New Summit Uphill Policy in effect now

It's disheartening to see the ski resorts charge money, limit access, restrict parking, and just plain be a pain in the ass to the backcountry skiing community. Most backcountry skiers I know, me included, sometimes ski inbounds. We are their customers on a different weekend. This kind of behavior makes me reluctant to ski at these resorts when I decide to ski inbounds.

MangyMarmot wrote:

It's disheartening to see the ski resorts charge money, limit access, restrict parking, and just plain be a pain in the ass to the backcountry skiing community. Most backcountry skiers I know, me included, sometimes ski inbounds. We are their customers on a different weekend. This kind of behavior makes me reluctant to ski at these resorts when I decide to ski inbounds.



 

The resorts essentially have a monopoly. They know you aren't actually going to drive an extra hour to ski at a different resort. The only way to effect change is to lean on them whenever they have to go through the Forest Service for constructing improvements, and most importantly when their lease needs to be renewed (whenever that will be). At least in Oregon the snopark system is public so they can't completely kick you out. 

Also it is a misconception that the resorts pay a meaningful amount for the privilege of their lease agreements. Compared to their profits, the cost of the lease is immaterial. Sadly Vail has made certain that the Forest Service keeps the actual amount paid by resorts a secret so as not to offend public sensibilities. 

www.aspentimes.com/news/forest-service-e...int-by-vail-resorts/

I can't speak for all of the Snoqualmie ski areas, but I'm pretty sure Summit Central is private land. The land was bought by Ray Tanner (the original developer) from the Northern Pacific Railroad back in 1949.

Snoqualmie Pass area looks like it is a mix of public/private.  I can't vouch for how accurate the lines are, but most of my travels in the state are pretty close to how accurate this map is in private/public lands for this website.  If you know how to use this website, it shows public/private lands in Washington state:
wa-rco.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard...4cc0b4e18cb0b88006ab
 

Cool. Thanks Stefan.

Zooming in on the pass, it appears that Summit Central and most of Hyak are private land.

That was my guess, based on their history. I knew Ray Tanner bought Ski Acres years ago, and I figured that Hyak was probably private, because of its railroad history (as the Milwaukee Ski Bowl).

It also makes sense that the old Mountaineers hill was/is private, because the Mountaineers used to own it.

Summit West began it's skiing history in the 1930s as the Seattle Municipal Ski Park. Does that mean the City of Seattle owned it? Probably.

I note that there is a small square of private land right near the pass itself. I'm guessing that was previously owned by the City of Seattle and later bought by Webb Moffett during establishment of the private Snoqualmie Pass ski area there. Moffett probably got a Forest Service permit for the rest of the land used by what is now Summit West.

Note also the private land surrounding Beaver Lake (NW of the old Ski Acres plot). I'm guessing that may be a remnant of the old Seattle Ski Club ski jump hill from the 1930s.

Cool. History, written in the landscape.