STEVENS PASS — Nate Brown wanted one more run down the slopes before being shipped by the Air Force to the Middle East.
On Thursday, the 22-year-old Marysville man got his wish.
Brown was among the scores of skiers and snowboarders who flocked to Stevens Pass for the opening day of the ski season.
“I was really hoping it would open when I was up here,” said Brown, who recently came home from Georgia, where he is stationed, before leaving in two weeks for Qatar. “I looked on the Internet and saw it was official, and I was like, ‘Sweet.’ “
Opening day happened about a week late this year, but that didn’t stop an estimated 1,900 people from hitting the slopes Thursday, Stevens Pass marketing manager Chris Rudolph said.
The day started off sunny and cool, with a clear view of snow-capped Glacier Peak from the upper Skyline Express lift station. By early afternoon, light snow was falling on the newly groomed slopes.
For Vince Decker, 41, of Everett, the day marked a long-awaited return to the slopes. Decker, a real-estate agent, hadn’t been skiing in three years.
After riding the Skyline Express to the top of the hill, Decker sat on a bench and adjusted his gear before gliding down the steep, snowy slope.
“I think a lot of skiers find if you come on opening day, you’ll be more committed to doing it more during the year,” Decker said. “Just look around, it’s beautiful.”
The ski area opened four of its 10 lifts with a 28-inch snow base. Rainstorms this week compacted and melted some snow before opening day. Rain can make snow sticky for skiers, but a few inches of new snow has fallen since the rain, salvaging the skiing surface, Rudolph said.
“As we get more snow, we’re going to open more lifts,” Rudolph said. “This is good base snow.”
Some people didn’t wait for opening day.
Lori Sanwald, 28, and her friend, Amelia McClees, 21, both of Wenatchee, hiked to the top of the hill at the Stevens Pass Ski Area earlier in the week. They zipped down the back side of the mountain.
The two friends spent Thursday morning at a table outside the lodge, sipping coffee and watching skiers come off the mountain.
“Praise to the snow gods,” McClees said.
Eric Norris, 23, of Woodinville also hiked up the slopes this week for some early snowboarding. He came to opening day with his girlfriend, Carri-Ann Anderson, 23, of Port Orchard.
“This is my first time here on opening day,” Norris said. “I thought it would be a little busier than this, but this makes it good.”
Preston Morrison, 26, of Seattle just got done working a graveyard shift working on airplanes before heading to Stevens Pass on Thursday. He planned to get a couple of hours of sleep while his brother drove them home before going straight to work for another graveyard shift.
He wasn’t the least bit tired, he said.
“It’s a beautiful day out,” Morrison said. “It’s clear out, and in Washington, that’s a good day.”
Brown, the airman who is headed to Qatar, spent the morning teaching his friend, Sarah Anderson, 22, how to snowboard. They stuck to the bunny slopes, Brown said, but Anderson still ended up in the snow early and often.
“I don’t want to go too fast at first, but the hill wants to make me go fast,” said Anderson, who is in the Navy and stationed at Naval Station Everett.
“I’m having a blast, actually,” she said. “I’m doing better than I thought I would.”
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