What a difference a year makes. After last season’s lackluster El Niño winter in the Pacific Northwest and beyond, atmospheric models predicted a return of La Niña. This naturally occurring global climate phenomenon is a favorite among Northwestern skiers and snowboarders, as it typically delivers cooler, wetter weather to our region.
As if on cue, winter came back with a vengeance last month, including a bomb cyclone that triggered blizzard warnings. Cascades ski resorts posted some of their earliest opening days in years — as just one example, Mission Ridge began spinning three lifts the earliest it legally could, with as much snow on the ground on Nov. 23 as it had in mid-January.
Bad news for powderhounds, but the prospects of a powerful La Niña have started to sputter.
“What the climate models continue to show are higher odds than usual of having a winter on the wet side, but it’s ambiguous in terms of temperature,” said state climatologist emeritus Nick Bond.
In other words, there’s a higher likelihood of rain or wet snow, but fortunately no short- to medium-term forecasts of a snow-melting atmospheric river.
Indeed, the Northwest has dried out since Thanksgiving week, although a stormy pattern has since returned. “This dry stretch at normally the wettest time of year gives one pause,” said Bond. “Compared to some months ago, I can’t help but be a bit disappointed.”
But don’t let a bummed-out climatologist dissuade you — most Northwest ski areas are already open daily. According to On the Snow, Mt. Baker Ski Area boasts among the deepest snowpack in North America, a fitting early Christmas present for just-retired general manager Duncan Howat.
The winter ahead is a long one, so read up on what’s new, get your favorite snow toys ready and dive in.
New and upgraded lifts
Patrons at the Summit at Snoqualmie get two opportunities to enjoy that new chairlift smell this winter.
Most noteworthy is the Internationale Chair at Alpental, which Powder magazine called “one of the most highly-anticipated lifts on the continent.” The new chair heading 1,345 vertical feet uphill is the most significant change to Alpental since the ski area opened in 1967. It will boost ski area uphill capacity by 25%, relieve pressure on overcrowded Edelweiss (Chair 2, itself slated for upgrade after this season) and provide access to coveted terrain like Snake Dance, Felson and the Back Bowls.
The Doppelmayr fixed-grip triple took two years to install due to the rugged terrain and lack of roads, with most components airlifted by helicopter or hauled manually uphill. In concert with the new lift, Summit management also installed a fifth remote avalanche control system called Gazex that will enable ski patrol to open avalanche-prone terrain more quickly on powder days.
Across Interstate 90 at Summit West, the 50-year-old Riblet triple Wildside was replaced this past summer with a Doppelmayr quad chair, replete with easy-loading conveyor and safety bars. Summit also put in 56 LED lights underneath Wildside to improve visibility for night skiing (Wednesday through Saturday). The upgrade will enhance the appeal of Summit’s mellowest hill, which will also be easier to reach with a wider, less-steep crossover trail from Summit Central installed in the offseason.
These lift upgrades are accompanied by expanded hours. In January and February, Alpental will open Mondays and Summit East will spin lifts on Fridays.
Farther south, the White Pass Ski Area added fixed-location snow-making machines to give Mother Nature a helping hand on the lower mountain. The Highway 12 ski area also added 13 chairs to the Great White Express quad in order to increase uphill capacity out of the base area.
Crystal Mountain Resort returns to unlimited access on the Ikon Pass this winter for the first time since the 2021-22 season after the resort dialed back its Ikon privileges to alleviate overcrowding. Passholders are eligible for 15% off dining and retail and 25% off of up to 12 friends and family tickets — up from 10 last season. Take your ski and ride buddies on improved terrain, from a regraded Upper Chappelle’s Run and widened Queens Run and Jump Hill to new light poles and LED bulbs on Tinkerbell.
But you won’t need as many discounted tickets for the littles in your life. Kids 12 and younger ski and ride free through Dec. 13 and the entire month of April at Crystal. A similar deal is in effect all season at Loup Loup Ski Bowl in Okanogan County, where kids 12 and younger ski and ride free with the purchase of a parent or guardian’s lift ticket. And back this season, fifth graders ski and ride free all season long at Mount Baker.
Outside the Evergreen State, there are some big-ticket items of note. Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia upgraded the Jersey Cream Express from a quad to a six-seater. Sun Peaks Resort in B.C. opened the new West Bowl Express after three years of construction, expanding alpine access on Tod Mountain.
Lodge life
After over two years of construction, Crystal Mountain threw open the doors to its new Mountain Commons Lodge at the resort’s base area this season. The 25,000-square-foot lodge, which replaced the resort’s rental facility, chapel and Right Angle store, caters to visitors from dawn ‘til dusk. Brew 62 starts slinging coffee before the first lift, the lunch crowd can chow down at the upstairs food hall, and the après scene now heats up at the Bootpack Bar. There’s also a new retail shop for last-minute replacement mittens.
Rafters Smokehouse will open weekends only as a full-service dine-in restaurant. Uli’s sausages are on the menu at the new seven-days-a-week Cascade Biergarten, which takes over the old Fireside Cantina space. Higher up the mountain, Crystal added seating to Campbell Basin Lodge and has rolled out the return of a full lunch selection on Thursday through Sunday (cold options only Monday to Wednesday). The Trident Seafoods Fish Shack will be open daily on the upper mountain lodge’s new outdoor patio.
At Stevens Pass Ski Resort, take a few laps then log into that pesky Teams meeting with newly installed Wi-Fi at Pacific Crest Lodge. Got the munchies? Pacific Cantina is serving up a fresh rice bowl, while chicken tenders and fries join the lineup at Iron Goat Pizzeria. Staying late? A new dinner menu will be on order at Bull’s Tooth Pub when night skiing is operational.
Alas, it’s another lodge-less season at Hurricane Ridge after a destructive May 2023 fire, but the Olympic Peninsula’s plucky winter sports club will still operate its tow ropes on weekends, holiday Mondays and Christmas week (excepting Christmas Day). Just prepare for the lack of indoor warming facilities.
An honorable out-of-state mention goes to historical Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood, whose original pool and hot tub reopened this winter after a two-year renovation.
Transportation 411
Parking is a perennial pinch point for Seattle-area ski destinations. At its worst, full parking lots can leave arriving skiers and snowboarders turned back disappointed.
But change is afoot: The three closest day trip destinations now have some form of parking management in place to keep their lots open for paying customers.
The Summit at Snoqualmie introduced a parking permit system for all lots maintained by the ski area this season, effective 7 a.m.-2 p.m. daily through April 30. No reservations are required.
Annual permits are included for season passholders, who should have received an email in November with a redemption code. Flex Ticket Pack buyers receive the same amount of permits as the number of days in their pack. Permits are $5 per day for Ikon passholders and lift ticket buyers. Tubing park ticket buyers do not pay additional parking fees. Permits are $55 per day for all other visitors — including backcountry skiers and snowshoers.
First-time violations are $55, then $200 per offense. Visit parkatthesummit.vpcpay.com to register vehicles and pay violations. Limited free parking is available along Highway 906, which runs through Snoqualmie Pass between I-90 exits 52 and 54.
At Stevens Pass, lots A, B, E and G require a reservation for parking before 10 a.m. on peak days (weekends plus Dec. 26-31, Jan. 1-3, 20 and Feb. 17). Parking in these closer-in lots is free during these periods for vehicles with four or more passengers, as well as one adult with two children. For all other vehicles, reserved parking costs $20. The remainder of lots are free and first come, first served. Make reservations at parkstevenspass.com.
Parking reservations for arrivals before noon remain in effect at Crystal Mountain through the end of March on weekends, holiday Mondays and weekdays from Dec. 23 to Jan. 1. Reservations are $10 per day, free for season passholders and day ticket buyers if made within one week of visit date. Make reservations at parking.crystalmountainresort.com.
For alternatives to driving, Crystal’s free shuttle from the Enumclaw Expo Center (45224 284th Ave. S.E., Enumclaw) is available four times each direction on Saturdays, Sundays and holiday Mondays, as well as Dec. 26-Jan. 1. The first shuttle runs on Dec. 21. Reservations are required and open this Saturday.
To the Mountain shuttle returns with service from Seattle to local mountains. Daily departures to Summit via Fremont, University of Washington, Capitol Hill, Bellevue, Issaquah and North Bend are $29 one way. Weekend departures to Stevens Pass via Kirkland, Woodinville and Sultan, as well as Crystal via Renton and Greenwater, are $56 one way.
The Hurricane Ridge Winter Shuttle is back on Saturdays only Dec. 21-March 30, plus holiday service on Dec. 22, 26, 27 and 29; Jan. 19-20; and Feb. 16-17 ($25 per passenger plus $15 National Park entrance fee).
The free SkiLink service from downtown Wenatchee to Mission Ridge is also back with weekend rides, plus new service Friday afternoons and evenings in January and February for night skiing.
Flights
A few top ski destinations are now in easier reach.
Alaska Airlines will begin flying three times per week from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to Colorado’s Eagle County Regional Airport from Dec. 20 to March 16. That will make for a shorter trip to Colorado resorts like Beaver Creek and Vail without having to brave Interstate 70 from Denver.
The multitude of uncrowded ski resorts in interior British Columbia are at least a six-hour road trip from Seattle. But they are now closer with the introduction of year-round service from Sea-Tac to Kelowna International Airport via Alaska Airlines (one to two times daily beginning Dec. 19) and WestJet (five times weekly beginning Jan. 17, then daily after Feb. 17).
The frequent flights to Kelowna shorten the trip to Big White Ski Resort and SilverStar Mountain Resort, both about an hour from the airport (shuttle service available). Revelstoke Mountain Resort, with the longest vertical drop in North America, is an eight-hour drive from Seattle but less than three hours from Kelowna.
The Kelowna flight won’t save a ton of time if heading to Whitewater, but the ski resort near Nelson, B.C., has the province’s most significant new addition: 60 acres of expert terrain including four new runs in the Ymir Bowl.
This winter is also the second season of shuttle service from Calgary Airport to Kicking Horse in Golden, B.C.
Human-powered: Nordic, snowshoeing, backcountry
Snowshoers and winter hikers rejoice: The Asahel Curtis Sno-Park near Snoqualmie Pass has been expanded to a new, larger Franklin Falls Sno-Park with room for 100 vehicles and vault toilets. Marked snowshoe trails lead toward Franklin Falls.
Farther east on Interstate 90, Easton Reload Sno-Park, which is shared between motorized and nonmotorized users, will remain open this winter. It was among a slate of proposed Sno-Parks closures this season.
Nordic skiers despair (temporarily): A portion of The Road, a trail maintained by the Kongsberger Ski Club at the Cabin Creek Sno-Park, is scheduled to reopen Dec. 15 after logging closures by the Forterra conservancy. Check kongsbergers.org/Grooming Report for updates..
There’s better news farther west on I-90, where the Snoqualmie Nordic Club’s new warming hut will mark its first full winter alongside the groomed Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail about one-third mile east of the Hyak Sno-Park.
Finally, despite a U.S. Forest Service hiring freeze affecting seasonal employees, the Northwest Avalanche Center (partially funded by USFS) secured a public safety exemption and has one more person on its roster of avalanche observers and forecasters than last season.
Off-hill pursuits
Looking to spend a down day off the slopes? Hometown gear-makers Outdoor Research reopens its Sodo flagship store (2203 First Ave. S.) on Friday after a six-month redesign with a party including raffle prizes, food and drinks.
Chamonix, France-based ski brand Black Crows has landed in Seattle and is roosting all winter inside the Rapha Clubhouse on Capitol Hill (301 E. Pine St.) with a seasonal pop-up.
Speaking of Chamonix, local backcountry skiers and splitboarders are fond of a portmanteau that makes a cheeky comparison between our humble I-90 mountain pass and the famed European alpinism hub. Fine art photographer Scott Rinckenberger seized on the phrase and just opened “You Are Here: Snoqualmonix,” a new exhibition running through April, at his eponymous North Bend gallery (106 W. North Bend Way). The Cascades are not the Alps, but there is serious mountain terrain to explore in Seattle’s backyard — admire it behind framed glass, or go ski it for yourself.
