Washington – Another ski resort is adding paid parking. However, season passholders won’t need to foot the bill.
Yesterday, The Summit at Snoqualmie announced that there will be daily paid parking for everyone except season passholders during the 2024-25 season. The policy will be in effect from November 18th to April 30th, each day from 7 am to 2 pm. Summit at Snoqualmie has struggled with its parking availability for years, as its convenience to the Seattle area coincides with those who want to go skiing, snowboarding, tubing, ski touring, and hiking.
Ikon Pass and ticket passholders will need to pay $5 per day to use the parking lots. Ikon Passholders already have to reserve to go to Summit at Snoqualmie (although this isn’t really an enforced policy). However, those who have a season pass at Summit at Snoqualmie, which includes the Alpental Plus Pass, Alpental LTD Pass, Summit Pass, and Remedy Pass, won’t need to pay for parking. All that Summit passholders need to do is register their vehicle online. For season passholders, the Washinton ski resort plans on sending out the permit codes in November.
Those who buy uphill passes will be relieved to know that they won’t be charged any extra. Tubers who purchase a pass ahead of time will get a code to park for free. In addition, those who go night skiing won’t need to pay for parking. Frequent Summit at Snoqualmie guests will be sent an email to register. The website allowing people to purchase permits, redeem codes, and register their vehicles will launch in November.
For those who aren’t there to ski or ride, they’ll have to pay (gulp) 55 DOLLARS A DAY. Some use the Snoqualmie to go backcountry skiing or access Commonwealth Basin and Snow Lake. That price point seems a little excessive, in my opinion.
Reactions to the changes are mixed. Some welcome the change, as finding parking has been a significant issue at Snoqualmie, even with their improvements. Others dislike the move, saying it’s yet another barrier to entry. Some people are annoyed that they’re adding this before a rope tow at the terrain park, which is a valid criticism.
Other significant changes coming this season include the addition of two new chairlifts. Alpental is adding the International Chair, making it easier to access advanced and expert terrain. Over at Summit West, the Wildside triple chairlift is being replaced by a new fixed-grip quad chairlift.
Image/Video Credits: The Summit at Snoqualmie
