Any Curbed Ski reader who has ever called themselves a ski bum, done what it takes to get first chair on a powder day, or loves poutine will get a kick out of this fake trail map. Mountain Riders Alliance, a group of life-long skiers, are hoping to develop a former ski area in Chugach National Forest in Alaska called Manitoba Mountain that will consist only of a series of surface lifts, possibly a burrito truck, and all the skiing you can handle.
The idea is to make skiing affordable for local Alaskan families (it's only two hours from Anchorage) with lift tickets going for around $40 and plenty of moderate low-angle skiing on the frontside, while expert skiers will head off the back and hike to any of the approximately 10,000 acres of backcountry ski terrain on par with the terrain most visitors can only access via helicopter.
The proposed ski area is the darling of the professional skids who live in attics and cars during the winter to feed their powder addiction while living off their meager income, and one of them with computer skills set about making their own version of a future trail map for the mountain, "Radical Meadows." Lines drop off the summit ridge like Chute Your Load, Should Have Been Here Yesterday, and Bend The Knee Squat To Pee. The only area will cellphone service is called "Rat Race Face," the lodge has no running water or toilet paper but does offer wineskin rentals, and the lifts are powered by a poutine-fed biodiesel generator.
· Manitoba Mountain Ski Area Restoration Project [Mountain Riders Alliance]
· News: Alaska's Manitoba Mountain Begins to Take Shape [Teton Gravity Research]