Skiing at Skeetawk Resort, the Small Non-Profit Ski Area in Palmer

Skiing isn’t the first thing most people think of when they’re planning their trip to Alaska in the winter, but there are actually a few options, with Skeetawk Resort being an awesome, budget friendly one. Skeetawk is a very small ski area in comparison to Alyeska in Girdwood or nearly anything you’d visit in Colorado, but it’s pretty awesome for being small and a non-profit. Our family doesn’t get to do a ton of downhill skiing, so spending a day at Skeetawk in Palmer is just perfect for us, but for the super-skilled speedsters too.

If you’re plotting out your winter trip to Anchorage or Palmer, be sure you plan for a day at Skeetawk when you’re here. We’ve got all the info for planning your time here, including rental information so that you don’t have to travel with gear. If you have any questions about visiting Skeetawk or Palmer in winter, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more and help you plan a great Alaska trip!

Why Visit Skeetawk at Hatcher Pass for Skiing?

One thing that I always think about when we’re talking about skiing is how cost-prohibitive it is for many people. Unless you’ve been a skier your whole life, jumping into it as an adult can be very expensive with all the gear and lift tickets and all of that. When you come to Alaska in the winter you’ve got an amazing skiing opportunity with Skeetawk in Hatcher Pass (Palmer) as the rentals on site are a great deal and a lift ticket for one day is relatively cheap too.

Skeetawk is ideal for trying skiing if you’re new or just want to have a fun day on the slopes without much planning or hitting your budget hard. It’s also nice how mellow of a skiing experience it is here at Skeetawk. Being a small ski area, the whole of the operation is in one central location. There is a warming yurt with a small cafe inside serving coffee and pastries and surrounded with picnic tables, and then under the warming yurt is the ski rental shop. There’s a food truck next to the yurt that serves up woodfire pizzas, and there are warm restroom facilities too. And that’s it. There’s not a grand complex or a lodge, but it’s just right for having a low key skiing day.

Cost of Skiing at Skeetawk in Hatcher Pass

Yes, it’s much less expensive to have a day skiing at Skeetawk than any other ski area we’ve visited. We do not have our own ski gear so always have rentals when we’re skiing, and the rental facility here is small and perfect for getting people like us outfitted. Also, being a non-profit, lift tickets at Skeetawk are a great price. When paired with the inexpensive rentals it’s a very affordable winter experience. Here’s the cost breakdown:

• Lift tickets:
  • Adults $33 – $44
  • Kids $25 – $39
• Gear Rentals:
  • Full gear package (skis/board, boots, poles, helmet) $40
  • Snowboard only $20
  • Snowshoes $20
  • Helmet $10

If you’ve paid for a family to go skiing and get rentals at a major ski area in the Lower 48 these prices are dreamy in comparison. Being a non-profit really makes skiing available to many income levels.

Tips for Skeetawk – It’s different from other ski areas

For people who ski often or have been to some of the bigger ski areas throughout the USA or Canada, you’ll be surprised how small Skeetawk is. While there are big plans to continue to grow the resort up the mountain and the land is secured for it, as of right now (2026) it’s a very condensed area. This is great for us since we’re such amatuer skiers, but if you’re a pro who likes to do epic, long runs down a mountain, you’ll need to adjust your expectations.

The slopes at Skeetawk are very well maintained and they have snow-blowers to ensure proper coverage on the runs, but it’s just not grand. How we approached our time at Skeetawk was with doing a few runs, spending a few minutes in the warming yurt; a few more runs, another little break. With the smaller mountain, the travel time up and the ski time down goes really fast, so you can easily get in lots of runs. We visited on a very busy Friday and our longest lift wait time was no more than ten minutes. The lift operators are great about mixing single skiers with doubles to keep things moving. They’re a well oiled machine.

Being a small ski area, there aren’t all of the facilities you may be used to at the larger resorts. There aren’t lockers for personal stuff or skis, but there are plenty of ski racks at the base of the runs. If you want to store stuff throughout the day you can actually just keep it in your car, as the parking area is right by the restrooms and warming yurt. It’s easy to pop to your car to drop off your snow boots after you’ve rented gear, or to shed some layers later in the day if it warms up. There are some great benefits to being a small ski resort. Skeetawk is homey and perfect for lowkey people like us.

Being Prepared for Skiing at Skeetawk

While you can always bring your own ski gear if you have it, the rentals at Skeetawk Resort are really inexpensive. If you showed up with your skis and decide you want to try snowboarding, it’s not cost prohibitive to go down to the rental shop and change up your plans for the day. They have skis, boards, boots and helmets, but they do NOT rent out cold weather gear or ski goggles. They have a few goggles available, but they’re not a standard offering so be prepared with whatever apparatus you need to keep your face warm and your eyes able to see on the slopes.

When you come to Skeetawk, remember that you’re in Alaska’s Hatcher Pass, which is really cold and can be windy. Dress appropriately for an Alaskan winter day with smart layers and snow pants that break the wind. Between the speed of downhill skiing and the wind, as it can get extra freezing cold. We also tend to use hand and toe warmers when we’re skiing which is really helpful here. Hand warmers INSIDE your gloves are a life saver when you’re skiing Skeetawk at -15 degrees, and toe warmers in your boots will really help in addition to the right warm socks. We like buffs / thermal neck gaiters to keep us warm, and they stretch nicely to create a warm boundary at the edge of a ski helmet. They’re more effective than scarves and, while they’re not fashionable, you’ll love the solid warmth they provide.

When it comes to snacks and such, there is a small cafe in the warming hut that serves coffee and hot cocoa and such, as well as pastries, but lunch options are limited. The woodfire pizza food truck is great (and tasty) but is limited. You are welcome to bring your own snacks and lunch to enjoy inside, so plan ahead and stop at Carrs or Turkey Red for sandwiches before heading up to Hatcher Pass. You cannot bring alcohol. There is a walkup beer window that serves beer and cider on tap.

Where is Skeetawk Ski Area?

Getting to Skeetawk Resort isn’t difficult. When you’re coming from Anchorage it’s just heading up the freeway to the Trunk Rd exit and following along the directions to Hatcher Pass. It’s about 50 minutes from downtown Anchorage, or 15 minutes from downtown Palmer, and just a few more minutes from Wasilla. The road is windy as you go along the Little Susitna River, but it’s a beautiful canyon with lots of wildlife. Skeetawk is about fifteen minutes before the Gold Mint Trailhead or Independence Mine State Park, so if you see either of those you’ve gone too far. When you’re done with your day of skiing at Skeetawk, be sure to stop at Turner’s Corner gas station on your way back down into Palmer. They have the BEST ice cream (rainbow is my favorite) and a unique good assortment of essential oils and health products (so random). It’s a great stop to end your fun day of skiing.

Other Places to Ski in Alaska

Did you know there are a few other small ski areas in Alaska? People always just think of Alyeska in Girdwood because it’s a big, beautiful, famous ski resort, but there are actual several other options.

• Arctic Valley Ski Area – Anchorage, also a non-profit
• Hilltop Ski Area – Anchorage, also a non-profit
• Eagle Crest Ski Area – Juneau, community owned
• Mt Eyak Ski Area – Cordova, non-profit w/ lots of summer activities
• Skiland Ski Area – Fairbanks, North America’s farthest north ski lift

While most of these ski areas are non-profit, they’re not all as affordable as Skeetawk. Check in advance for rental information at each location and remember that if you have them, you can always bring your own gear and then just buy a lift ticket. And as a bonus, many ski areas participate in a type of exchange program and you may actually be able to get a lift ticket or multiday pass if you’re a season pass holder for another ski area. For example, if you have Skeetawk Season Pass you also several day passes for the other AK non-profit ski areas and several in the Lower 48.