STEVENS PASS – Skiers and snowboarders had what they wanted to kick off the new season at Stevens Pass Ski Resort on Friday.
Sunshine poured down. Mountain slopes had good, hard snow. On top of the mountain, people enjoyed a panoramic view of snowy peaks below.
“Couldn’t ask for a nicer day with sunshine and snow,” said John Gifford, general manager of the ski resort.
Stevens Pass had 28 inches of snow at the base and 33 inches at the top of the mountain Friday morning. That was enough snow to get four of the 10 lifts – SkyLine, Hogsback, Daisy and Brooks – going from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“We need more snow to open the other ones,” Gifford said.
The cost for a day pass is discounted to $42 from $52 because not all lifts are operating, he said.
Little snow is expected to fall over the weekend around Stevens Pass, Dennis D’Amico, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Seattle, said Friday. A cold storm may bring more snow to the area next week, he said.
Opening before Thanksgiving is a good sign for the season, Gifford said. The opening day drew about 2,000 people.
The Nov. 7 flood caused a 30-foot section of U.S. 2 east of Index to sink five feet. Crews worked repairing the damage Friday, but that didn’t seem to hinder those going to Stevens Pass.
Around noon Friday, people waited in line for the SkyLine lift. They hopped on lifts that took them to the mountaintop at about 5,000 feet.
Dick Edwards of Whidbey Island and Dave Erickson of Seattle shared a ride. When they arrived at the top, the two strangers had learned a little bit about each other.
“If you are on the same chair, you start talking. You already have things in common,” said Erickson, 55.
Edwards, 65, bought his season pass in spring. He’s skied at the resort for about 25 years.
“It’s just outdoor, a beautiful weather like this,” he said about what he likes skiing here.
As Erickson and Edwards skied down the slope, more people kept arriving on the mountaintop.
Bob Myres, a lift operator, watched them chat, smile and laugh.
“A lot of happy people,” Myres, 55, said.
Myres, an Everett native who now lives in Plain near Leavenworth, said he took a job “to do something” after retiring as a telecommunications manager earlier this year.
On Friday he found himself enjoying his job and watching the gorgeous scenery and happy people, Myres said.
“I might snowboard. I don’t know,” he said.
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@ heraldnet.com.
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