Two New Chairlifts For Summit At Snoqualmie (11-Apr-10)

Snoqualmie, USA, April 11, 2010 - SkiInfo Reports

There are more signs that lift construction in the US is picking up ahead of winter 2010-11 after very little new construction took place last summer.

The Summit at Snoqualmie located in the Cascade mountains located country’s northwest will install two chairlifts this summer at the Summit East base area, providing access to over 150 acres of intermediate and advanced terrain. In addition to replacing the area’s front-side lift, a double chairlift will be installed on the backside. The two chairlifts will allow access to 65 acres of additional skiable terrain that has not been available for more than 20 years.

The long-awaited expansion of Summit East comes after a landslide took out the area’s main chairlift in January of 2009. Stabilization of the slope was completed last summer.

“We are ecstatic to re-open Summit East and introduce some amazing new terrain,” said Dan Brewster, general manager for The Summit. “Guests will be rewarded with extensive fall-line skiing, steep pitches and solitude that Summit East is known for, while enjoying world-class views of the Gold Creek Valley.”

A triple chairlift, dubbed East Peak Triple, will be installed on the front side of the mountain and a double chairlift, Hidden Valley, will be installed on the backside.

Re-opening the historic terrain on the backside of Summit East (known as “Hidden Valley”) is a long-anticipated step for The Summit. After a 20-year hiatus, this once popular terrain will again be open to The Summit’s skiers and boarders. Combined with the re-opening of the tree-lined, rolling fall-line runs of the front-side, Summit East will offer some of the best intermediate and advanced terrain in the state of Washington.

“Having Summit East back in operation with an additional 65 acres of fantastic terrain is an exciting new phase for us and our guests,” said Trevor Kostanich, director of planning and development for The Summit. “The improvements at Summit East provide more on-hill adventure and represent one of the best components of our Master Development Plan.”

The Summit’s Master Development Plan, approved by the United States Forest Service in November of 2008, includes extensive improvements at Summit East. In addition to the enhancements planned for 2010, construction of a mountaintop restaurant and additional base area amenities are planned for the future.

The Summit at Snoqualmie, operated by Boyne Resorts, is a proud partner of the USFS offering equal opportunity recreation. Boyne Resorts is the largest family owned four-season resort company in North America; founded by Everett Kircher in 1947.

In addition to The Summit, Boyne Resorts owns and/or operates award-winning mountain and golf resorts and attractions throughout the United States and Canada including Cypress Mountain near Vancouver, British Columbia, the freestyle skiing and snowboard venue for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Big Sky Resort in Montana, Boyne Mountain, Boyne Highlands, The Inn at Bay Harbor – A Renaissance Golf Resort and Avalanche Bay Indoor Waterpark in Michigan, Brighton in Utah, Crystal Mountain in Washington, Loon Mountain in New Hampshire, Sugarloaf and Sunday River Resort in Maine and Gatlinburg Sky Lift in Tennessee.

Two other resorts in the region have also announced new lifts - White Pass Ski Area and Crystal Mountain.