Ski Bluewood, WA, Announces Delay on New High-Speed Quad Lift

In an unfortunate turn of events at Washington’s Ski Bluewood, the resort announced that it would not be able to complete its new Skyline Express chairlift ahead of the 2026-27 ski season. The announcement comes after the resort did not receive shipments containing the new lift’s rope and bullwheels on time, forcing the resort to miss the lift’s summer construction timeframe.

“Unfortunately, we’re not going to be able to get the lift in,” Ski Bluewood manager Peter Korfiatis said in the resort’s announcement. “I’m pretty sure everyone knows that now.”

The announcement marks the second significant delay of the Skyline Express as the resort continues to battle logistical issues regarding lift parts. The lift was initially scheduled to open for the 2025-26 season, but a “dispute with the lift broker” left Bluewood without critical components, forcing the resort to push construction back to the summer of 2026.

While the dispute seems to have been solved with the remaining components on the way from Austria, their anticipated mid-September arrival misses the limited timeframe the resort has to remove the old Skyline chairlift and then construct the new chairlift. With the delay, the resort plans to build the new lift in April 2026, with the goal of completing it in either September or early October 2027.

When completed, the Skyline Express will be the resort’s only high-speed bubble quad. It will have a carrying capacity of 2,400 people per hour, and it will significantly reduce wait times while increasing comfort and reliability.

While Ski Bluewood still awaits the arrival of its rope and bullwheels, the resort has done what it can to ensure that once the parts arrive, it can hit the ground running in the spring. Crews have moved forward with pouring concrete, backfilling its towers, and preparing the land for new lift infrastructure. The resort also confirmed that it has all other remaining pieces of the lift, and when the new parts arrive and the season ends, it can get to work.

“Starting in April, there are no questions asked,” Korfiatis said. “It’s remove the chairs, cut the rope, and start going.”

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Because of Bluewood’s small size, the delay significantly impacts its operations for the upcoming season. The resort only has two lifts: the old three-chair Skyline Express and the three-chair Triple Nickel. The Skyline Express is the only lift that takes skiers to the peak of the resort, and it provides skiers access to the majority of the resort’s terrain. Without it, Korfiatis believes operations would be unfeasible.

“If we don’t have a lift, we don’t have a season,” Korfiatis said. “I don’t think we can just turn on the Nickel and say ‘there you go.’ That’s not fair to everybody.”

So with the delay’s official announcement, skiers at Bluewood will be back on the old triple-chair Skyline Express as they await the new lift’s completion in 2027. While the old lift is significantly slower, it gives Bluewood’s skiers one more year to ride the nostalgic triple chair.

“For now, we’re looking forward to one last ride with our beloved lift and to welcome everyone back to the mountain soon.”

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Ski Bluewood is also working this summer to make it a more appealing year-round destination by adding mountain biking trails. The resort has received approval from the Forest Service to move forward with the project, and crews are currently working with Tamarack Trail Works on the development and construction of the trail network.

“Our goal is to have all four of these trails ready for an initial mountain bike preview following completion of the new lift, providing riders access to 20-plus miles of trails, for all ability levels,” Ski Bluewood announced.