Test report The Summit at Snoqualmie

About 50 miles eastward of Seatte is the ski resort at the Snoqualmie Pass. If you leave the highway 90 at the exit 52 you can reach Alpental. The high speed quad Armstrong Express carry the skiers and riders very quick to the mid station at an elevation of 4400 ft. In connection is the double chair Edelweiss up to the highest lifted point in the area at an elevation of 5420 ft. Only advanced and extreme runs lead back to the valley from this point. A lot of advanced runs are in the Edelweiss Bowl below the double chair and the extreme runs lead around the big rock through the forest back to the base station. In the Alpental Backcountry you have a lot of possibilities to ski or ride back down. It is fantastic with only two chair lifts such a huge terrain of gigantic runs. From the mid station you have intermediate runs down to the base area, too. Two double chair lifts, called Sessel and St. Bernard, are near the base area and open up the only easy runs for beginners at Alpental at which the beginners will prefer the runs at Summit East, Central and West. At the base area is the Tiroler Stube and an other restaurant for a break.

The drive from Alpental to the other slopes at the pass is about 5 minutes. The are extend from the exit 52 until the exit 54 and offers mostly easy to intermediate runs. The Summit Central is the core of the ski resort. The high speed quad Central Express transport the skiers or riders very quick up to the peak at an elevation of 3865 ft. From here you can reach nearly every part of Central Summit, more double and triple chairs serve the wide intermediate slopes with short steep runs between the trees.

Via a run through the forest you can reach the Summit East - two double chairs open up mostly intermediate runs underneath the Mt. Hyak (3710 ft.). Summit East is only open on weekends and holidays. Back to Summit Central is an easy slope. To reach the Summit West area you have to take the triple chair Triple 60 and via the crossover you can reach the slopes there. Two quads, two triple chairs and two double chairs open up intermediate runs on tree free slopes. Back to Central Summit you have to take the crossover again. Other activies, such as snowtubing, funparks, halfpipes and cross country tracks top the attractions off at the 2840 ft. high Snoqualmie Pass.