STEVENS PASS — Mai Le hit the slopes as early as she possibly could.
The Everett woman was beginning to worry that she’d have to wait until December to snowboard at her favorite place. Her worry turned into excitement after the Stevens Pass ski area opened Saturday. She made her first day-trip of the season to Stevens Pass on Monday.
“Look at this fresh powder,” said Le, 23. “I got here as soon as I could.”
Le and her friend, Alena Ngo, 24, planned to spend the whole day Monday taking advantage of snow in the area. It’s a welcome sight for both novice and experienced skiers and snowboarders alike, Ngo said.
“Even when you’re doing a jump and you fall in it, it’s nice,” she said. “It’s like falling into a cloud.”
The Stevens Pass ski area opened for the third-earliest season in the past 25 years, said spokesman Chris Rudolph. The resort recently was sold for $20.5 million to CNL Lifestyle Properties, the company that owns the Snoqualmie Pass ski area.
About 1,900 people visited on opening day and about 1,700 people were at the pass Sunday, he said. Monday’s attendance hit about 700 people.
Three chairlifts were open Monday and day passes were sold at a reduced price of $25 instead of $62, Rudolph said. The price of the pass is expected to change as more lifts open, he added.
Corbin Crimmins of Hood River, Ore., and his wife, Jill, didn’t mind that their favorite runs were closed Monday. The couple brought their 3-year-old son, Nicholas, to Stevens Pass for an extended weekend of family skiing.
“We did four runs on Daisy, then a couple of rope-tow runs, then we played in the snow,” said Crimmins, 40. “The reward for skiing so well is the hot chocolate.”
Living just 15 miles away in Merritt means Teague Sauce, 29, uses his skis and board almost every day when the pass is open. He spent time on both Monday.
“If I have the day off, I’m riding,” he said. “It’s nice. They went and groomed it last night. It’s still early in the season and low snow cover, but every little bit helps.”
Ski patroller Scott Williams called the early snow epic but cautioned skiers and snowboarders to enjoy it with caution.
“The snow pack right now is really thin, so there’s a lot of obstacles out there like stones, rocks and creeks, and the new fresh snow we’re getting is going to cover it up and hide it,” he said. “Just be aware.”
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