Dayton, Washington — The 2025-26 ski season was supposed to be a transformative one for Ski Bluewood. The plan was to install a high-speed bubble quad chairlift during the 2025 season. However, it wasn’t meant to be due to some strange circumstances.
Ski Bluewood ended up acquiring the chairlift from a ski resort in Austria. They had a disagreement with the lift broker, which led to a lawsuit and ultimately delayed the project. This meant that Bluewood was stuck with its fixed-grip triple chairlift for the 2025-26 season. Up until yesterday, there weren’t many noteworthy updates as to what was going on.
Bluewood delivered an update on the project yesterday. An agreement has been reached to bring the remaining chairlift parts to the U.S. However, it’s unclear whether it can be ready for the 2026-27 season. This is due to the need to inspect these parts to make sure they’re safe to install. If this inspection goes well, the lift would seemingly be able to open next winter.
However, they aren’t committing to a timeline yet due to the uncertainty and unpredictability this situation has created. There could already be some damaged parts, or they could get dinged during shipping. Add in the uncertain bumps in the chairlift construction process, and it risks delaying Bluewood’s opening day or its season in general. TLDR: Bluewood isn’t sure when it’ll open yet.
Other Projects
Work is also underway on a new summer attraction. Four mountain bike trails will be constructed this summer. These routes will be on the Champagne, Green Giant, and Country Road trails. The Country Road run will serve as an emergency access route and the easy way down. With likely no lift access this summer, the uphill route will be situated on the Tamarack trail. More routes will be sculpted during future seasons. Other planned additions for the 2026-27 season include adding lights for night skiing and renovating the base lodge.
You can read Bluewood’s letter to guests here. We’ll keep you posted on how the lift and mountain bike trail construction efforts go at Ski Bluewood this summer.
Image/Video Credits: Ski Bluewood, Brandon Jentzen
