Mat-Su Ski and Snowboard Club gathers at Skeetawk

HATCHER PASS — The Mat-Su Ski and Snowboard Club and Skeetawk ski area are natural partners that ended up working together as an unforeseen circumstance of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly 200 members of the Mat-Su Ski and Snowboard club enjoyed a day on the slopes at Skeetawk on Tuesday as part of the first ever group rental of the entire lift, providing club members an opportunity to ski and snowboard together for the first time in over a year.

“I think a lot of kids haven’t been to Skeetawk before and so trying it for free now hopefully will get them outside more enjoy this close area, but also benefit this new area and get them out in their local spot,” said Sarah Novak.

The club began as a project within the Mat-Su Borough School District that broke off and incorporated as a 501c3 in 1999. Traditionally, the club will rent buses that take students from the MSBSD up to Alyeska on the weekends for days on the slopes. After the coronavirus shut down the club activities last spring, members prepared for the winter months of 2020. In December, the club was notified by staff at Alyeska that despite their plan to double the amount of buses and provide for social distancing for skiers and snowboarders, the members would not be able to travel to Alyeska as a group. Without an opportunity to provide students fifth grade and up with lift-access skiing, the Mat-Su Ski and Snowboard Club got in touch with Skeetawk ski area, which opened the first chair lift in Hatcher Pass this winter.

“We just saw an opportunity to be able to open up for them on a day during spring break and give their members a chance to come out and see this and actually get together for the first time in a year,” said Skeetawk General Manager Scott Patridge. “We’re thrilled to have these guys out here today. This has been a good boost for us during spring break and we’re just happy to see people outside skiing in the snow and glad that their organization could finally get together.”

Nearly 200 members of the club and volunteers associated with the club were able to enjoy the snow in Hatcher Pass after sliding off the chair lifts at Skeetawk. A majority of the skiers and snowboarders were young children, many of whom spent their time catching air at the terrain park at the top of the run.

“I didn’t sleep last night I was so excited about this,” said Alanna Glastetter. “My son Parker right here, before we signed him up for this we’d go skiing and we couldn’t hardly get him to leave our side. He’d ski but he’d ski with us and then sign him up for ski bus and we get up there and I swear my husband cried because we’re sitting there and he leaves and goes up on the lift by himself and skis down and instead of coming back to find us he goes again.”

The lift operators at Skeetawk danced to rock music at the bottom of the lift as they helped skiers and snowboarders young and old safely get on the chair lift. Skiers and snowboarders at Skeetawk are still required to wear a mask while in line for the lift, but smiles were plentiful at the top of the mountain. The Mat-Su Ski and Snowboard Club gathered not only to enjoy the newly minted local ski area as a group for the first time, but to honor the work of many of the original board members who have kept the club in tact over more than two decades.

“When we started this in 1999, it was year to year, and to see that we’re still going in 2021 is amazing,” said Bruce Johnson.

Johnson was the original President of the club in 1999. Over the years, the club has gained popularity among families in the Mat-Su, seeing a bump when they lowered the age of admission to fifth grade. While the Tuesday rental of the Skeetawk ski lift was the first time the club has been able to gather and celebrate together on the snow in more than a year, President Jason Ortiz hopes to continue the partnership long into the future. Ortiz hopes that after summer excavation of the driveway at Skeetawk, buses will be able to transport students to ski and snowboard after school and on the weekends. Once the COVID-19 pandemic has passed, Ortiz envisions opportunities for MSBSD students to join the club and decide whether to get on a bus to Alyeska or Skeetawk, integrating both ski lifts. The club hopes to further their offerings of snow safety programs such as first aid and avalanche safety, and eventually build their own indoor space for club members. On Tuesday, members were ecstatic to be able to enjoy the mountains as a group once again.

“We wanted the kids to get out and do something you know. Covid has been rough on everyone and everyone’s indoors. Once we got notification that we weren’t going to be going to Alyeska, instantly we were switching modes,” said Ortiz. “It’s a great opportunity just to work together in the Valley. We are the Mat-Su Ski and Snowboard club so being able to come out to the valley and have our kids stay in the valley, it’s going to be cool. It’s going to provide a lot more opportunity.”

More information about the Mat-Su Ski and Snowboard Club can be found at matsusnow.org.