"Major Windstorm" Closes Popular Lift at Snoqualmie

A key chairlift at Washington’s Summit at Snoqualmie ski area remains out of commission after it was hit by a “major windstorm” last week. 

The lift, the Silver Fir Express, accesses some of Summit Central’s toughest terrain and, according to a Summit at Snoqualmie social media post, “is down for the count for the foreseeable future” because of “the scope of the damage and the work required to get [it] checked and ready to spin again.”

The storm, the ski area said, ripped roof panels off the Silver Fir Express’ upper terminal, exposing some of the lift’s components to the elements. 

"We are incredibly grateful for our lift maintenance teams who work tirelessly to keep our fleet of chairs spinning. Thank you for all that you do!" the Summit wrote.

As of Tuesday, March 17, Silver Fir remained closed, according to the Summit's snow report. 

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The news follows a wild storm that recently cruised into Washington,  producing lots of snow and rain that stymied operations at multiple mountains. 

The Summit at Snoqualmie temporarily closed because of a power outage, while Crystal Mountain faced a closure of its access road, 410, as trees fell onto the highway.

Stevens Pass dealt with operational hiccups, too.

“Between heavy snowfall, long power outages, highway closures, and elevated avalanche activity, it’s been a stretch of true mountain excitement,” the ski resort said in a social media post.

The accompanying winds were intense. 

KING5 reported that, on Wednesday night, one of the Summit’s ski areas, Alpental, saw gusts of 134 miles per hour—per the Beaufort wind scale, that’s well over the benchmark for “hurricane” grade winds. Lower down, on Snoqualmie Pass, the winds hit 73 miles per hour, also falling into the Beaufort “hurricane” bucket.

While it wasn’t a perfect storm for skiers, there were moments that provided a distraction from what’s been a memorably snowless season in the Pacific Northwest. Last week, the Summit reported a 69-inch seven-day snow total, sharing images of skiers and snowboarders finding the goods.

The powder frenzy, though, seems to be over, for now. Temperatures have climbed across Washington’s mountains, bringing every skier’s least favorite form of precipitation, rain.