Stevens Pass Mountain Resort opens for the season

STEVENS PASS — The snow has arrived. The season is starting.

Stevens Pass Mountain Resort on Monday announced plans to open Tuesday morning. Managers set a 9 a.m. start time for the Daisy and Brooks chairlifts, with the Hogsback Express expected to open around noon.

Several snowstorms have hit the pass over the last couple of weeks. The most recent flurry added about a foot of snow from Sunday to Monday.

Late November is a typical time to open the ski area, said Chris Danforth, vice president of sales and marketing for Stevens Pass. The plan is to remain open through the winter.

“It’s been snowing in the Pacific Northwest and it seems like it’s going to keep going,” he said. “The forecast has a few more storms coming our way, and we’ll take ’em.”

The National Weather Service expects temperatures in the low 30s all through this week on the pass. Snow is likely for the next few days and possible later in the week.

It’s still too early in the season to say how this winter’s snowfall might compare to past years, Danforth said.

The resort has been working over the last couple of years to be ready for warm winters when snowfall is skimpy. There now are two snow makers, one purchased in 2015 and another this year. They are used early in the season to build terrain and fill in patchy areas. The resort also bought two new snow cats to groom ski runs. One attaches to a tree with a steel cable so it can be used on steep terrain or in rough weather.

A summer work crew cleared, smoothed and expanded trails. The improvements should help the resort keep quality snow and terrain on the runs throughout the season.

“Two years ago, we had the worst snowfall year in, at the time, our 78-year-history,” Danforth said. “That was a real wake-up call that we need to make improvements to help us keep going on those years where we don’t get much snow. And honestly, it helps us open earlier on less snow.”

Nearly $2 million worth of improvements were done this summer. A new parking lot was added at the summit. Parking there is free for cars with at least four people and $20 for fewer passengers. The goal is to encourage carpooling in order to reduce congestion and pollution. Space for another 90 cars was added among the existing parking lots using extra material from the new one, Danforth said. Two new vans were bought to keep shuttle service running from the summit to the parking lots.

Stevens Pass tallies about 400,000 visits each year. That’s counting multiple visits by returning customers.

Danforth is reminding people to come prepared when they head up the mountain to ski.

“It’s a mountain pass, and it’s winter time, so people should make sure they have the proper driving equipment and they have chains and snow tires,” he said.

For more information about Stevens Pass, including costs, directions and a daily snow report, go to stevenspass.com or call 206-812-4510.

Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com.

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