Mammoth Mat at Alpental

Solo Skiing on a Rare Bluebird Day

It can be difficult to find a bluebird ski day in Washington state. Most days Washington's ski hills are cloudy and low visibility due to fog. Conditions can change rapidly overnight and early morning. Just because the forecast is showing sun doesn't always guarantee a bluebird day.

Luckily, Alpental's close proximity to Seattle solves that problem. This small and secluded ski area is just 45 minutes east of Seattle on I-90. If you want a sunny day just check the current conditions mid morning and blast up to the mountain in no time. Parking is limited at Alpental, but if you get there at noon, many of the early morning mountain-goers have left and plenty of spots are available to park and throw down your Mammoth Mat.

All About Alpental

Alpental was named after the German word for alpine valley. The ski area gets its name for good reason. It's located in a 50 mile long valley east of Seattle and north of Snoqualmie Pass. Alpental sticks to the German theme. Most, if not all of the buildings are Bavarian style, which creates a cozy outdoor atmosphere and an inspiration for wanderlust.

Alpental was founded in 1967 starting with three chairlifts and a base lodge. Alpental's inbound skiing terrain is steep and challenging, but if skiers and snowboarders are looking for more, there are 500 acres of back country terrain available. Today, Alpental has one quad chair and three fixed-grip double chairs.

The Mountain

Alpental has four chairs: St. Bernard, Sessel, Armstrong Express, and Edelweiss.

St. Bernard and Sessel

Both of these lifts service bunny slopes. Alpental is one of the four ski areas at the Summit at Snoqualmie. Because of the limited vertical at these mountains, a lot of the terrain is beginner friendly. You will see a lot of young, first time skiers and snowboarders on the mountain. The Summit at Snoqualmie is where I started to ski at four years old. Alpental's terrain is much steeper than the three other hills, so St. Bernard and Sessel's runs are more fit for a beginner who has a few days under their belt.

Armstrong Express (a.k.a. Chair 1)

Armstrong Express is the only high-speed quad chair at Alpental. Most skiers use this lift to get to Edelweiss, but Armstrong's runs are just as fun and not as challenging. All of the blue runs under Armstrong and to the skier's left are groomed. Debbie's Gold, the blue run under the chair is a series of rolling hills. You can get some some serious speed and launch off each knuckle, but be careful of intermediate skiers around and in front of you. Armstrong also has three black diamond runs that a bit steeper. They're fun, but it makes the already short Armstrong Express even shorter.

Edelweiss (a.k.a. Chair 2)

Edelweiss is the reason advanced skiers come to Alpental. The wait in the lift line can be long due to Edelweiss being a slow moving, fixed-grip two chair, but it's absolutely worth the wait. The terrain serviced by Edelweiss cannot be found at the other three Summit at Snoqualmie ski areas. It's very steep any way down. Edelweiss is definitely not a chair for beginner skiers or even intermediate skiers and it can be difficult for snowboarders.

The most famous and challenging run at Alpental is International. It's a double-black diamond just to the right as you get off the chair. There aren't many ways to enter Upper International. Skiers have two options to drop in. 1: cat-track the skiers left and drop in to the wide chute, or take the skiers right and hit the other double-black Adrenalin. Both runs meet up at Lower International. Once at Lower International you won't be able to ski back to Edelweiss, so you will have to take Armstrong Express back up. International and Adrenalin can be amazing runs on powder days, but you'll want to get to the mountain early to experience it to the fullest. Mid-to-late day you will be skiing giant moguls.

The Edelweiss Bowl is just to the left off the lift. Skiing this way opens up a lot of options. The Bowl makes up a lot of Alpental's inbound terrain. Even though the trails in the bowl are rated black diamond, the runs can still be difficult. It's a steep drop in from the top of Chair 2. The upper half of Edelweiss Bowl is almost always full of moguls, but if you make it down you are rewarded with some groomed trails. Skiing the Edelweiss Bowl will bring you right back to Chair 2 for another run.

Go to Alpental

Alpental is part of the Ikon Pass, but that shouldn't stop you from going. Alpental's lift ticket prices are reasonable and the short drive from Seattle makes it a breeze. It's a great mountain for families or advanced skiers and the Bavarian theme makes it that much more fun.

Thanks for reading the Mammoth Mat blog. Until Next Time!