New chairlift will change the way you ski Alpental in Washington

When I was younger, I used to be an avid skier. I tried snowboarding years later and I just couldn't adapt. I think if I had spent more time I might have managed it. My kids certainly did. We're lucky, those of us who live in Wenatchee, because we have Mission Ridge just minutes away. But when I was living in Burien, one of the places where we would go ski was Alpental. 

Over the years, there's been lots of expansion on Snoqualmie Pass. Since 1967 there has not been a lot of expansion at Alpental. They had lots of lofty plans and expectations that never came true. Because of avalanche concerns. But this new chair lift at Alpental? Is quite something.

According to SeattleTimes.com,
‘As the fifth new lift between Alpental and The Summit at Snoqualmie in six years, the $7 million Internationale chair is arguably the most visible, and logistically complicated, capital improvement thus far in the resort’s Summit 2030 plan.’ 

Now I did ski Alpental once or twice in my youth, but I found it a little bit discouraging because the terrain was a little more difficult than I was prepared for, so I went back to the summit. 

What has occurred now with the advent of the new chairlift is it's changed the way people ski the entire mountain area. Providing another way to get to the summit and is providing new advanced terrain and reducing wait times at other ski lifts in the area. 

This new lift totally changes the scope of what can be seen and experienced at Alpental.
How this new chairlift has improved the Alpental ski experience | The Seattle Times