White Pass Ski Resort Expansion Project

Expansion realized, White Pass to celebrate by supporting community charities

Skier at White Pass Ski Resort

White Pass, WA - September 2010 – With lift construction complete and contractors working on final stages of the mid- mountain lodge thoughts have turned to planning for opening day. Foremost amongst those plans is finding a way to “give back” by providing a major fund-raiser. In partnership with Yakima Downtown Rotary, Rotary Auction Chair, Doug Picatti and White Pass General Manager Kevin McCarthy believe that the grand opening of the Paradise Basin Expansion provides an unprecedented opportunity to raise funds benefiting the entire community. McCarthy said, “The expansion project has been a dream for White Pass skiers and snowboarders for more than three decades and there is no better way to celebrate than to share the realization of our dream with non-profits like Yakima Rotary who are in the business of making dreams come true every day.”

White Pass is offering three distinct, exciting fundraising options- two of which will be offered exclusively through the upcoming Rotary Auction held November 6th.

1) McCarthy has donated to the auction the highly coveted “First Chair” ride on both the Basin Quad & the Couloir Express.

2) McCarthy has also offered up for bid “Naming Rights” for run Number 8 in the expansion area.

3) Finally, White Pass will host a luncheon and expansion area tour and free-ski for the first 250 online registrants. The luncheon will be held from 11 am – 4 pm on the day before the ski area’s official opening. Details and registration for the Expansion tour & luncheon will be available online beginning October 20th at noon.

McCarthy and Picatti have set the fundraising goal at $150,000 which will be allocated to both Rotary Charities and to Children’s Village of Yakima and Mary Bridge Children’s Foundation. McCarthy said,“The grand opening of the lifts, lodge and new terrain at White Pass presents a once in a lifetime opportunity for us to raise a significant amount of money for local non-profits. We are grateful for this chance to partner with Rotary as we work together to keep dreams alive in our community.”

All three fundraising options are open to the public. Additional details can be found online at: SkiWhitePass.com

White Pass Expansion Quick Reference

White Pass Expansion Aerial view The Basin Expansion is currently underway. Lift construction is complete while work continues on slope development and the High Camp Lodge.

The expansion includes:

Basin Quad. Fixed grip quad chairlift approximately 3,700 feet in length with a top terminal elevation of 6,200’. The Basin Quad includes 4 ski trails and one lodge access trail along with an access trail from the existing Holiday Trail and an egress trail to the existing Quail Trail.
Couloir Express. Detachable quad chairlift approximately 4,200 feet in length with a top terminal elevation of 6,541’. The Couloir includes seven ski trails and and an egress trail from the High Camp Lodge.
Terrain. All developed and undeveloped trails and facilities are in a sub-alpine area of naturally open vegetative terrain necessitating very little tree removal and almost no ground disturbance.
High Camp Lodge. The High Camp Lodge is located on a slight ridgeline between the Basin & Couloir chairlifts. This structure is a critical component in the development of the basin by allowing White Pass guests to enjoy the two upper chairlifts without returning to the base area for services.

Also New at White Pass this season:

Ticketing System. Axess ticketing system utilizing RFID smart cards and allowing direct-to-lift access
Parking Lot. Located at the Southeast corner of the ski area

It is important to remember some of the reasons this expansion has been approved

1984 Washington Wilderness Act removed 800 acres for ski development at White Pass in exchange for 23,000 acres of wilderness. The acres set aside for wilderness were immediately included into the wilderness system, yet 20 years later the skiing public is still waiting for the agreed upon increase in developed ski terrain.
The Congress of the United States provided for this action and would expect completion of their legislation.
White Pass has experienced an increase of 36% in visits over the past four years highlighting the need to provide
additional terrain to reduce skier/boarder density within the area.
The expansion area is in an inventoried roadless area and, therefore the necessary facilities will be constructed
without the use of roads. Helicopters, over snow travel and pathways will be used for all construction.
The area is naturally gladed and open necessitating a maximum of 15 acres of tree removal over a 767 acre area.

Click here for more information.

Photo Credits: Matthew Poppoff

For more information, contact:

White Pass Scenic Byway
PO Box 957
Packwood, Washington 98361
Phone 360-494-2223