Alpental

While Summit at Snoqualmie and Alpental are technically part of the same resort, the two are separate ski areas separated by a few miles. Alpental is the expert-oriented mountain of the two. Both resorts are only an hour or so from Seattle along Interstate 90.

Alpental is a small area, comprising only a bit more than 500 skiable acres. But within that footprint exists some of the most enjoyable terrain in Washington. Alpental’s lower mountain includes a few cruisers and some steep, ungroomed lines. Some really nice glade runs exist down here as well.

Alpental’s upper mountain contains advanced and expert terrain only. Runs and glades maintain consistently steep pitches, and many contain features such as chutes and cliffs, some of which require straight-lining in sections. The toughest runs can be found on Alpental’s back side, which extends the entirety of the resort’s vertical drop and requires an extremely steep entry through the double-black International trail. Alpental’s back bowls—seldom-patrolled, variably open areas with no defined trails—contain extremely technical lines with very little room for error and uncertain avalanche safety. Due to the hazardous and isolated nature of this terrain, the back bowls require a pass from ski patrol before entering. A prominent section of Alpental’s facade is so extreme that it’s permanently closed.

Alpental is designed for experienced skiers, with very little in the way of terrain for beginners and intermediates. The only green terrain exists off a bunny hill lift that doesn’t run on weekdays. The lower mountain does contain some decent blue terrain, but there are really only two distinct routes down, and they’re inconsistently groomed.

Despite being only an hour away from Seattle, Alpental enjoys generous snow accumulation each year. The area regularly sees over 300 inches each season, making for a number of powder days. However, Alpental’s snow is about as wet and heavy as it gets, meaning that unlike regions with lighter snow that reliably offer enjoyable conditions, new accumulation can be arduous and unpleasant to plow through. On the other hand, the generally higher elevation helps Alpental maintain slightly better snow quality than neighboring Summit at Snoqualmie.

Alpental’s temperatures also tend to hover around the freezing mark throughout the season, so conditions can be quite variable. It’s common for accumulation to warm up and then freeze over, and conditions can quickly turn sour even after a major storm. And even after fresh snowfall, the powder can hide layers of weirdly crusty snow. After storms, your skis can eject and get caught deep in the snow if you’re not careful. Alpental often employs avalanche control on its steepest terrain, and after a freeze-over, avalanche debris can become rock hard and turn into an obstacle in and of itself. The resort also sometimes sees rain, especially during the earlier winter months.

You might think that given its small size and bend towards experts, Alpental wouldn’t attract many people. But the mountain is only about an hour away from Seattle, and experienced skiers from the metro area flock here thanks to its close-by location. And unfortunately, Alpental’s lift setup is just not equipped to handle these crowds.

There’s really only one lift route to get up the mountain (two short chairs serve a few uninteresting lower-mountain trails), and on peak days, it can get horribly backed up. When you get to the resort, the lower leg of this route—the Armstrong Express high-speed quad—might already seem pretty bad, with 30-to-45-minute lines common on weekends. But the Edelweiss double chair, which provides the only access to advanced and expert upper mountain areas, even more direly needs a capacity upgrade. While low traffic in the area helps preserve snow quality, this vintage chair can see hours-long lines. Since Alpental’s best runs require lapping both the Armstrong and Edelweiss chairs, skiing them on the busiest days can mean wasting more than half your day just in lines. The best time to visit Alpental is during the week, when lines are typically nonexistent.

Alpental’s capacity issues carry over to its on-mountain facilities. The mountain’s only lodge complex is at the base; indoor seating is quite limited, so on busy days during lunch hours, finding a seat can be more of a hassle than it’s worth. A number of outdoor seating options exist as well, but weather conditions can make these undesirable. Consider warming up in your car if you visit during a peak time.

As you might expect from such a small mountain, Alpental is generally straightforward to get around. However, the resort’s back bowls have no markings and very few easily defined paths, making it incredibly easy to get lost in there. If entering this area for the first time, be sure to go with someone experienced. In addition, some trails can get flat in parts, making it difficult to keep up speed, especially when it’s snowed recently.

Thanks to a jarring, cliff-riddled facade across its front side, Alpental boasts a remarkable aesthetic for such a small resort. The mountain has essentially no build-up outside the base, making for a general feeling of isolation. However, the view and sounds of I-90 from the base of Edelweiss remind you that you’re not completely removed from the outside world. The resort can feel gloomy at times due to perennial fog, and visibility can get tough during peak winter months.

It’s worth noting that Alpental offers night skiing on its lower mountain four days a week. While the resort’s most interesting terrain isn’t open during the evening, some decently steep runs remain open and it rarely gets crowded.

Lodging

Although Alpental offers no on-mountain lodging, a few no-frills inns and hotels exist a few minutes away alongside the main Summit at Snoqualmie area. The mountain is about 20 to 30 miles from nicer, more varied hotel options in the town of Snoqualmie. In addition, parts of Seattle with extensive hotel, inn, and Airbnb selections sit only about an hour away.

Aprés-ski

Alpental isn’t exactly known for the craziest aprés ski scene. However, the resort boasts base bars with comprehensive selections of beer, wine, and hard alcohol. The resort offers solid drink deals such as heavily discounted shots when paired with a meal.

Verdict

So Alpental offers incredible advanced and expert terrain only about an hour away from the largest city in the Pacific Northwest. But this is both a blessing and a curse, as day-trip crowds on weekends and holidays can heavily degrade the experience. Alpental is certainly worth it if you’re in the area and get a day off during the week, but its very small size means that if you’re looking to travel here from out of town, there are plenty of better options out there.

NOTE:Mountain Score criteria for this resort were adjustedon October 12, 2021.