Last year, The Summit at Snoqualmie in Washington announced the Summit 2030 plan, which aims to modernize the infrastructure at the four mountains that are a part of this unique ski resort. The first major replacement was the Hidden Valley Chairlift, which opened this season. On deck is a slew of changes at Alpental.
Alpental announced on Wednesday that they’ll be adding three new chairlifts over the course of the next two seasons.
The new chairlift for the 2023-24 season will be the replacement of the Sessel. This Riblet will be replaced by a fixed-grip triple chairlift. The new lift’s capacity will be nearly doubled, carrying 1800 riders an hour. The Doppelmayr chairlift will have a length of 1790 feet, a vertical rise of 590, and a max operating speed of 500 feet per minute. Some of the chairlift features will include a loading conveyor and a top terminal that will be further up the slope to provide easier access to the future International chairlift. They will also begin construction on the first phase of the Edelweiss & International chairlift projects.
Due to these massive builds, Alpental will be closing on April 23rd to immediately begin work on offseason improvements. They’ll need to build some snow roads on Alpental, as they don’t actually have summer roads there, so it becomes more difficult to do construction work once the snow melts. Summit Central and Silver Fir will remain open till April 30th.
Two new chairlifts will open during the 2024-25 season. After initial construction work this summer, the International and Edelweiss Triple Chairlifts will make their debut during the 2024-25 season.
The International Chairlift will service advanced and expert terrain, along with the Nash backcountry gate. The Edelweiss triple chairlift will replace the current one, which is a fixed-grip double. This will lead to shorter lines, increased uphill capacity, and a more reliable operation.
You can learn more about The Summit at Snoqualmie’s plans here.
Image/Video Credits: The Summit at Snoqualmie
