Crystal Mountain announces opening date as WA ski season kicks off
SEATTLE – Skiers and boarders, start your engines – and pull out the wax. The Pacific Northwest ski season is officially beginning: Crystal Mountain Resort will open Friday, making it the first Western Washington Cascades ski area to start spinning chairlifts.
Crystal will open for season-pass holders Friday and will welcome the general public Saturday. Operations will be limited to two lower-mountain chairlifts: Discovery and Chinook Express. The Mount Rainier Gondola will be open for scenic rides only, including access to Summit House dining, and more terrain will open as conditions permit. Parking will be free and first-come, first-served before parking reservations and fees go into effect Dec. 26. Expect a DJ, free hot cocoa and cookies to mark the festivities on both days.
Later this week, Crystal plans to announce an operations schedule beyond opening weekend, dependent on snow conditions.
On Highway 2, Stevens Pass has delayed its planned Friday opening while it waits for sufficient natural snowfall to open its main runs. The ski area did not confirm an opening date at press time.
Stevens will turn on the base area rope tow for laps on a miniterrain park with jumps and rails from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday; a ticket for this preseason rail session will be $20 for the public, free for season-pass holders. The T-Bar will be open for food and drinks from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Across the Cascades, Mission Ridge kicked off the new season Saturday and Sunday with four runs, two chairlifts, a rope tow and its terrain park. The ski area outside Wenatchee is closed through Thursday and reopens Friday.
The bluebird skies that settled over the Pacific Northwest around Thanksgiving made for a sun-soaked holiday weekend but left local ski areas high and dry. Much-needed mountain snow is in the forecast from Thursday onward. For the rest of Washington’s alpine destinations, the waiting game continues.
There is no opening day announced for the Summit at Snoqualmie or White Pass Ski Area, both of which have received minimal natural snowfall. Mt. Baker Ski Area was sitting at a healthier 18-inch base heading into the holiday weekend but requires at least a 20- to 40-inch base to open.
“Big snowfall is expected to move in Friday and we should see our snow base build significantly over next weekend,” Mt. Baker said in a snow report published Tuesday.
In Eastern Washington, fan favorite 49 Degrees North in Chewelah will open Saturday, while Mt. Spokane is still praying for snow.
Elsewhere in the region, Sun Peaks, British Columbia, beat everyone to the punch with a Nov. 18 opening day. Hot on its heels, Big Sky in Montana fired up on Nov. 22 with six runs and three chairlifts as it eyes its longest ski season. Whistler Blackcomb, B.C., and Sun Valley, Idaho, greeted skiers and riders last Thursday. Also in Idaho, Schweitzer’s opening day was Saturday. Oregon is having a slow start to the season, with no ski areas open.
The Vail Resorts Epic Pass, which provides access to Stevens Pass and Whistler alongside dozens of other ski areas globally, goes off-sale Sunday.
The Summit at Snoqualmie warns that pass inventory is approaching a sellout.
Ikon Passes, which provide access to Crystal, Snoqualmie and many other international ski hills, are still available for sale, as are Crystal’s season-pass offerings.