To the north lies the Promised Land. A virgin wilderness of mythic peaks with names that could fill a library of death metal albums like The Tusk, Blood Stain, and Python; this place is inhabited by beasts that have long vanished from the tame mountains of the continental U.S. - a mecca of snowboarding – the last frontier -Alaska.
It is the shear size of this frontier that keeps these peaks wild and unexplored. With 586,412 square miles and less than 5,000 miles of paved road, most everything in the state must be reached by helicopter, airplane, snow machine, or on foot - a daunting proposition for the faint of heart and weak of wallet. Another barrier to entry is skill. Any run here requires strong mountaineering knowledge. This is a land of severe consequences where riders, guides, and legends are claimed far too frequently chasing the dream. Alaska itself is also fairly hard to get to for most of the world with pricey flights at weird hours leaving travelers and their dollars heading to the Colorado’s and Utah’s of the world. But if Ryan “Rydor” McCune plans’ come together over 5,000 acres of the state’s epic peaks will be a lot more accessible.
Alaska has many things, but among its bounty are not lifts. In a land of 14 mountain ranges and thousands of peaks, there are only 27 lifts at its four “resorts” with 2,160 rideable acres. Compare that to Vail’s 34 chairs and 5,300 acres and you get the point, these hills are not easily accessed. The other problem is Alaska’s maritime climate, which produces astounding amounts of snow, but also many down days. Since most of the terrain is above tree line, there are no visual references on even overcast days, and many a rider knows the woes of holing up in the hotel room, RV, or snow cave for days on end.
However, the towns of boom and bust Alaska, with an economic cycle typical of any frontier, are increasingly looking to snowboard tourism dollars. Valdez has been hosting big mountain contests for skiers and snowboarders for more than 20 years, a fact that has spawned five heli operations on nearby Thompson Pass, and brings money to local retailers, hotels, restaurants, and tour operators.
This year, Tailgate Alaska, an event put on by Mark Sullivan and Nick Perata, grew from just a handful of riders last year to more than 200 over its two weeks. These numbers included some of the world’s top riders, including Travis Rice, Scotty Lago, and Mark Landvik, for the return of the legendary King of the Hill Contest. With each rider spending on average three to four thousand dollars to get his/her Chugach fix, one local resident and entrepreneur is working to take things to the next level.
Ryan “Rydor” McCune grew up in Valdez where the Trans-Alaskan pipeline meets the sea. The pipeline and the 1989 Exxon spill has come to define the town, and outside of fishing and local government, it offers Valdez’s residents their main source of money and employment.
Rydor, who has spent his life exploring the backcountry, owns a large tract of land outside town, less than two miles from the Valdez airport, a landing strip capable of taking a 737, and is putting forward a plan to build a four-season resort that will include an 18,000 foot chair lift, servicing 4,700 vertical feet and 5,500 acres of terrain featured in That’s It, That’s All.
Rydor’s Alaska Chairlift Project/Chugach Mountain Recreational Project, which he recently changed to a non-profit called govaldez.com in an effort to give back to the community and raise money through government grants, would access three amazing bowls, as well as slopes below tree line that would keep shreds riding on down days and closer to town to spend their hard earned dollars there.
“We’re trying to get the community more involved,” says Rydor, who has had difficulty getting town backing from a community where most civic leaders do not ski or snowboard. “We’re not just taking on this project, but trying to make everything else work better here in town. Trail improvements, trying to build a park out at the Valdez Glacier.”
On a Monday night in April, the Valdez City Council convened for a presentation by Sullivan, Perata, and members of the snowboard community that had descended on the town. As the meeting began, the suit-and-tied board eyed the slightly disheveled and unwashed assemblage with questioning looks, but as Sullivan laid out his plan to help bring more people to this town as evidenced by the growth of Tailgate, the Council warmed quickly as the passion for the sport, the area’s environment, and the thoughts of new dollars coursing through its coffers lit up the council members.
By meetings end, all of the members seemed supportive of the objective of increasing accessibility to Valdez and asked for a specific list of initiatives to do so, such as launching new businesses, advertising , and partnering with airlines to offer more direct flights during the high-season of February through May.
One hurdle may have been lowered that night for Rydor but the main one still remains. Raising an estimated $100 million to build a road and bridge to the base of the proposed resort, purchase and install lifts, and build resort amenities. The dream is a big one, but Alaska is full of them.
Rydor knows that there’s a long road ahead, but he feels switching the model to a non-profit one will help move things along. “It’s hard to get the community involved on a private project. I think going the non-profit route and having something that actually provides economic development for the community will do a lot. It would diversify the economy around here. We’ve only got one thing going on and that’s oil.”
Alaska’s latest gold rush is a white one, and as freeriding and freeskiing capture the world’s imagination, Valdez is sitting on the other mother lode.
Given the current oil spill plaguing the gulf and the Valdez spill i bet this resort will implement alternative energy technolgies among other environmentally friendly strategies.
Story by Transworld Business
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