Juneau's Discover Eaglecrest Day tops $51,000 in sales, up from $5,900

Discover Eaglecrest Day brought in more than $51,000 in sales at the city-owned ski area on Saturday, Sept. 19, compared with $5,900 at the 2025 event, according to the mountain report in the packet for last Thursday's Eaglecrest Board of Directors meeting. The report does not say whose sales the figures count.

Last October, Eaglecrest's board report put the 2025 event at $9,600 raised for Eaglecrest Foundation youth snowsports programs.

"Attendance was strong and so was the ridership on the Porcupine Chair!" this year's report said.

The foundation ran a silent auction and sold burgers and pulled pork sandwiches. Forbidden Peaks hosted a beer and root beer garden. The Juneau Ski Club and the JDHS Dance Team ran a bake sale and sold dirty sodas. Minutes of the board's Sept. 3 meeting say event proceeds were announced to support youth programs.

The ski area itself is working through a budget gap. Staff projected a draw of about $1.9 million on its fund balance for the fiscal year that ended in June, compared with about $2 million budgeted, according to the Oct. 1 board packet. Juneau raised its appropriation this year to about $1.6 million, up from $930,000, with no budgeted negative fund balance, board member Brandon Cullum reported. At the old figure, the ski area's May budget scenarios said it would have to cut more than half its staff. The same scenarios said this year's budgeted amount still "Reduces staffing 44%," calling it "unsustainable austerity." In June, staff reported carrying out the staffing reductions required by approved budget targets.

The next fundraiser is a Haunted House at Fish Creek Lodge on Oct. 16, 17, 23 and 24, with a bake sale and a new Trunk or Treat on Oct. 24.