Eaglecrest Ski Area expects to get through another season with a mountain of aging equipment — albeit without one of the two lifts providing access to most of the trails — but officials meeting this weekend say it’s time for the resort to consider some big-picture changes beyond the long-discussed plans of expanding into year-round visitor operations.

A voter bond to fund major infrastructure maintenance and upgrades at the city-owned ski area was among the options discussed by Eaglecrest board members and administrative leaders during a six-hour retreat at the resort’s Porcupine Lodge. The discussion concurred with officials agreeing to keep Black Bear chairlift closed for the 2024-25 season due to mechanical issues — just one of multiple short-term problems that include staffing shortages and other equipment concerns.

Yet the concerns come as leaders —some of them recently hired — are contemplating a much brighter long-term future for the ski area including large-scale summer tourism with a gondola potentially opening in a couple of years, along with just-announced plans for a private cruise dock in west Douglas that would likely make the mountain more of a focal visitor spot.

The contrasting situations at Eaglecrest made a heavy impression on Chris Goedeker, who became the ski area’s new base operations manager three weeks ago.

“My initial impression of the mountain was ‘Whoa, this is really cool and the sky is the limit,’” he told others during the board retreat. “Conversely, the progressively deferred maintenance was shocking.”

“There’s nowhere to go but up. There’s a lot to do and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

Discussions during the meeting suggest Eaglecrest officials, as well as city officials and private entities involved with the resort, will be navigating a lot of bumpy terrain during the coming season and the next few years of what may — or may not — result in a major transformation.

Shutdown of Black Bear chairlift will mean long lines for 24-25 season

All of Eaglecrest’s trails will be open during the coming season — for those willing to walk a couple hundred yards to the east side of the mountain — but getting there may mean a much longer wait in line due to the closure of the Black Bear chairlift, leaving the Ptarmigan lift on the west side as the only one to the top of the mountain.

The problem is essentially a broken bearing in one of the Black Bear’s gears, which in theory could be fixed quickly, said Craig Cimmons, Eaglecrest’s new general manager as of Sept. 30. But he said that presents risks by overlooking what caused the bearing to break, and an all-out effort to get that chairlift potentially operating by next March or April would divert money and staff time best spent keeping everything else on the mountain going.

“Then we go down this road of how much of this repair is a band-aid solution,” he said. “Really, Black Bear needs a full conversation around that lift. The existence of that lift, the state of that lift, like at a really deep depth. So it would be unrecommended to throw that many resources at Black Bear.”

The recommendation to focus available resources on other equipment and facilities at Eaglecrest got general agreement — but not a formal vote — from board members and other administrative leaders.

Norton Gregory, a board member who previously served on the Juneau Assembly, said the dilemma reflects a concern he’s had for years.

“This mountain has really old infrastructure,” he said. “Everything from our buildings to our equipment, our lift shacks, our lifts, I see it all over the place. And when I get here I think that these are the oldest lifts I’ve ever seen — they’re older than I am. And, you know, it’s just amazing that you’re still running Black Bear…that bearing going out is not a surprise.”

It may be time to stop trying to struggle through each year with existing equipment and available resources, and seek a “pie-in-the-sky” solution, Gregory said.

“I would ask the Assembly to consider…a major bond initiative to start replacing a lot of major infrastructure because as all this stuff gets older, like anything else, it’s going to cost more to repair,” he said. “I don’t know what the useful life on these lifts are, but I think we’re past that, and this is the time to be bold and make that assertion, and let the Assembly know that it’s time to upgrade this beloved facility.”

Some others at the meeting agreed the question is at least worth exploring. Cimmons acknowledged that while the existing lifts can run “forever” if the parts are kept up-to-date, “we’re getting to that point where it’s no longer worth it.” Michael Satre, the board’s chair, said at the end of the meeting he will ask city leaders what is involved in placing a bond measure on the ballot.

Is adding an old gondola as new equipment still worthwhile?

Concerns about Eaglecrest’s aging equipment surfaced in a different form with an update about the status of a used gondola being installed as the foundation of the resort’s upgrade to year-round operations. The project has been controversial since its inception — and delays and higher-than-expected costs are adding fuel to the proverbial fire.

“There is no doubt in the world that we can put it up,” said Kirk Duncan, a former Eaglecrest general manager hired as a consultant after the forced resignation of another general manager, Dave Scanlan, in June. “The question is should we? I don’t want to open up a can of worms here, but this thing (is) 20 years old and are we just getting another problem?”

Among the concerns raised by maintenance and other officials at Saturday’s meeting is when the manufacturer of the gondola might stop offering support and parts for it, and if funds exist for sufficient support infrastructure.

Eaglecrest officials told Assembly members in July the gondola can be completed by its summer of 2026 target date if some features are scaled back and upcoming installation work is fast-tracked. But Cimmons said Saturday there needs to be facilities available at the top for tourists in summer clothing who unexpectedly get caught in harsh weather.

“We have to come up with real strategic operations — that whoever we send up to the top there has a safe space for them to shelter in place while whatever shut down the gondola moves through the area,” he said. “And we have an (evacuation) system in place that doesn’t involve the gondola.”

“That’s my number one concern. The easy thing to do is throw down the gondola and start sending people up it, and taking in all the revenue until the gondola stops working for whatever reason. Operationally that’s when we’re really going to be tested.”

So far $5.8 million of a budgeted $12.7 million has been spent on the project, about 85% of which has been for the equipment and 13% for design work, according to a memo by Senior Project Manager Carl Ferlauto presented during Saturday’s meeting. Priorities now are cost estimates of construction and securing contracts with one or more companies, and resolving shipping issues involving additional towers and equipment that remain in Austria.

Cimmons said it might be wise to reevaluate the project before making whatever the next large expenditure on it is.

“Before another chunk of change, another check is written, it doesn’t hurt to say ‘pause, let’s do some more analysis, gather more data and then focus,’” he said. “Because I think everyone’s in agreement that the gondola project — the concept, the existence of the gondola — is going to be a revenue stream for this place.”

However, a major consideration for Eaglecrest in proceeding with the project is an operating agreement signed with Goldbelt Inc., which provided a $10 million lump sum payment to the city in exchange for a share of revenues for at least 25 years. Goldbelt can back out of the agreement if the gondola isn’t open by May 31, 2028 — and furthermore, officials noted Saturday about $3 million of Goldbelt’s money has already been spent, which will have to be repaid with interest if the project or agreement is scrapped.

That makes talk of reconsidering the gondola concerning, said Mayor Beth Weldon, who attended the portion of Saturday’s meeting where the gondola was discussed. The Assembly approved $2 million toward the purchase of the gondola, but it’s unlikely any more will be approved.

“It’s your future — you’re in for a penny, you’re in for a pound,” she said. Otherwise “if you don’t do this you have no revenue stream…Even though you have an Eaglecrest-friendly Assembly, these last two years from the flood are taking all of our money and it will take much more. We will not be a resource.”

Backing out of an agreement with Goldbelt would also likely make it difficult to find a private partner for the project if Eaglecrest officials then eventually want to proceed with the gondola, Weldon said.

The agreement with Goldbelt means the urban Alaska Native corporation would be bringing its tour buses there for activities the company would make additional revenue from. The prospective amount of that traffic took a leap forward with the Oct. 15 announcement of a planned two-ship floating dock as soon as 2027 on the shore of West Douglas — far closer to the ski resort than the downtown cruise ship docks — the implications of which were brought up at Saturday’s meeting.

“I’m already dreaming of a gondola going down the backside” of the mountain, Gregory said.

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.