Skiing

Ski Kodiak

Kodiak has tons of places to ski. Sometimes you have to hike, walk along sketchy ridges, or skin up uneven terrain, but Kodiak’s skiable mountains are endless. The most common place to get into backcountry skiing here is on Pyramid Mt. Although not discussed on this page, people commonly cross-country ski on the Bear Valley Golf Course.

To ski Pyramid Mt., drive down Anton Larsen Rd. until the parking lot between the Pyramid Mt. trail entrance and the Ski Chalet.

To the left is a map of Pyramid’s Southwest face with some of the runs. This is from a site called Kodiak Snow Report. The photo is a link a page on the website with a bunch of different helpful maps of Pyramid Mt. and surrounding mountains.

This is the Ski Chalet is a cabin with a cleared short ski slope area that is great for kids to sled on. The cabin can be reserved for military members through the Chiefs Mess on BASE KODIAK and features, furniture, bathrooms, and a fireplace.

Click on the three photos below to go to the websites the information was sourced from.

These photos are from the original Kodiak Ski Chalet. The original building was set in the same location as the current chalet but boasted 11,900 square feet and multiple rope tows up Pyramid.

This is a photo of the Ski Chalet from the 1940s, shortly after it was completed by the Army in 1941. Following its completion the Red Cross ran the lodge and lifts. The property was later transferred and run by the Navy.

This is a photo taken in the 1960s of skiers jumping off a small jump outside the Chalet. Unfortunately, the Ski Chalet burned down at some point in the 2000s.

An easy place to start exploring the Kodiak back country would be to start on Pyramid Mt. Park in the parking lot in between the Pyramid Mt. trailhead and the ski chalet. Start skinning up the mountain to the left of the trailhead sign. You can also go up the Pyramid Mt. trail, but it is lumpy and often riddled with tracks from snow shoers and hikers. Skin up the crest of the mountain and stop when reach the sudden climb to the peak. Don’t be fooled by false peaks along the way. Then you can take a nice run down that area and into Jibber Bowl. As you exit Jibber Bowl, make sure to keep making turns to the left so you end up at the parking lot. Otherwise, the slope and other’s trails will spit you out down the road from the parking lot. This is a super common place to back country ski so you will probably see some other Kodiak skiers out there, have fun!

Ski other areas in Kodiak

Unfortunately, I was injured before I could explore other places besides the fun I had on Pyramid Mt. However, friends and other Kodiak skiers have told me about skiing other areas.

Sharatin: Sharatin Mt is a great mountain to ski, with two main places to explore. For both, take the Red Cloud Trail and boot in up the trail. It is quite aways, so be prepared for a long hike in. You can ski the steeper slopes on the bowl facing the trailhead or go up and over the ridge to ski gentler slopes along the back and down to Shelly Lake. Watch out for cliffs as the slope can go quickly from gentle to sudden cliff.

Cope: While Pyramid Mt. is by far the most popular mountain to backcountry ski, Cope Mt. often gets snow earlier and is often skied in the early winter. To access Cope, use the trail head in The Flats. You will have to hike with your skis a way before reaching the skiable area, especially when there is less snow in the early season. But once on top of Cope, there is wide and open areas to explore on skis.

Barometer: There is a group of skiers in Kodiak who have created the John Sikes Trail (named in honor of John Sikes from KISAR) up the Northeast face of Barometer Mt. to ski a couloir down the face.

Moonbowl: Moonbowl is on the face of Devil’s Prongs and is a less common ski area in Kodiak. It is great into the early summer on Kodiak, but difficult to access. You have to hike a few miles of flat trail, cross a narrow but quick river, hike up a very steep mountain, and walk along ridgeline and rock scramble to get there.