Mountain Review: Summit at Snoqualmie
MOUNTAIN SCORE
NOTE: This page only covers Summit at Snoqualmie’s interconnected Summit East, Summit Central, and Summit West zones. For the separate expert-oriented Alpental zone, see our Alpental review.
CATEGORY BREAKDOWN
See our criteria
6
Snow:
4
Lifts:
6
Resiliency:
5
Crowd Flow:
5
Size:
6
Facilities:
4
Terrain Diversity:
6
Navigation:
6
Challenge:
2
Mountain Aesthetic:
GOOD TO KNOW
On-site Lodging: Yes
Apres-ski: Limited
Pass Affiliation: Ikon Pass
Recommended Ability Level:
+ Pros
High annual snowfall
Convenient location from Seattle
Extensive selection of bunny hills
Available night skiing
– Cons
Wet, heavy snow
Meager vertical drop
Slow lifts with no safety bars in many areas
I-90 highway background noise
Summit East closed on weekdays
MOUNTAIN STATS
Lifts: 20
Trails: 65
Beginner: 15%
Intermediate: 40%
Advanced/Expert: 45%
Mountain Review
While Summit at Snoqualmie and Alpental are technically part of the same resort, the two are separate ski areas separated by a few miles. Snoqualmie is the family-oriented mountain of the two. Both resorts are only an hour or so from Seattle along Interstate 90.
The first thing you’ll notice about Snoqualmie is that it’s more of a hill than a mountain. The vertical drop is only 1,100 feet at its highest point, on par with resorts in much flatter places, and as low as 765 feet in major areas. Aesthetic-wise, no mountain features especially stand out, although some decently striking mountains exist in the backdrop. With Interstate 90 just feet away from the resort, highway background noise looms just about everywhere.
The Summit at Snoqualmie essentially consists of three distinct areas connected by a series of traverses: Summit West, Summit Central, and Summit East (nearby Alpental, which we’ve covered in a separate review, is part of the same ticket but not connected to the rest of the resort). The three zones cater to different groups and offer distinct terrain experiences.
Summit West, the resort’s shortest area vertical-wise, mainly functions as a mega bunny-hill. A series of magic carpets and chairlifts service wide beginner and intermediate hills, although a few short black runs exist in the area as well.
Summit Central, the resort’s middle area, primarily contains runs that start with advanced pitches then mellow out. Despite the very short fall line, some of the glades in this area contain fairly technical advanced terrain. This area also boasts Snoqualmie’s two terrain parks, which offer engaging features ranging from small to large. Lower mountain areas also comprise a variety of bunny hills.
Summit East is not open on weekdays or for night skiing. But when it’s open, this area offers the resort’s best advanced terrain, longest vertical drop, and most isolated runs. The East front side offers a few genuinely trying mogul runs as well as some beginner and intermediate slopes. East also contains Hidden Valley, the resort’s only backside area and the only real escape from Interstate 90 across all of Snoqualmie.
Lifts at Snoqualmie are a mixed bag, with two high-speed lifts in the Central area but slow, fixed grip lifts everywhere else. But given the resort’s short footprint, no lift rides last particularly long. However, lines can build up on weeknights, weekends, and holidays, especially at the Central high-speed chairs. Multiple chairlifts lack safety bars—a surprising omission from a resort that caters so much towards families. It’s pretty straightforward to get around Snoqualmie thanks to good signage and the short footprint, although getting across the wide footprint can require some traversing.
The Summit receives remarkable snow totals each winter, with accumulation often among the top ranks of U.S. resorts. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean that the snow itself is always enjoyable to ski in. The mountain sits in an extremely wet climate at a relatively low elevation, making for some of the wettest, heaviest conditions we’ve tried anywhere. Many visitors will find themselves preferring non-powder days to powder ones. Temperatures fluctuate above and below freezing throughout the season, and early-season months commonly see rain. Fog is omnipresent through most of the winter, although the skies tend to clear up in spring months..
As a generally day-tripped mountain, you might not expect Snoqualmie to have the fanciest on-mountain facilities. However, decent options exist across the resort, with a sizable, modern lodge at the base of Silver Fir as well as indoor and outdoor cafeterias at the East, Central, and West bases. The Central and West lodges reach capacity on busy days, so while smaller than the other two, the East base lodge can often be the best place to find a seat.
One of Snoqualmie’s strongest suits is its night-skiing operation. Summit Central stays open until 10pm six nights a week during the peak season, while Summit West stays open late four nights a week. Terrain of all ability ratings stays open at night, making for a fun experience for just about everyone who would frequent the mountain during the day.
Lodging
A limited number of condos, inns, and motels exist alongside the mountain. Some of these options offer ski-in/ski-out access. However, the mountain is about 20 to 30 miles from nicer, more varied hotel selections in the town of Snoqualmie. In addition, parts of Seattle with extensive hotel, inn, and Airbnb selections exist only about an hour away.
Apres-ski
As a family-friendly day-trip resort, Snoqualmie generally lacks an aprés-ski scene. However, some base lodges offer bar service and beers on tap.
Verdict
Although Snoqualmie’s eye-catching snow totals and West Coast location may entice out-of-towners, those thinking of booking a destination vacation here will want to look elsewhere. However, for those in the area, the Summit at Snoqualmie is a solid learning area and a more-than-decent option as a short day trip. Lift ticket prices, while still high, are cheaper than other major nearby resorts and will probably give beginners and intermediates the most bang for their buck in the Seattle area.
