Snoqualmie Pass, Washington — The International Triple Chair is among the most anticipated new chairlifts that will open during the 2024-25 ski season.
Alpental, one of the four ski areas that are a part of The Summit at Snoqualmie, is regarded as one of the most challenging ski areas in the country. However, not all of its trails are easily accessible by lift. That will change with the addition of the new International Chairlift.
Work is currently underway to install a Doppelmayr fixed-grip triple chairlift. The International Triple Chair will service advanced and expert terrain, along with the Nash backcountry gate. In particular, it will provide guests easy access to Lower International, Snake Dance, Felson & the Back Bowls. Construction on this chairlift started last summer and has resumed for the final push.
Over the past couple of weeks, work has escalated on the International chairlift project. Last week, Alpental ski patrollers delivered materials for the top terminal shack. This required them to take the Edelweiss Chair to the summit of Alpental, then hike down to the location of the future top terminal of International.
Then, the major work commenced. Over the past week, helicopter crews installed thirteen lift towers. Although installing a lift tower only takes a few minutes, it’s a delicate balancing act, requiring collaboration between workers on the ground and the helicopter crew that is delivering the parts.
Another difficulty with this process is that Alpentals’ steep and rocky terrain has resulted in the building of a few huge lift towers, which needed to be installed in multiple steps. One of the lift towers, situated on the Snake Dance/Felson cliff band, is over eighty feet tall. You’ll probably want your restraint bar down during that part of the trip up.
The other new chairlift project for Summit at Snoqualmie is Wildside. Over at Summit West, the Wildside triple chairlift has been known for servicing quality terrain. However, it was difficult for guests to access and became less reliable over the years.
Next winter, a new fixed-grip quad will replace the old Wildside chairlift. The chairlift will have a length of 2035 feet, a vertical rise of 660 feet, and an uphill capacity of 1700 people per hour.
Image/Video Credits: The Summit at Snoqualmie
