Eaglecrest Ski Area general manager resigns at board’s request

Eaglecrest Ski Area Manager Dave Scanlan speaks during an Assembly finance gathering connected Saturday, April 6, 2024. (Clarise Larson/KTOO)

The wide head of Juneau’s Eaglecrest Ski Area, Dave Scanlan, resigned from his domiciled Wednesday nighttime astatine nan petition of nan skis area’s board. 

The announcement came Thursday greeting aft nan committee held a typical gathering connected Wednesday to measure Scanlan’s performance. His resignation came aft nan committee met successful an executive session.

The board’s connection thanked Scanlan for his imagination of “providing year-round recreational opportunities for residents and visitors alike.”

In an interview, committee chair Mike Satre said he would not beryllium sharing why nan committee asked for Scanlan’s resignation. 

“So we can’t talk unit matters. But nan committee and myself are 100% committed to ensuring that Eaglecrest is simply a successful installation providing wintertime and summertime recreational opportunities for some our residents and visitors,” he said. 

Scanlan’s resignation will beryllium effective connected June 3. In an interview, he said he didn’t want to time off his job. 

“I want our group to cognize that this has been my passion. I had nary intent to locomotion away. But it’s clear that they want to effort a different pathway,” he said. 

He said that erstwhile he was hired backmost successful 2017, nan committee was looking for a hands-on moving manager. But now he thinks they’re looking for thing else. 

“The existent committee has a desire to find a much office, process, paper-oriented wide head to lead nan upland done this adjacent period,” he said. “I don’t clasp sick will against immoderate committee personnel aliases unit aliases metropolis management aliases anything. This has been my life’s passion, and I americium honored to person had nan opportunity.”

Eaglecrest and Scanlan person some seen immoderate nationalist backlash successful caller years, particularly pursuing nan acquisition of a utilized gondola from Austria. Scanlan was a driving unit successful getting the multimillion project approved.

Eaglecrest besides faces a shortage heading into nan city’s fund process — much than $415,000 —  which Scanlan attributed to rising costs, nan effects of ambiance alteration connected snowfall and a tight occupation market. 

The skis area primitively sought a five-year indebtedness of astir $900,000 from nan city, which Scanlan said would thief screen nan shortage and hole for nan summertime play and the addition of nan gondola. But nan Assembly yet approved a $518,000 indebtedness to screen nan shortage and nan costs of giving a flimsy raise to employees.

According to nan board, they will instantly statesman nan hunt for Scanlan’s replacement. In nan meantime, nan skis area’s Director of Snowsports School, Rental, Retail & Repair, Erin Lupro, will return complete nan domiciled of interim wide manager. Lupro could not beryllium instantly reached for comment. 

Scanlan said he plans to stay successful Juneau and beryllium progressive pinch nan skis community.