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The "Land of the Midnight Sun" has always been an amazing source of raw, rugged beauty and many think of Alaska only as a great summertime vacation destination. On the other hand, if you like to ski you may want to consider Alaska when planning your next ski vacation because it has some of the best skiing in the world.

And one of the top resorts in all of Alaska is the Alyeska Resort. Alyeska has a top elevation slightly above 2,700 feet, a vertical drop of 2,500 and the area gets an average annual snowfall of 631 inches.

In addition to offering some of the best skiing in the world, another nice benefit of Alyeska is that you won't run into long lift lines or overly crowded slopes. There are nine lifts, including six chair lifts, two surface lifts and one cable car line. The majority of their trails are designed for the intermediate skier but with 68 trails they also have countless runs for both the beginner and expert.

Night skiing is not only allowed but it may be one of most awe inspiring ski experiences you'll ever have. Snow capped mountains, hanging glaciers and the infamous Northern Lights are just a few of the visual bonuses of night skiing at Alyeska. It was ranked number nine in Skiing Magazine's annual top twenty-five killer ski trip reviews.

The season begins in mid November and runs through mid April at Alyeska and with close to sixteen hours of daylight each day during April, this area of Alaska boasts the longest period of daylight anywhere in the United States. On the other hand, in December, there are only about seven hours of daylight but with their fabulous night time skiing it's really not an issue.

The Alyeska Prince Hotel is the wonderful place to stay. You'll enjoy elegant rooms, fine dining and nightly entertainment is also available. In addition, there are other nightlife watering holes in the area that are not associated with the hotel.

If tubing interests you, then visiting the Glacier Tubing Park is an absolute must. It features two lanes of terrain and a surface lift and everyone in the family will enjoy spending time at the tubing park. The Alyeska Terrain Park is a must for snowboarding enthusiasts. Other winter activities that can be enjoyed in and around the Alyeska Resort include flight seeing, heliskiing, ocean cruising tours, dog sledding, ice climbing, back country skiing, mountaineering and polar bear watching tours.

The Alyeska Resort not only offers some of the best skiing on the continent but when you consider the broad range of available winter activities that can be enjoyed by the entire family, it represents one of the best winter vacation destinations in the world - bar none.

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