The draft will be circulated among interested local groups and could be issued in final form in May, according to George Cannelos, director of the Heritage Land Bank. It would request proposals from developers for new winter recreation facilities in the area. Cannelos said he hopes to get proposals by mid-summer.

Alpine and nordic skiing groups in Anchorage and Girdwood have pushed for years for a plan that would open areas near the existing Mount Alyeska ski resort to downhill skiing and snowboarding, and cross-country skiing. New terrain would be opened that has more slopes suitable for beginner and intermediate downhill skiers than does Mount Alyeska and would also be higher, with better snow conditions at the base.

Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich is an enthusiastic supporter of the idea. "This area is five times the size of the existing Alyeska resort and is considered the best undeveloped ski terrain in North America," Begich told a conference held in October by Girdwood 20-20, a local booster group formed in 1999.

SE Group, a Seattle consulting company hired by the state in 1993 to look at the Winner/Glacier Creek area, developed four scenarios, ranging from leaving the use of the area as it is now, accessible only with a snow-cat, to a large-scale resort with a gondola, tram, 14 new chairlifts and facilities to accomodate 8,000 to 10,000 skiers a day. The most likely project, however, is a mid-sized resort similar to the present Alyeska Resort

The development could eventually generate $74 million in new annual sales and 900 jobs, according to the SE Group report. Begich said it could lead to about $400 million in new investment in the Girdwood area.

Chris von Imhof, general manager of the Alyeska Resort, supports the expansion but said it should be done step-by-step. It will take a while for the market to grow enough to support a second resort, he said.

The project can meanwhile be done incrementally, with a 1.4-mile horizontal tram connecting the present tram at the resort to where three or four high-speed lifts could carry skiers up to slopes above Winner Creek, von Imhof said.

The next step, he said, could be a rustic day-lodge at the mid-mountain level, which would have sweeping views over the Winner and Glacier Creek valleys.

The expansion could take advantage of the existing infrastructure at the Alyeska Resort, von Imhof said. There is no need for now to build new roads, parking or sewer and water service up the valley, except for a small service road, because there is spare capacity in the present facilities at the resort, he said.

Von Imhof said his company, Seibu Alaska, Inc., would certainly cooperate with a developer in Winner and Glacier Creek. Seibu may also be interested in a joint venture on the project, he said.

Gary Bucy, president of Alaska Housewares Inc. in Anchorage, said the ski industry is growing in North America and a lot of skiers today are looking for a better natural experience. "Winner Creek, particularly with its wooded slopes, is totally natural. You can't get that at Vail these days, as hard as they may try to make it natural," Bucy said.

"This is some of the best terrain in the Girdwood valley, with very reliable snow. I believe it has some of the best scenery in North America. Eventually it could be one of the greatest vertical drops on the continent. All experts who have seen the area believe it will be a destination for skiers worldwide."

The option for summer glacier skiing is attractive, too. "There are only one or two ski resorts in North America where skiing can be done in the summer," Bucy said.

Lana Johnson, a volunteer with Girdwood 20-20, agrees the expansion should be incremental. A new hotel would probably come in a later stage of development, she said.

The project wouldn't compete with the existing resort or a planned ski development at Hatcher Pass in the Mantanuska-Susitna Borough. Having several places to go would really put Anchorage on the map as far as winter tourism goes, she said.

Johnson compared the prospect with what Salt Lake City offers today, with several ski areas reachable by short drives from the city.

Cross-country ski trails would also be developed as a part of the plan. Trails in the area would meet International Olympic standards for terrain changes, which ski trails in Anchorage, including Kincaid Park, do not.

"Developing a cross-country trail system in Girdwood would provide opportunities for cross-country skiing as good as anywhere in Anchorage," said Jim Galanes, head ski coach at Alaska Pacific University and a former World Cup and Olympic racer.

"Developed properly, it would give Girdwood both beginner and more advanced cross-country trails that would provide a broad base for community use. It would make hosting high-level cross-country events possible and provide more year-around trails that can be used in summer for hiking, biking and other outdoor activities," Galanes said.

The economic benefits of cross-country ski trails might be less than downhill skiing, but there are substantial community benefits, he said. Construction and operating costs are also lower.

Bucy said the higher elevation of the proposed cross-country trails means the area will have better snow conditions than the ski trails in Anchorage. It also gets more sunlight, he said.

The proposed new development would add 3,750 acres of new ski terrain, with a vertical drop of 4,400 feet. The Alyeska Resort now has only 1,000 acres of ski terrain, and a vertical rise of 2,500 feet.

The current ski area at Alyeska has mostly intermediate and advanced slopes. Only 11 percent of the terrain is suitable for beginning skiers. In contrast, 90 percent of the slopes in the Winner and Glacier Creek valleys are suitable for beginners and intermediate skiers.

Cannelos said the municipality will be careful with the draft RFP and plans a careful public review, to avoid the kind of local controversy stirred up by a proposal to build a golf course in Girdwood. The RFP deals with winter recreation development, not the proposed golf course, he said.

The land involved has also been designated for winter recreation in municipal and state land-use plans, Cannelos said. A one-mile road corridor has already been designated from the end of the present road, he said.

What the municipality wants to avoid is a haphazard development as has happened with some ski areas in the Lower 48, Cannelos said.