Skilifts.org / SORT Forum

Bringing back this topic from the past, but it looks like White Pass is going to try and install two new lifts for their expansion. Chair 5 is going to be a FG Quad while Chair 6 is going to be a HSQ. They also have plans of building another day lodge. The expansion map is below.

I hope they get approval for it. They've been trying to do this since before I was born, but something always gets in the way. I don't see what the problem is- Crystal already borders on wilderness, and that hasn't led to any mass destruction of the pristine environment or anything. As long as they build lifts with minimum impact, i.e. fixed return on top, and build the minimim amount of road necessary, they should be alright.

Here's the website with all the details, a little background, and where to submit comments (for or against) about the expansion.

http://www.skiwhitep.../expansion.html

Every letter of support helps.

Welcome back TomK.

Thanks FLA, I drift in and out.
I wrote to the the FS in support of the expansion, giving examples of why I travel to Baker instead of White. If the area ever gets it's lifts, I think it could become a destination for tree/glade skiing. Most of the woods around here are too dense for more than a few turns at a time.

That's one of the few drawbacks to skiing in western Washington- there aren't many glades or sparse tree areas. I've gone down what looked like a nice tree run and gotten stuck way too many times... :help:

liftmech, on Dec 14 2003, 07:52 PM, said:

At least the western WA & OR trees typically have springy branches you can push out of the way. My days in Colorado and Sierra Nevada trees with thier stiff sharp pointy sticks made me long for a lot more space.

Got a notice from the Forest service about the expansion.
The scoping document got close to 2,500 comments from nearly 800 folks and organizations.
Scoping is one step, the draft EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) will be next.
Estimated date for the EIS is September, 2004 followed by another 45 days comment period.

Full Scoping doc and full text of this notice can be found online here:

http://www.fs.fed.us...ing/white-pass/

If the DEIS, etc. are approved would construction start next summer?I've been wanting to ski that area since I was a kid, but every year the trail map would continue to call the Hogsback lift 'proposed chair 5' and nothing ever went in.

I see that the PCT runs through a small portion of the proposed expansion here. Crystal is facing some of the same issues with its East Peak area, and I think they ended up moving the proposed top terminal of that lift to a new location so the trail wouldn't go under the lift.

Stevens, Summit, Snoqualmie and White all have the PCTrail running through it. hopefully this is not a new trend that the ski areas have to suffer due to the PCT being there, its not necessarily a bad thing that you have to see a chairlift above you every 100 miles. And it makes me wonder if the Pacific Crest Trail bisects so many ski areas to make it easier for people to jump on and off of it more easily if needed.

liftmech, on Jul 5 2004, 04:54 AM, said:

Although not very big, White is a fun place to ski with lots of interesting trail lines and some fun in the trees between the bird runs facing Hogsback basin.
After the DEIS will come the full EIS, and then more rounds of comments.

One of the proposed fixes that came out of the scoping comments was for the PCT to be re-routed so that hikers would never see any lift or resort evidence at all. Unfortunatly, Crystal didn't have that as an option.

I skied White Pass this weekend, and they have most of the components for the new lifts on site and ready to go. They did stick to their word and they are starting this morning.

 24867_394223028192_82667828192_3988249_6585931_n.jpg (100.91K)
Number of downloads: 82

Bill, on 12 April 2010 - 07:56 AM, said:

copying a question over here so that someone else can answer it. Same question is in Images Secions 2010 Expansion Photos

Skier123, on 14 August 2010 - 04:28 PM, said:

I have a quick question about White Pass. I believe that there was an actual topic specifically about the expansion, so I'm sorry for posting my question here rather than there, but if I remember correctly, that topic is pretty far back in the lists.

Anyway, here's my question: which lift is which? I know that there's a new fixed quad (Basin) and a new detachable quad (Goat Rocks Express), but which is which on the map?

Here's the draft of the map from their website:
mapdraft2.jpg

I took a day and skied the WP Expansion yesterday and I was impressed.
Even though the mountain had no power and all the lifts were running on diesel, it was still a fun day.

My thoughts on the lodge. The bathrooms are pit toilets and if you ski around the backside of the lodge, this is very evident and you will notice it. The lodge is nice and without power they were serving very limited food. Even when the power was on, the select was limited to microwave foods, you buy and you zap (they provide 4 microwaves for you to do that). They have issues with the phone lines so all credit cards are manually ran and then ran through the machine the following day. They can only haul stuff up to finish the lodge when skiers aren't on the hill, so currently, that is being done at night. The lodge look very much unfinished but is usable.

The lifts are nice, the trail down to the FGQ is a flat beginner run and you may have to do some huffing and puffing to get to the lift, I did. They were running slower due to the diesel but still gets you up the mountain in a good time.

The runs are pretty much all Intermediate and very skiable. There wasn't any hard black diamonds that I could find, but the tree skiing makes it very fun and enjoyable. I consider this expansion mainly cruisers.

Now I am sure that with moderate snowfall this expansion will be a powder skiers dream. Its enjoyable.

My bitch... name the runs... some have names but most of them are still numbers and I think the new lodge should get a diesel backup generator.

Bill, on 23 December 2010 - 10:39 AM, said:

They seem to lose power a lot at White Pass, they were out last year around New Year's too. It seems like the lines just multiply exponentially when there is no power. I'm sure they're in the process of naming the runs, they probably had to send the maps to press before they had completed it though.

Hello, (I'm the french tourist....)
I ski in White Pass last december : thats true the new ski area is only for beginers ski !! But it's a very good and important investissement for White Pass Resort.
I'm back in France, with full of pictures and I prepare reports for the french web site ( http//:www.remontees-mecaniques.net ).
Do you know the technical caracteristics about the 2 new lifts (Basin Quad and Couloir Express )?

3 first reports from White Pass Resort :

Chair n°4 :
http://www.remontees...showtopic=12182

Far East :
http://www.remontees...showtopic=12179

Great White Express :
http://www.remontees...showtopic=12176

Coming soon Basin Quad and Couloir Express.....


:)