BLOG

Stevens Pass Celebrates Grand Opening Of New Jupiter Express Chair

LoRes_FirstChair-JupiterExpressNew High-Speed Quad and Mill Valley Terrain Opens For Season

LEAVENWORTH, WASH. (December 21, 2013) – Stevens Pass Mountain Resort opened its new high-speed Jupiter Express chairlift and the Mill Valley backside terrain today. The new chair’s opening caps more than $4.5 million in lift and terrain improvements at the resort for the 2013-14 season. It is the first new chairlift in 15 years for the resort and the only new lift in Washington this year.

Jupiter Express, a high-speed Doppelmayr detachable quad chairlift, has replaced the Jupiter fixed-grip chairlift in Mill Valley. The new lift, terrain expansion and new gladed areas in Mill Valley mark the first major capital improvements for the new ownership and operating group, which acquired Stevens Pass in November of 2011 from Harbor Properties.

“Today’s grand opening of our new Jupiter Express quad is an exciting moment for the resort,” said Karl Kapuscinski, president and CEO of Stevens Pass Mountain Resort, LLC. “We are thrilled to open the new lift just in time for the holidays after our Mountain Operations crew has worked so hard over the last eight months to get it installed.”

Jupiter Express has replaced one of Stevens’ most popular lifts and will cut the ride time in half, from eight minutes and 30 seconds to just four minutes and 10 seconds. It uses the same alignment as the previous Jupiter Quad, spanning 3,755 feet with a vertical rise of 1,344 feet. Construction on the new lift began in April.

In Mill Valley skiers and riders will be able to enjoy new gladed terrain in the South Park, Lower Gemini, Shooting Star, Pegasus Gulch and Borealis areas. Terrain has also been expanded in the South Park area of Mill Valley, providing guests with additional tree skiing.

“The new Jupiter Express lift is going to drastically change how our guests are able to enjoy skiing and riding on the backside,” said Kapuscinski. “This is just the beginning of exciting new improvements planned around the resort in the future, for both winter and summer operations.”

Media Contact:
Chris Danforth
V.P. of Sales and Marketing
Stevens Pass Mountain Resort
(802) 282-3508
chris.danforth@stevenspass.com

About Stevens Pass Mountain Resort
Stevens Pass is located 78 miles east of Seattle on the crest of the Cascade Mountain Range. Stevens averages over 450 inches of snow annually, covering 1,125 acres of skiable terrain – including 38 major runs and numerous bowls, glades and faces. The ski resort has a variety of terrain for every age and skill level. Normal winter operations run from late November to mid-April.