Driving from Alta, UT to Juneau, AK where should I stop and ski?

[woodi]

So in a few weeks I will be leaving Alta, UT and heading for Juneau, AK. I will be doing the drive with a good ski buddy and we'd like to try and squeeze in some turns here and there along the way. We are leaving somewhere between 4/19 and 4/21 and have to be in Skagway to grab the ferry by 1:00pm on 4/27. I know it's going to be a pretty solid drive to get up there but neither of us are strangers to long hours behind the wheel in order to get some skiing in along the way. Mainly looking for some recommendations of roadside attractions we might be able to hit for a few hours a couple days, possibly spend a bit more time in one particular area if it's really good. I'm trying to roughly map this all out and figure out what we have for time and where would be good to stop so any ideas would be great. Thanks in advance for the help, I'm a long time ttipster but I haven't spent much time over here yet.

[dschane]

The road between Whitehorse and Skagway should have lots of options as it cuts through impressive terrain. Sorry I can't be more specific, never skied out that way, it's on the to do list.

And, fyi, you need a passport to get into Canada these days. A driver's license is no longer enough.

[maples]

If you're taking hwy 16, 37 through BC, look into the Smithers, Terrace area, and north from there.

[woodi]

Cool, seems so far like I was barking up a good tree with my route. I was thinking of heading into BC near Nelson and checking out the Nelson and Revelstoke areas then heading towards smithers and then finishing with some skiing outside of Skagway. A little research and looking at a map seemed to indicate that should allow for some good easy access skiing but I imagine there are lots of other good options too.

dscahne how is the skiing around Juneau in early May? We're hoping to do some exploring around there before my friend flys back to Utah, and for that matter I'm hoping to ski as late as I can into the summer while living there.

[dschane]

dscahne how is the skiing around Juneau in early May? We're hoping to do some exploring around there before my friend flys back to Utah, and for that matter I'm hoping to ski as late as I can into the summer while living there.

Just fyi, as a word of caution, there's been a lingering weak layer about 1.5 meters deep. A local taught an avy 1 class in Skagway recently, and he reported the same. Plenty of good and stable turns to be found, but just use your noggin.

There should still be plenty of options through May. Drop me a PM as the time draws nearer and I'll happily give you more recent information.

What brings you here? Work?

[woodi]

Yeah, my wife got a job doing water quality sampling for Admiralty Environmental and I'll be working up at the airport for Alaska Seaplanes for the summer. My wife has some things to take care of here in Utah into the first two weeks of May so she'll be flying up once that's taken care of. Hopefully we'll have found a place to live by then. We've been searching for months but Juneau is a seriously difficult place to find a place to live.

[woodi]

P.S. Thanks for the heads up on the weak layer, we'll have to keep an eye out for that.

[dschane]

Yeah, my wife got a job doing water quality sampling for Admiralty Environmental and I'll be working up at the airport for Alaska Seaplanes for the summer. My wife has some things to take care of here in Utah into the first two weeks of May so she'll be flying up once that's taken care of. Hopefully we'll have found a place to live by then. We've been searching for months but Juneau is a seriously difficult place to find a place to live.

PM sent, you need a local to help.