STEVENS PASS — The crunch of boots on snow. The exuberant whoop of skiers gliding down hills for the first time in months. The ca-ching of cash registers.
After an unusually quiet fall, Stevens Pass is finally open.
Up to 3,000 skiers and snowboarders descended on the resort along U.S. 2 on Thursday for a shot at untarnished snow on opening day.
“The snow’s good up here,” said Lakewood resident Trevor Huber, sitting in the snow at the base of a hill after snowboarding down. “I’ve been waiting for the season to open. I’m so stoked!”
Tired of waiting for snow, the 26-year-old glass artist and his friends used a snow machine to turn a yard in Smokey Point into a mini snowboarding run. He had fun practicing, but he said it didn’t compare with flying down the hill at Stevens.
Stevens Pass usually opens around Thanksgiving, but warm weather meant delays.
In 15 of the past 22 years, Stevens Pass opened in November. This is the third latest opening day at Stevens Pass since 1986.
The snow and sleet that slammed the Puget Sound area, closing schools and contributing to hundreds of accidents, helped the resort.
A whopping 23 inches of snow fell at Stevens Pass in the 24 hours that ended at 4 a.m. Thursday — more than doubling the mountain’s snow, said general manager John Gifford. Around 45 inches of snow blanketed the base of the mountain Thursday, with 49 inches on top.
The snow made for a slow drive from Everett, but just as many skiers as usual braved the trip.
“It slowed people down and I think they arrived later in the morning than they normally do,” he said. “We didn’t have a big rush at 9 a.m., like we normally do.”
Devin Bishop, an Everett-based mountain guide, headed to the Stevens Pass early and was one of the first people on the slopes when the resort opened at 9.
He always tries to ski on opening day, and wasn’t deterred by wet weather and sloppy streets in Everett.
“You can’t ski in good snow if you don’t drive in good snow,” he said.
Everett resident Jennifer Benson and her brother Steve Benson of Snohomish took the day off work to snowboard. They’ve visited Stevens Pass before, but this was their first opening day.
At 11 a.m., they were snapping photos and preparing to ride the ski lift to the top of the “Daisy” bunny slope for their first run of the season.
“This year I’m doing what I want to do,” said Jennifer Benson, 39. “So this year I’m going to go on opening day and say, ‘I went.’ It looks good.”
Nodding, her brother added, “It looks better than the inside of a cubicle — that’s for sure.”
Dressed completely in royal blue, Andre Nowacki gracefully glided down the mountain and right back into the lift line.
Skiing on opening day is a tradition the 70-year-old Leavenworth man has kept for 25 years. He said this opening day was better than most, with a surprisingly large crowd and powdery snow.
His advice to other seniors who wish they had more fitness and agility: “Ski a lot — that’s all. Don’t give up,” he said, before taking off up a ski lift.
Inside the lodge, Barb Johnson warmed her hands and watched snow fall outside a second-story window. The Lake Stevens woman came with her husband and two kids. Her youngest son and husband were still skiing, but she was through with the snow.
“It’s nice, but I’m very tired,” she said. “I did my three runs and I’m done.”
Reporter Kaitlin Manry: 425-339-3292 or kmanry@heraldnet.com.
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