Washington — It was a frantic end to the season at Alpental. The Washington ski area, which is a part of The Summit at Snoqualmie, had to end its season earlier than usual because of the need to prioritize construction of its next major chairlift project.
Following the additions of the Sessel and Internationale chairlifts, along with a capacity increase for the Armstrong Express, the lift infrastructure at The Summit at Snoqualmie’s signature ski area has improved drastically over the past few years. However, their biggest project yet may be currently underway.
This offseason, Chair 2 (also known as Edelweiss) is being replaced by a new Doppelmayr fixed-grip triple chairlift. This new chairlift will increase capacity, reduce lift lines, and improve reliability in the Edelweiss terrain pod. The good news for fans of the old Riblet chairlift is they’re planning to keep the buildings around the top terminal, including the off-ramp and the patrol shack. This chairlift will service advanced and expert terrain.
Work on the project commenced quickly after Alpental closed for the season on April 13th. With snow remaining on the ground there for a longer time than most ski areas, they have less time to construct a lift like this. Workers brought snow groomers, spider excavators, and other equipment to work through the snowpack and begin to dig into the areas that will hold the new towers.
Later that week, the chairs were removed from the old Edelweiss. Some of the chairs were auctioned/raffled off at the Chair 2 Festival a few weekends ago, while the others will be sold later this spring.
The latest update came yesterday, with helicopter crews being called on for the first time in this process. The helicopter flew away the old lift towers and other parts of the Riblet chairlift.
I’m impressed with how much they’ve been able to accomplish so quickly, especially considering how much snow is still there. If everything goes according to plan, Alpental will have the new Edelweiss chair spinning during the 2025-26 season.
Image Credits: Alpental (The Summit at Snoqualmie)
