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.
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.
The following is a list of sporting venues, events, and teams based in Alaska.
The 2014 NCAA Skiing Championships were held in Park City, Utah and Midway, Utah on March 5–8, 2014. Utah hosted the event with alpine events at Park City Ski Resort and Nordic events taking place at Soldier Hollow in nearby Midway, UT. Utah hosted for the fourth time, all have happened in Park City, the other times being 1981, 1991 and 2000.
The 1977 NCAA Skiing Championships were contested in Winter Park, Colorado at the 24th annual NCAA-sanctioned ski tournament to determine the individual and team national champions of men's collegiate downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, and ski jumping in the United States.
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 1987 NCAA Skiing Championships were contested at the Alyeska Resort in Girdwood, Alaska as part of the 34th annual NCAA-sanctioned ski tournament to determine the individual and team national champions of men's and women'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 1991 NCAA Skiing Championships were contested at the Park City Mountain Resort in Park City, Utah as the 38th 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.
The 1994 NCAA Skiing Championships were contested at Sugarloaf ski resort in Carrabassett Valley, Maine as the 40th 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 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 2005 NCAA Skiing Championships were contested at the Middlebury College Snow Bowl in Hancock, Vermont as part of the 52nd 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 
