Group receives $500,000 grant for Hatcher Pass ski area

PALMER – Hatcher Alpine Xperience (HAX) received a $500,000 grant from the Mat-Su Health Foundation. The grant, awarded over 18 months, will be used to buy a triple chairlift and fund a part-time executive director for the first phase of an alpine ski area in Hatcher Pass.

“We are grateful to the Mat-Su Health Foundation for recognizing the value an alpine ski area in Hatcher Pass will bring to the health and wellness of people in the Valley,” Lousia Branchflower, HAX Board President, said in a news release.

The Mat-Su Health Foundation awarded nearly $5 million in grants to address concerns identified in the Community Health Needs Assessments conducted by the Mat-Su Health Foundation in 2013 and 2016.

HAX is a volunteer-driven nonprofit created in 2015 to represent the Valley’s growing interest in a downhill ski area in Hatcher Pass. The organization has entered into a management agreement with the Mat-Su Borough to operate a small ski area at mile 10.6 on N. Palmer-Fishhook Rd. The development is entirely dependent upon community support including volunteer work, donations and fundraising.

Currently the project is in Phase 1a which includes a 2,400 sq. ft. maintenance shed to house the volunteer’s snowcat, approximately six miles of trail clearing, temporary warming facilities and a beginner (triple) chair lift. The next phase will include a parking lot and access road updates, a day lodge and high-speed quad lift.

For information about the planned ski area or to learn how to help, visit www.skihatcherpass.org