In the winter of 1934, Seattle made national news by opening one of the first municipal ski areas in the country at Snoqualmie summit, championed by Mayor John F. Dore, a skier who envisioned the project as one that could lift his city's spirits during the midst of the Great Depression. The Ski Park grew, installing a rope tow in 1938 and a chairlift in 1954. The Milwaukee Railroad offered access by train from downtown Seattle in two hours. The pass now consists of four alpine ski areas: Alpental, Summit West (formerly named Snoqualmie Summit), Summit Central (formerly Ski Acres), and Summit East (formerly Hyak).

Seattle Times photographer Josef Scaylea took this photo of a UW ski team member at Alpental, and wrote of the photo, "A UW racing member about to take a horrendous spill. This shot was up for the top award in a national press contest but was turned down because one of the Judges said they couldn't award the top award to a staged set up. Anyone who has ever skied knows you can NOT get your skis crossed in this manner and recover, not even if you are an Olympic champion."

Handwritten on image: Josef Scaylea.
Handwritten on verso: Alpental Ski Area, 1976. Sports. Skier in trouble on Denny Mt., Alpental Ski area. Mt. Rainier in Background. A UW racing member about to take a horrendous spill. This shot was up for the top award in a national press contest but was turned down because one of the Judges said they couldn't award the top award to a staged set up. Anyone who has ever skied knows you can NOT get your skis crossed in this manner and recover, not even if you are an Olympic champion.

Caption information source: "Seattle's Municipal Ski Park at Snoqualmie Summit (1934-1940)" John W. Lundin and Stephen J. Lundin, HistoryLink.org Essay10362