
-Skagway
-Icy Strait Point
-Hubbard Glacier
-Sitka
-Prince Rupter (British Colombia)

I'm just wondering if it is worth it to bring my board on the ship, if I won't be able to board in these months (summer in the states). I've never been to Alaska, so any information would help, thanks!

-Tyler

[rjattack19]

hey i might be going on an alaskan cruise some time this summer and i was wondering the same thing, what cruise line?

I work for Royal Caribbean, and I'll be singing on the Serenade of the Seas doing 7 day Alaska runs.

[rjattack19]

nice thats the same cruise line we would be taking how do you like working for a cruise line? i always thought it would be a fun job

I love it man are you kidding? I get paid to travel the world, sit on warm sandy beaches, drink cocktails and play music (I'm in the orchestra on board). And on these occasions, HOPEFULLY snowboard.

[rjattack19]

yea that freaking awesome. maybe ill try and get a job on a ship one of these days. i cant right now because of school but hopefully one day. ive never been on a cruise so im really stoaked about this one

[In search for I]

The problem with Southeast where you are headed is that its coastal mountains and snow doesnt stand a chance once the weather warms up. If you are coming up in April you can usally see snow till mid June and will start seeing termination dust in September or October. Juneau is your best bet for accessable snow. Try this link and contact them too see if they know more about reaching your goal. I was only in Juneau for a day on business so I dont to much about it. The rest of your stops I just dont see them having easy access.

Mt. Roberts Tramway Information Center

[KC10Chief]

I was in Juneau recently and didn't see any ski areas there. It's not a very big place. There are only 28,000 people that live there and it is Alaska's third biggest city. Fairbanks in #2 at 30,000 and Anchorage is #1 at 282,000. In Anchorage, there are a few places to go snowboarding. The ones I'm familiar with are Hillberg (need to be military or know somebody who is), Hilltop, and Alayeska. Hilltop and Alayeska are bigger and better than Hillberg so I'm told. But the season here is coming to a close. I am new to barding and have been doing it at Hillberg. They close for the season at the end of this month and don't open back up again until the end of November. Hilltop and Alayeska will be open for another couple of months as long as there is snow. It's already warming up here. It's light from about 7:30 in the morning until 9pm at night right now. In the summer, it's light all the time. That sun warms it up and melts the snow. I doubt you'll be able to do any boarding without going a significant distance from where your cruise ship is going to stop. I'm farther north than any of those places you'll be stopping. It gets warm here in the summer. 70's or so. You'll probably see snow year round, but you won't be able to get to it without a helicopter.

well thanks for the information guys. I think i'll just head out, and if I can board, I'll have my board shipped to me. Seems the most logical way, I don't want to pack a board into a tiny crew cabin for nothing.

I live in Juneau and there is a great ski area here that closes April 12th this year. Depending on the snow depth I have hiked up as late as June 15th. We have had pretty good snow this- I imagine that you will be able to snowboard all the way down late into May, and you could probably snowboard at the top well into June as long as you don't mind hiking down some.

Eaglecrest Ski Area · Juneau, Alaska