Hi, I’m a local at Hyak and a loyal Snoqualmie season pass holder who misses my morning ski tours up the hill. I’ve put this petition together to hopefully restore weekend uphill access at Hyak in a friendly way where we all (skiers and the Summit) both win.
Signing instructions:
- Snoqualmie passholders only, one signature per account.
- Use the email associated with your snoqualmie pass account
- Leave a comment if there’s anything additional you’d like to communicate to the Summit operations
You will be asked to confirm your email via a link sent by civist.com. I chose them specifically because their privacy policy claims to not own or use data from subscribers of petitions, unlike other petition platforms. I plan on sharing this data with the Summit at Snoqualmie.
The Petition
We, the undersigned, are a community of dedicated Summit at Snoqualmie Season Pass holders and local outdoor enthusiasts. We value The Summit not just for its lift-accessed terrain, but for the unique opportunity it provides to engage in fitness and ski touring on our local east mountain.
We are writing to propose a modification to the recent restriction on weekend uphill travel from Jan 3rd – March 1st. We understand and respect the operational challenges that led to this decision—specifically the paramount need for safety regarding winch cat and winch operations, downhill traffic overlap, and the critical issue of parking capacity at east lots.
However, the current total weekend ban removes a significant value proposition for many loyal pass holders who rely on early morning touring before the lifts open.
We propose a “Dawn Tour” compromise that solves the resort’s operational concerns while restoring access for your loyal passholders:
The Proposal: Controlled Access at Hyak
Reopen the designated uphill route on Summit East (Hyak) on weekends from 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM.
We believe this specific window and location addresses the resort’s primary concerns in the following ways:
1. Safety & Grooming (No Conflict with Operations) By 7:00 AM, visibility is sufficient to ensure uphillers can see and avoid mountain grooming operations. Furthermore, a strict 9:00 AM cutoff of uphill travel ensures that uphill travelers are off the main runs before the lifts open and the first wave of downhill traffic arrives. We believe this eliminates collision risks between uphillers and downhillers.
2. Optimizing Parking Revenue (The “Double-Dip” Benefit) We understand that parking is a finite resource that must be prioritized for paying customers. We also want parking to be prioritized for paying downhill pass customers, not just uphill passes. However, the current ban leaves parking spots empty between 7:00 AM and 8:30 AM.
- An early-morning uphiller occupies a spot from 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM.
- As they leave, the spot becomes available for a lift-serviced skier arriving for the 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM shift.
- Result: This allows the resort to serve two pass holders with a single parking spot each day, rather than just one. This maximizes the utility of the lot and increases the number of paying customers served daily.
3. Enhancing Pass Holder Value Many of the undersigned are downhill Season Pass holders who view uphill access as a key amenity included in our purchase. Restoring this access demonstrates that The Summit values its core community and is willing to work creatively to keep recreation accessible.
Moving Forward
We are not asking for a return to unregulated access. We are not asking for unsafe practices. We are not asking for the summit to allow “freeloader” parking. We are asking for a structured, safe, and limited window that allows us to enjoy the mountain we love without interfering with operations.
We invite the management team to meet with community representatives to discuss how we can implement this “Dawn Tour” route at Hyak safely and effectively.Signed,The Summit at Snoqualmie Community & Season Pass Holders