Cleary Summit

Welcome to Cleary Summit, located approximately thirty minutes north of the city of Fairbanks along the scenic, winding route of the Steese (STEES) Highway. As you look up at the mountain before you, you are gazing upon what is…

Standing here at the broad, flat expanse of the Lower Mountain Base, try to envision the bustling activity that defined this area for nearly half a century. This was the primary staging ground, encompassing the sprawling parking…

As we walk slightly uphill from the lodge foundations, we encounter the imposing, rusted mechanical remnants of the Main T-Bar. This lift was unequivocally the operational backbone of Cleary Summit. …

Moving laterally across the lower mountain, we arrive at the gentle inclines of the dedicated beginner area. This specific zone played an outsized role in the cultural history of Fairbanks. …

As we visually trace the path from the top of the main T-Bar downward, the terrain becomes markedly more aggressive, revealing the advanced runs that challenged expert skiers. The most prominent of these was 'The Mall,' a…

Looking upward from the top terminal of the main T-Bar, we observe the distinct, separate sector known as the Upper Mountain. Geographically, Cleary Summit was a bisected resort; the Steese Highway physically divided the…

As we survey the silent, overgrown trails, we must examine the economic and operational factors that led to the demise of this beloved institution. The later years of Cleary Summit, under the management of Tom McCan in the 1980s…

As we conclude our historical tour of Cleary Summit, we are left with a profound appreciation for the tenacity and vision of the pioneers who built it. For over four decades, this mountain was not merely a business; it was the…