Old Hilltop Ski Area

Hilltop (Old) Ski Area

1967 to 1983

Name of Ski Area:	Hilltop Ski Area
Location:	Anchorage, on Abbott Road near the entrance to the current Hilltop Ski Area, near where Abbott Road turns into Hillside Drive
Type of Area:	Ski Hill, Jump
Dates of Operation:	1967 to 1983
Who Built It?:	Hilltop Youth Inc.
Elevation:	~450' / Vertical: ~80'
Lifts:	1 rope tow (the original troop carrier engine drive was eventually upgraded to and electric drive system in 1980-1981)
Facilities:	Lighting for night skiing, runs packed by snowmobiles,10 meter jump designed by Karl Eid, engine shack on top of hill and an outhouse.
Miscellaneous:	In the 1950's a non profit corporation called Hilltop Youth, Inc. was established. The purpose of the corporation was to provide community services that had not reached the area in any other form. The primary focus of the corporation was to provide recreation and educational opportunities. One of Hilltop's first ventures was alpine skiing. In 1962 a rope tow powered by a surplus military troop carrier motor was installed in a gravel pit west of the Old Seward Highway (at what is now the ball field park northeast of the O'Malley Road and Lake Otis Parkway intersection). In 1967 this original Hilltop Youth rope tow was moved. The State of Alaska had just constructed Abbott Road and Hillside Drive and, during the course of construction, opened a gravel pit in the military reservation (now Hillside Park) near the intersection of Abbott and Hillside. When the road was complete, a side-cut into the hill remained that had a fairly uniform gradient throughout. The length was about 500' and it had a vertical elevation drop of about 45 feet. This seemed to be a good ski-able hill, so the corporation decided to move their rope tow to this spot. A 10 meter jump was also built on this site by Karl Eid in the early 80's. Novice skiers began their training on this jump and graduated to a now defunct jump adjacent to the Alaska Pacific University. This ski area operated until 1983 when the Hilltop Ski Area was moved to its current location 1/2 mile or so to the north. The rope tow was moved to the new ski area location and still serves skiers on the beginners slope. The remnants of the outhouse for this little ski area still exist as of 2004. This outhouse is marked on current orienteering maps and is often used as a location for hanging orienteering controls.
Sources of Information:	Hilltop Youth, Inc., "Proposed Multi-Use Sports Recreation Center", February 1994, Part 2 - Hilltop Ski Area History; Steve Gruhn; Doug Ruppert; Jim Dalzell; John Woodbury
Photos:	Does anyone have pictures of skiing at the Old Hilltop Rope Tow that they would like to contribute to ALSAP ?

~ AERIAL VIEWS ~

This 2002 aerial view shows the location of the old Hilltop Ski Area in Anchorage

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This zoomed in aerial view shows the location of the old Hilltop Ski Area relative to the current Hilltop Ski Area.

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This zoomed in aerial view shows the location of the old Hilltop Ski Area rope tow and ski jump. Depicted on this aerial photo are the location of where the rope tow and jump once existed (thanks to Doug Ruppert).

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Do you have further information, stories or pictures that you would like to contribute about this ski area?

Research Correspondence

[Doug Ruppert - notes from a talk with Tim Kelley on 01 Aug 2005]

Doug said that his family lived on the Hillside of Anchorage in the days when there were few houses there. His father, Del Ruppert, a teacher at the Anchorage School District's Career Center, was heavily involved with the Old Hilltop Ski Area in the late 70's and early 80's, along with: Roger Head, Sam Hill, Dennis Brandon and Wilson Hughes. Members of this group at one time flew to Juneau to request funds to help out with the development of this little ski area. This effort resulted in a State of Alaska grant to buy a new rope tow engine, rope and motor shack.

For the 1980-81 ski season, the gas rope tow engine was replaced with an electric engine. The original rope from this tow, that was formerly at the Hilltop Youth Rope Tow location at O'Malley and Abbot, was replaced with a better rope in the early 1980's. Del Ruppert built the motor shack at the top of the lift. This motor shack doubled as a shelter for warming skiers. Del also built the outhouse for the ski area. In the early 80's (1981 or 1982) a jump designed by Karl Eid was built. There was no trestle for this jump - the in-run, take-off ramp and out-run were all contoured into the hill by a bulldozer.

Doug remembers the Old Hilltop Ski Area as being a fun place for a kid. He would get his father to turn on the rope tow engine in the morning and then ski all day. Doug recalls that he burned up a lot of gloves on that rope tow. Doug also remembers running up and down the ski slopes on a snowmobile to pack the trails down after snowfalls.

[Jim Dalzell - 03 February 2009 email]

FIRST, CONGRATS ON A GREAT SITE!

THERE ARE SEVERAL 'HILLTOP TERMITE' RACING CLUB MEMBERS STILL IN TOWN.

I PERSONALLY REMEMBER RIDING IN THE BACK OF THE SWAMP BUGGY AS WE TOWED, ON WOOD SKIDS, THE ORIGINAL ROPE TOW FROM WHAT IS NOW THE BALL FIELD AT LAKE OTIS AND O'MALLEY, UP AND OVER TO IT'S NEW PERCH AT ABBOTT/HILLSIDE. FOR A DOLLAR YOU GOT A RAFFLE TICKET STAPLED TO THE HEM OF YOUR COAT AND A GOOD TIME WAS HAD BY ALL. PICTURES AND STORIES TO FOLLOW IF INTERESTED. GREAT MEMORIES. THX-JD

[John Woodbury - 03 February 2009 email excerpt]

Jim: Maybe Gordy or Ozzie has some shots of the infamous swamp buggy dragging the tow shack up the road? That was one crazy ride, eh? Or perhaps Roger Head?



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