Alpental

Alpental, the German word for "alpine valley", is both a valley in King County, Washington, United States and an alpine ski area in the valley. The valley is about 50 miles (80 km) east of Seattle, Washington and is north of Snoqualmie Pass, in the Washington Cascades. It is a popular outdoor recreation destination in both the summer and winter. The ski area is one of four areas which make up the The Summit at Snoqualmie.

The Valley

The valley runs north to northwest from Snoqualmie Pass for about 3 miles (5 km). Geologically, it is a three-sided canyon. Along the west side of the valley a ridge runs between Denny Mountain, Bryant Peak and Chair Peak. Source Lake occupies the upper valley area at the north side of the valley. This lake is the source of the South Fork of the Snoqualmie River, which meets the other forks of the Snoqualmie River prior to Snoqualmie Falls near North Bend, Washington. On the east side of the valley lies Guye Peak, Cave Ridge, and Snoqualmie Mountain.

The valley is about 50 miles (80 km) east of Seattle, Washington. The Alpental Road (Forest Service Road No. 9040) begins at I-90 Exit 52 at Snoqualmie Pass and runs into the valley. The Alpental Road may also be reached by taking the Denny Creek Road (Forest Service Road No. 58) in the summer months.

Recreation

Alpental Valley is a popular outdoor recreation area in the Cascades during both the summer and winter.

In the summer, Alpental Valley provides a starting a point for hikers and climbers. The hiking trails provide access to the Alpine Lakes Wilderness; there is a rich history of climbing starting from the Alpental Valley floor.

During winter, people downhill ski and snowboard at the challenging but historically relaxed Alpental Ski Area (part of the The Summit at Snoqualmie ski resort). Recent additions by Booth Creek Holdings have added gas fire pits, heated sidewalks and other creature comforts that attract city folk and their dogs during ski season. While most of the mountain is skiable by intermediate and advanced skiers, the cliff areas are the roughest skiing terrain in the state, and must only be attempted by very experienced skiers. The expert run Internationale is well-known among Puget Sound area skiers and snowboarders, and has been affectionately nicknamed "Nash." The ski area is served by four chair lifts and a rope tow on the west side of the valley beneath Denny Mountain. People backcountry ski, snowshoe and ice climb in Alpental Valley using the upper parking lots, traditionally known as lots 3 and 4, as a starting point.

Olympic gold medalist Debbie Armstrong developed her skills at Alpental while growing up in Seattle. The run "Debbie's Gold" and the "Armstrong Express" chairlift are named for her.

The [http://www.sahalie.org/history.htm Sahalie Ski Club] operate a private ski area in the Alpental Valley; for members, benefits include access to a lodge and two rope tows.

Avalanches are a risk in the Alpental Valley; a number of people have died in the valley as a results of avalanches. cite news
last = Porterfield
first = Elaine
title = Beautiful backcountry can be deadly for the beaconless
work = The Seattle Post-Intelligencer
date = 2005-01-23
url = http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/157790_avalanche23.html
accessdate = 2007-01-01 ] cite news
last = Blanchard
first = Jessica
title = Alpental avalanche kills one man, injures another
work = The Seattle Post-Intelligencer
date = 2005-01-23
url = http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/207697_avalanche13.html
accessdate = 2007-01-01 ]

Ownership and development

The land in the valley is in a mixture of public and private ownership. Most of the upper slopes of the valley are publicly owned under the management of the United States Forest Service (USFS). The Summit at Snoqualmie (including Alpental) is owned by CNL Income Properties with a long-term lease to Boyne USA Resorts.The ski runs of the Alpental Ski Area are on USFS Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest land and are operated under a Special Use Permit (SUP) cite news
last = Welch
first = Craig
title = Bigger, better Snoqualmie envisioned
work = The Seattle Times
date = 2005-12-28
url = http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=snoqualmie28m&date=20051228
accessdate = 2007-01-01 ] cite web
title = Summit at Snoqualmie Master Development Plan. Draft Environmental Impact Statement.
publisher = USDA Forest Service - Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
date = December 2005
url = http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/mbs/projects/summit-at-snoqualmie/download.shtml
accessdate = 2007-01-01 ]

References

For more information of recreation in the Alpental Valley see:
* cite book
author = Spring, Ira
authorlink = Ira Spring
coauthors = Manning, Harvey
year = 2001
title = 55 Hikes around Snoqualmie Pass
publisher = The Mountaineers
id= ISBN 0-89886-777-0
* cite book
author = Volken, Martin
title = Backcountry Skiing Snoqualmie Pass
id = ISBN 0-7627-1066-7
date = 2001
publisher = Falcon
* cite book
author = Nelson, Jim
coauthors = Potterfield, Peter
title = Selected Climbs in the Cascades
publisher = The Mountaineers
id = ISBN 0-89886-767-3
date = 1993 For maps of the area see:
* cite map
publisher = Green Trails Inc
title = Snoqualmie Pass, WA – No 207
year = 1996
scale = 1 : 69,500
series = 15 Minute
* cite map
publisher = United States Geological Survey
title = Snoqualmie Pass Quadrangle, Washington
year = 1989
edition = Provisional 1989
scale = 1 : 24,000
series = 7,5 Minute Series (Topographic)
isbn = 0-607-58301-0

External links

* [http://www.summitatsnoqualmie.com The Summit at Snoqualmie Ski Area]
* [http://www.alpental.com Alpental website - History of Alpental and virtual tours]