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Girdwood

You know those “Quaint little drinking village with a fishing problem” bumper stickers? You could make one like that for Girdwood that goes, “Girdwood, Alaska: a quaint little skiing village with a hippie problem.” Or maybe vice versa. It’s not a perfect translation. But anyway, that’s Girdwood—kinda hippie, kinda ski-bummy, artsy and quirky and actually pretty into fishing and drinking, too. The trees are mossy, the cabins A-shaped, and life in town is wrapped around the mountain like a tie-die T-shirt.

Home to Alyeska Resort, skiers have access to seven lifts, including a 60-person aerial tram, offering 2,500 vertical feet of diverse skiing. The resort also averages 669 inches of annual snowfall, which is pretty much more than anywhere else on the planet. This is also where you'll find home base for Chugach Powder Guides, one of the most widely respected heli skiing outfits in Alaska. With 750,000 acres at its disposal accessed via helicopter and snowcat, as well as the option to ski Alyeska on weather days, CPG making your trip about skiing–not waiting.

With several good bars ranging from casual to rowdy, Girdwood is by far the best ski town in Alaska. Read more here. –Zach St. George