Shorter wait times expected with Stevens Pass chairlift upgrades

STEVENS PASS, Wash. - Construction crews are making great progress on some major upgrades at Stevens Pass that should get skiers and snowboarders on the hill faster and increase capacity this fall.

There isn’t much snow on the ground at the resort right now, but General Manager & Vice President Tom Pettigrew was already thinking ahead to fall on Wednesday as he watched construction crews work on the new Daisy chairlift.

"Seeing all the workers swarm around, it’s really cool to see it take place," he told KOMO News.

The Daisy chairlift is one of two that is being replaced and upgraded at the resort this summer to get skiers and snowboarders on the hill faster and increase capacity.

"Daisy was and will be our beginner chairlift," Pettigrew said. "And this was a 3-passenger chair, and we’re replacing it with a 4-passenger chair. So, for this specific chair it's about a 32% increase."

Crews have now reached the six week point on construction.

On Wednesday, crews poured concrete to create column footings for the Daisy lift’s new towers.

"The surveyors marked where the towers and columns would go and the excavators were here digging the holes. And now concrete, and the next step will be the steel, then the rope for the cables, and then the chairs," Pettigrew said.

Part of the multi-million dollar construction project will include moving the Skyline Express chairlift more than 150 feet further up the mountain.The shift should make it easier for skiers and snowboarders to access the Skyline, Brooks, and Hogsback lifts.

"Right here at the base, we’ll have four detachable quad chairlifts. That’s a lot of capacity out of our base area," Pettigrew said.

The resort also plans to upgrade some dining options inside its central lodge.

Construction should be done by mid-November - just in time for the start of ski and snowboard season at the beginning of December, Pettigrew said.

"December 4th is our opening day. If Mother Nature’s cooperative and we get a lot of Pacific Northwest snow, we would open as early as we can," he added.

Stevens Pass kicks off its summer season this Friday, June 28, with the opening of its bike park at 12 p.m.