After all the changes that took place last year, is it possible that Washington’s ski scene is still underrated?
It seems that way. Ski magazine recently published its annual resort guide in which it lists the top 30 ski areas in North America and the top 10 resorts in 20 categories.
Washington ski areas were mentioned precisely zero times.
“We are extremely underrated,” said Tyler Ceccanti, a professional skier from Lake Tapps. “We have some of the most diverse terrain you’ll ever see. I’m surprised that Crystal gets overlooked. Every time I take somebody there for the first time, they are blown away.”
Washington may not have a destination ski resort, but it has plenty to keep skiers and snowboarders thoroughly entertained. At the heart of Washington’s ski scene are six ski areas scattered across the Cascades.
The Big Six have almost everything a skier and snowboarder needs. Crystal Mountain has runs so steep they’ll make you nervous. The Summit at Snoqualmie and Stevens Pass have some of the best terrain parks and largest night operations in the Northwest. Mission Ridge and White Pass are famous for their family-friendly feel. And nobody in the Northwest gets more snow than Mount Baker.
There are 17 Washington ski areas and backcountry services, but for many these six are the only ones they’ll ever use.

CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN

In its first season, the Mount Rainier Gondola showed precisely how beneficial it can be for the resort.
Thanks to a record 612 inches of snow, the gondola delivered skiers to Green Valley into July in its first season. Crystal used to close for skiing in late April.
The ski area also used the gondola to transport hikers, sightseers and other visitors up the mountain as Crystal transformed into a year-round resort.
“Crystal has changed so much in the last few years,” said Ceccanti, referring to the gondola and the opening of the Northway lift in 2007. “It’s amazing. And it’s going to keep changing and getting better.”
In January, the U.S. Forest Service approved plans for Crystal to upgrade the High Campbell chairlift and expand to Bullion Basin. The new Bullion Basin lift will add about 250 acres of new intermediate terrain to the ski area that at 2,300 acres is already the largest in the state.
The area does not have a timeframe for installing the new lifts.
THE MUST-DO LIST
1. Arrive early for fresh tracks and to avoid a long, long walk from the parking lot.
2. Explore the expert-only terrain serviced by the 3-year-old Northway lift.
3. Test your skills on Silver King’s Pinball Face (or something a little tamer) in Crystal’s famous backcountry.
4. Enter the Dummy Downhill, build a skiing dummy and race it against other dummies.
5. Swap stories with your ski partners at the end of the day in the Snorting Elk Cellar.
WHAT’S NEW
Crystal Mountain is opening a ski and snowboard test center at the top of Green Valley. The test center will have the latest Rossignol, Dynastar and Lange ski and snowboard gear to demo. Participants can swap out gear as often as they like throughout the day. Prices are $60 for skis boots and poles or snowboard, bindings and boots; $48 for skis only or snowboards and bindings only; or $30 for boots only.
RESORT STATS
LIFT TICKETS: $65, $60 youth (11-17). $40 seniors (70 and older), juniors 10 and younger are $5. For those 11 and older, add $8 for a pass that allows access to the gondola. Prices include tax.
SEASON PASS: $799 adults (18-69), $699 youth (11-17), $499 seniors (70 and older) and $50 children (10 and younger).
HOURS: 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
TERRAIN: 2,300 acres serviced by lifts, 1,300 acres of backcountry, 400-foot long half pipe
LIFTS: 12 lifts (one gondola; two high-speed, six-passenger lifts; two high-speed quads; two triples; four doubles; and one children’s surface lift)
TRAILS: 57 runs (11 percent beginner, 54 percent intermediate, 35 percent advanced)
SUMMIT ELEVATION: 7,012 feet
BASE ELEVATION: 4,400 feet
VERTICAL DROP: 3,100 feet including backcountry return
ANNUAL SNOWFALL: 385 inches
CROSS-COUNTRY: None
SNOW LINE: 888-754-6199
MORE INFORMATION: 360-663-2265; <a href="http://www.skicrystal.com">skicrystal.com</a>

MISSION RIDGE

If you have good grades, you can ski for $30 at Mission Ridge. Children in seventh through 12th grade qualify for the discount if they have a 3.0 or higher GPA.
“Just bring in your report card,” said marketing director Jerri Barkley. Then, as if reading the mind of the reporter she was speaking with, she added, “And, no, adults can’t bring in their old report cards.”
The ski area has offered the Club 3.0 tickets for 12 years, but added a new student discount last year when they offered $20 season passes for sixth-graders. Barkley said the program is back this year after the number of sixth-graders with season passes quadrupled last season.
As the only major ski area on the east slopes of the Cascades, Mission Ridge boasts what’s arguably the fluffiest powder in the state. It also gets the least amount of snow of the Cascade resorts, which is why it also has the state’s largest snowmaking system.
THE TO-DO LIST
1. Rub the wing of the B-24 Liberator that crashed here in 1944. Rubbing the wing, mounted at the top of Bomber Bowl, is supposed to ensure a snowy winter.
2. Visit the region by rail on Amtrak’s Empire Builder.
3. Stop by the faux Bavarian town of Leavenworth for an authentic Italian dinner at Visconti’s.
4. Go night skiing and enjoy the live music in the lodge on Saturday nights in January and February.
5. Take a sixth-grader. They can get a season pass to Mission Ridge for $20.
WHAT’S NEW
Mission Ridge gave its main lift, the Liberator Express, an upgrade over this summer. Analog controls were converted to a digital system and the electrical motor and weather protection were upgraded. Officials say the upgrades will make the lift more reliable and allow them to diagnose problems quicker. The lift was plagued by electrical problems and weather delays ever since it was installed in 2005.
RESORT STATS
LIFT TICKETS: $51, $45 young adult (13-17), $33 youth (7-12), $33 seniors (62 and older), $9 children (6 and younger). Prices include tax. Lift tickets are more expensive during holidays and weekends.
SEASON PASS: $500, $400 young adult (13-17), $250 youth (7-12), $100 children (6 and younger), $400 seniors (62-69), $270 super seniors (70 and older). Prices include tax.
NIGHT SKIING: $15
HOURS: 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Thursdays-Mondays
TERRAIN: 900 acres including a 3.5-acre terrain park, the highest in the state at 6,400 feet.
LIFTS: Three two-seat lifts and one high-speed quad
TRAILS: 36 runs (10 percent beginner, 60 percent intermediate, 30 percent advanced)
SUMMIT ELEVATION: 6,820
BASE ELEVATION: 4,570
VERTICAL DROP: 2,250
ANNUAL SNOWFALL: 135 inches
CROSS-COUNTRY: Ten miles of trails located four miles away at Squilchuck State Park.
SNOW LINE: 509-663-3200
MORE INFORMATION: 509-663-6543; <a href="http://www.missionridge.com">missionridge.com</a>

MOUNT BAKER

Mount Baker is the only ski area in the Cascades where you can get a lift ticket for under $50. On weekdays, an adult lift ticket is $46. A weekend lift ticket is $51, the same price as last year.
“I know it sounds corny but we are trying very hard to balance profit with what’s a fair price,” said resort spokeswoman Gwyn Howat. “I think people appreciate that, especially in these economic times.”
Last year, Ski Area Management magazine named Mount Baker “the best lift ticket deal in North America.”
Mount Baker will see significant upgrades this season. In addition to spending more than $100,000 for lift maintenance, the ski area will unveil a three-story mid-mountain lodge.
This season marks the 27th anniversary of the Legendary Banked Slalom, the Northwest’s best-known snowboard race. The winners get a duct tape trophy, but the event, which is as much a celebration of the sport as it is a race, draws snowboarders from around North America, including Olympic athletes.
THE TO-DO LIST
1. Go on a powder day.
2. Stop at the Harvest Moon Bakery in Maple Falls for breakfast on your way to the slopes. They’ll have your order ready if you call (360-599-1347) at least 20 minutes ahead.
3. Try to qualify for the Feb. 10-12 Legendary Banked Slalom. Local qualifiers are Jan. 13.
4. Hunt for one of 5,000 plastic eggs hidden in the snow during the Easter weekend Golden Egg Hunt.
5. Take a lunch break at the new Raven Hut Lodge.
WHAT’S NEW
A new three-story mid-mountain lodge now sits on the location of the old Raven Hot Café. The $3.5 million lodge has room for 300 people and will have food service, restrooms and two fireplaces.
They hope to have the lodge open by Dec. 15.
“It is going to be spectacular,” Howatt said. “And it’s in between our base areas where almost everybody will ski by it.”
RESORT STATS
LIFT TICKETS: $46, $35 youth (7-15), $41 seniors (60-69), $30.50 super seniors (70 and older), children 6 and younger are free. Fifth-graders can also register online to ski free. Prices include sales tax. Prices are higher on weekends and holidays.
SEASON PASS: $745, $670 full-time college student, $545 young adult (16-17), $313 youth (13-15), $200 children (7-12); $400 senior (60-69), $100 super seniors (70 and older). Prices include tax.
HOURS: 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
TERRAIN: 1,000 acres serviced by lifts including a half pipe and a terrain park.
LIFTS: 8 (four fixed quad chairs, two doubles, two rope tows)
TRAILS: 50 runs (24 percent beginner, 45 percent intermediate, 31 percent advanced)
SUMMIT ELEVATION: 5,050 feet
BASE ELEVATION: 4,300 feet main base; 3,590 feet lower base
VERTICAL DROP: 1,460 feet
ANNUAL SNOWFALL: 647 inches
CROSS-COUNTRY: Four kilometers and backcountry trails
SNOW LINE: 360-671-0211
MORE INFORMATION: 360-734-6771; <a href="http://www.mtbaker.us">mtbaker.us</a>

STEVENS PASS

Stevens Pass has long been considered one of the Northwest’s most well-rounded ski resorts because of its challenging backcountry terrain, ample intermediate and beginner runs and the state’s second largest terrain park.
Much of the area also is lit for night skiing.
In recent years, Stevens Pass has become the state’s largest participant in Hope on the Slopes, a 24-hour ski event. Tacoma’s Dave Ludwig started Hope on the Slopes at White Pass to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Participants try to rack up as much vertical as they can during the event. The event has since spread to Stevens Pass, Crystal Mountain and other ski areas around the country. Stevens Pass raised more than $100,000 for cancer research in each of the last three years and more than $177,000 last season.
THE TO-DO LIST
1. Grab a buddy, beacon, probe and shovel, and tour the backcountry.
2. Grab your old gear for Retro Fools Day in early April.
3. Ride Kehr’s Chair, formerly Big Chief, and try not to think about the fact that the 48-year-old lift is so old the parts are no longer manufactured.
4. Catch some air in the Top Phlight Terrain Park.
5. Grab a sandwich on fresh bread at the Sultan Bakery.
WHAT’S NEW
The newest thing about Stevens Pass is best experienced without snow. On Oct. 1, Stevens Pass opened for mountain biking, something the resort has been working toward for years. The ski area has plans to add more trails next summer.
Stevens Pass also has electric car charging stations, capable of charging up to four cars at a time.
RESORT STATS
LIFT TICKETS: $62, $42 seniors (62-69) and youth (7-12), $15 seniors (70 and older), $8 children (6 and younger). Prices include tax.
SEASON PASS: $909, $299 college pass, $699 Student (13-18), $609 youth (7-12), $799 senior (62-69) $89 super senior (70 and older) and children (6 and younger). Prices do not include tax.
NIGHT SKIING: $40, $35 seniors (62-69) and youth (7-12), $15 seniors (70 and older), $8 children (6 and younger). Prices include tax. Six lifts run at night.
HOURS: 9 a.m.-10 p.m.
TERRAIN: 1,125 acres serviced by lifts including a 25-acre terrain park with a super pipe.
LIFTS: 10 (two high-speed quads, one quad, four triples, three doubles)
TRAILS: 37 (11 percent beginner, 54 percent intermediate, 35 percent advanced)
SUMMIT ELEVATION: 5,845 feet
BASE ELEVATION: 4,061 feet
VERTICAL DROP: 1,784 feet
ANNUAL SNOWFALL: 450 inches
CROSS-COUNTRY: 28 kilometers
SNOW LINE: 206-634-1645
MORE INFORMATION: 206-812-4510; <a href="http://www.stevenspass.com">stevenspass.com</a>

SUMMIT AT SNOQUALMIE

Last season, the state’s most-visited ski area planned to reopen Summit East by Christmas. That area had been closed since a landslide destroyed the lift in January 2009. However, delays pushed the opening to February.
“I think some people didn’t discover it because of the late opening,” said Guy Lawrence, the Summit’s marketing director. “We are still treating it like a new area.
“Those who did discover it seemed pretty happy with what they found, especially the younger people who never skied in that area.”
The Hidden Valley section of the ski area hasn’t been serviced by a lift since the late 1980s.
Summit East’s return finally gives intermediate skiers a place that is more challenging than Summit Central and West but not as extreme as Alpental.
Summit East coupled with upgrades to the Silver Fir terrain at Summit Central is expected to take some of the pressure off of the popular Central Express lift.
THE TO-DO LIST
1. Challenge yourself with a run down International at Alpental.
2. Spend a weekend skiing Hidden Valley.
3. Hit the slopes under the lights in Washington’s largest night skiing area.
4. Spend a day in Central Park, the state’s largest terrain park.
5. Stop by Boxley’s in North Bend, where there is live jazz every night.
WHAT’S NEW
The Summit moved a 210-foot magic carpet from Summit Central to Summit West, which it is making the center of its learning program. It also improved trails accessing the Silver Fir terrain so that it can be accessed easier by intermediate skiers. A new Snow Cat and winch system will enable the ski area to groom more of the terrain at Silver Fir. At Alpental, a new ski patrol station will be used to educate skiers and snowboarders about backcountry skiing.
RESORT STATS
LIFT TICKETS: $59, $40 youth (7-12) and seniors (62-69), $12 children (6 and younger) and seniors (70 and older). Prices include tax.
SEASON PASS: $449, $279 youth (7-12) and seniors (62-69), $89 children (6 and older) and seniors (70 and older), $349 teens (13-18). Prices do not include tax.
NIGHT SKIING: $39, $34 youth (7-12) and seniors (62-69), $12 children (6 and younger) and seniors (70 and older). 15 lifts open at night.
HOURS: 9 a.m.-10 p.m.
TERRAIN: 1,981 acres serviced by lifts. One superpipe, two terrain parks and two beginner parks. 523 acres of backcountry terrain.
LIFTS: 24 (three high-speed quads, two fixed quads, three triples, 10 doubles, six surface lifts)
TRAILS: 65 runs (14 percent beginner, 45 percent intermediate, 41 percent advanced)
SUMMIT ELEVATION: 5,450 feet at Alpental, 3,765 feet at Summit West
BASE ELEVATION: 3,140 feet at Alpental, 3,000 feet at Summit West
VERTICAL DROP: 2,310 feet at Alpental, 765 feet at Summit West
ANNUAL SNOWFALL: 444 inches
CROSS-COUNTRY: 50 kilometers accessed via the Summit East’s Keechelus or the Summit Central’s Silver Fir chair.
SNOW LINE: 206-236-1600
MORE INFORMATION: 425-434-7669; <a href="http://www.summitatsnoqualmie.com">summitatsnoqualmie.com</a>

WHITE PASS

The opening of Paradise Basin wasn’t the only new addition at White Pass last season. The ski area – now the fourth-biggest in the state at 1,402 acres – also added a new event.
Rhythm and Bruise is a snowboarding competition conceived by, among others, Tacoma-based Northwest Snowboards. In its first year the event lured riders from as far away as Tahoe.
White Pass spokeswoman Kathleen Goyette compared the setup to a motocross course. Snowboarders take turns racing down a track that includes jumps, rails and other features.
The winner is determined by the competitors in the field, who all get a say in crowning the champ.
Ski areas from as far away as Japan have contacted organizers and expressed interested in staging their own race, Goyette said. Rhythm and Bruise is scheduled for April 28-29.
THE TO-DO LIST
1. Spend a day getting acquainted with the Paradise Basin terrain that opened last season.
2. Visit during the Winter Carnival (March 3-4) when kids can ride a sled through a giant snow castle.
3. Enter Hope on the Slopes (March 17-18) and see how many runs you can do in 24 hours while raising money for the Cancer Society.
4. Rip down the local’s favorite run by linking Mach V with double-diamond Hourglass.
5. Visit Packwood’s Butter Butte Coffee Co. for coffee, cookies, sandwiches and off-piste skiing tips.
WHAT’S NEW
White Pass added 3 acres of parking and finished some trim work on the mid-mountain lodge it unveiled last season.
Workers spent the summer tweaking the new trails to get them dialed in for Paradise Basin’s second season, Goyette said.
“It feels like Paradise Basin is still new,” she said.
White Pass has eliminated its discounted midweek rates this season, but is offering discounts when you ski there more than once. Your first adult lift ticket of the year is $58 and each additional ticket is $53
RESORT STATS
LIFT TICKETS: $58 for first ticket of season/$53 for additional tickets, $37/$32 juniors (7-12) and seniors (65-72); $5/free children (6 and younger) and super seniors (73 and older).
SEASON PASS: $759 adults, $479 juniors and seniors. Prices do not include tax.
NIGHT SKIING: $25/$20, 4-9 p.m., Saturdays and Holidays Dec. 26-March 3. Free with purchase of a daily lift ticket.
HOURS: 8:45 a.m.-4 p.m.
TERRAIN: 1,402 acres serviced by lifts
LIFTS: 8 (Three high-speed quad, one triple, two doubles, one platter pull, one carpet).
TRAILS: 45 runs (30 percent beginner, 50 percent intermediate, 20 percent advanced/expert)
SUMMIT ELEVATION: 6,500 feet
BASE ELEVATION: 4,500 feet
VERTICAL DROP: 2,000
ANNUAL SNOWFALL: 350 inches
CROSS-COUNTRY: 18 kilometers of trails
SNOW LINE: 509-672-3100
MORE INFORMATION: 509-672-3101; <a href="http://www.skiwhitepass.com">skiwhitepass.com</a>
Craig Hill: 253-597-8497
Craig.hill@thenewstribune.com
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