Girdwood is a resort town within the southern extent of the Municipality of Anchorage in the U.S. state of Alaska. Located near the end of the Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet, Girdwood lies in a valley in the southwestern Chugach Mountains, surrounded by seven glaciers feeding into a number of creeks, which either converge within the valley or empty directly into the arm. Girdwood is typically accessed by the Seward Highway, with the main line of the Alaska Railroad paralleling the highway. By road distance, most of the community lies within 35 to 40 miles of Downtown Anchorage. The 2019 American Community Survey estimates a population of 1,742 in the valley.
Lift accessed mountain biking or Mountain bike park is a summer activity that is spreading all over the world. Using the chairlifts or gondola lifts at a ski area, mountain bikers can get up to higher altitudes quickly. The bikers don't have to ride up, and the ski area operators can keep the hill more profitable during the summer. Most bike parks have a mix of dirtjumping, downhill, enduro and freeride terrain on the trails.
Alyeska Resort is a ski resort in the Girdwood area of Anchorage, Alaska, approximately 30 miles (48 km) from downtown Anchorage. Mount Alyeska is part of the Chugach mountain range and the Alyeska Resort is the largest ski area in the state. It includes the mountaintop Mt. Alyeska Roundhouse, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Approximately 2,000 athletes, coaches, team staff and officials participated in the 2006 Arctic Winter Games on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska in the United States. The 2006 games took place from March 5 through March 11. Events were held mostly in the larger towns of Soldotna and Kenai, along with Homer (curling) and the Alyeska Ski Resort in Girdwood. Soldotna, Kenai, Homer, and the town of Seward also hosted cultural events. This was the fifth time Alaska had hosted the games.
Marco Sullivan is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from the United States. Born in Truckee, California, he competed primarily in the speed events of Downhill and Super G.
Andrew Earl Kurka is a Paralympic alpine skier from Alaska who competes in the slalom, giant slalom, super G, downhill and super combined events. Kurka was a six-time Alaskan state champion in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling before he made it to the U.S. Paralympic National Team in 2010. As a World Champion medal winning para-alpine skier, Kurka qualified to represent the U.S. Paralympic team at the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi for his debut Paralympics.
The 1979 NCAA Skiing Championships were contested at the Steamboat Ski Resort on Mount Werner near Steamboat Springs, Colorado, at the 26th annual NCAA-sanctioned ski tournament to determine the individual and team national champions of men's collegiate alpine, cross-country skiing, and ski jumping in the United States.
The 1980 NCAA Skiing Championships were contested at both the Whiteface Ski Resort at Lake Placid, New York, and the Stowe Mountain Resort in Stowe, Vermont, as part of the 27th annual NCAA-sanctioned ski tournament to determine the individual and team national champions of men's collegiate slalom skiing, cross-country skiing, and ski jumping in the United States.
Mount Alpenglow is a 4,816-foot (1,468 m) landmark mountain located in the Kenai Mountains, in the U.S. state of Alaska. The peak is situated in Chugach National Forest, 8 mi (13 km) southwest of Girdwood, Alaska, on the south shore of Turnagain Arm, opposite Bird Point from where it can be prominently seen from the Seward Highway and the Alaska Railroad. Mount Alpenglow is the highest peak alongside Turnagain Arm, and although modest in elevation, relief is significant since the northern aspect of the mountain rises nearly a vertical mile in only one mile from the sea-level shores. The summit of Penguin Peak offers another good view of Alpenglow 6 mi (10 km) directly across the arm.
The 1981 NCAA Skiing Championships were contested at the Park City Mountain Resort in Park City, Utah as part of the 28th annual NCAA-sanctioned ski tournament to determine the individual and team national champions of men's collegiate slalom skiing, and cross-country skiing in the United States.
The 1989 NCAA Skiing Championships were contested at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in Jackson Hole, Wyoming as the 36th annual NCAA-sanctioned ski tournament to determine the individual and team national champions of men's and women's collegiate slalom and cross-country skiing in the United States.
The 1990 NCAA Skiing Championships were contested at the Stowe Mountain Resort in Stowe, Vermont as the 37th annual NCAA-sanctioned ski tournament to determine the individual and team national champions of men's and women's collegiate slalom and cross-country skiing in the United States.
The 1993 NCAA Skiing Championships were contested at the Steamboat Ski Resort on Mount Werner near Steamboat Springs, Colorado as the 39th annual NCAA-sanctioned ski tournament to determine the individual and team national champions of men's and women's collegiate slalom and cross-country skiing in the United States.
John Nicoletta was an extreme skier who died skiing while competing in the 2008 Subaru Freeskiing World Championships at the Alyeska Ski Resort in Girdwood, Alaska. Nicoletta was one of 70 men and 26 women in the event. The event had a purse of $12,500. Competitors earn points in the competition by making bold moves jumping off cliffs or zigzagging on tongues of snow through rock bands. John has a shrine dedicated to him at Aspen Mountain John had placed second at the freeskiing championships in Telluride. John has been featured in a number of ski videos including “After the Drought: Adventures of a Colorado Snow Company”.
The 1997 NCAA Skiing Championships were contested at the Stowe Mountain Resort in Stowe, Vermont as the 44th annual NCAA-sanctioned ski tournament to determine the individual and team national champions of men's and women's collegiate slalom and cross-country skiing in the United States.
The 2000 NCAA Skiing Championships were contested at the Park City Mountain Resort in Park City, Utah as the 47th annual NCAA-sanctioned ski tournament to determine the individual and team national champions of men's and women's collegiate slalom and cross-country skiing in the United States.
The 2002 NCAA Skiing Championships were contested at the Alyeska Resort in Girdwood, Alaska as part of the 49th annual NCAA-sanctioned ski tournament to determine the individual and team national champions of men's and women's collegiate slalom and cross-country skiing in the United States.
The 2004 NCAA Skiing Championships were contested at the Sugar Bowl Ski Resort in Truckee, California from March 10–13, 2004 as part of the 51st annual NCAA-sanctioned ski tournament to determine the individual and team national champions of men's and women's collegiate slalom and cross-country skiing in the United States.
The 2006 NCAA Skiing Championships were contested at the Steamboat Ski Resort on Mount Werner near Steamboat Springs, Colorado as part of the 53rd annual NCAA-sanctioned ski tournament to determine the individual and team national champions of men's and women's collegiate slalom and cross-country skiing in the United States.
Girdwood, Alaska 
