Alaska ski resorts: glide, swoosh and race down Alaska's mountains.

• Author: Gould, Peg Stomierowski

Alyeska may be the jewel of Alaska ski resorts, but it's hardly all that sparkles in this Mecca for outdoor enthusiasts. Winter offers a patchwork of resort development, mom-and-pop-style operations and remote adventuring in challenging-often virgin--white terrain. From eagle's view, a variegated trails network could conjure up the specter of Bigfoot crisscrossing the state on snowshoes.

The name of Alyeska Mountain, in the Chugach range, is derived from an Aleut word meaning "Great Land." It's the state's largest ski mountain, averaging 782 inches of snow a year. Alyeska Resort in Girdwood (population 2,000) boasts fine slopeside accommodations. To get there, leave

Seward Highway at scenic Turn-again Arm, off of Cook Inlet, about 45 miles southeast of Anchorage.

Skiing author Charlie Leocha, who makes a living sizing up slopes, finds plenty to make up for shorter days and the distance it takes to get to Alaska. Alyeska, he says, ranks in the Top 10 for views to be had at North American ski resorts: "Watching the whales leap in the Arm is unique.

"Those who find skiing at altitude difficult will love Alaska," he says. "Starting at virtually sea level makes a lot of difference to the altitude challenged. Colorado skiing starts more than a mile-and-a-half high in thin air."

With the big-city amenities of Anchorage (at off-season prices) also within half-an-hour's drive, he views Alyeska as in a class with resorts surrounding Salt Lake City, Reno and Quebec.

At least 280,000 out-of-state visitors-close to the Anchorage population again--are expected to visit the state this winter, and summer tourism drew 1.6 million visits, up about 2.5 percent from the year before, according to Mafia Benner, research and marketing director for the Alaska Travel Industry Association. An estimated 4 percent of visitors participate in winter activities.

Hours vary, so check individual ski areas before you go, and also for trail difficulty, season passes, lessons, rentals and special deals, amenities (child care, adaptations), and other features such as children's or women's programs, night skiing, terrain parks, snow-skating, snowshoeing, soaking, boarding, heliskiing, tubing, ice skating, ice fishing, ice climbing, snowmachining, mushing, leashes--even restrictions.

ALYESKA, GIRDWOOD

Larry Daniels, who came to Alaska from Washington state, has been in the business for decades. His love affair with Alyeska started when he was a general construction laborer on a...