Category: Misc.

Snow Playgrounds

By Montana Maiden
updated 5 months ago

New to Seattle? Wondering which slope is the best for you? We have lots of choices, and here are a few.

Crystal Mountain

Located in the shadow of Mt. Rainier southeast of Seattle, Crystal Mountain recently opened a new “backcountry” high speed quad, and with that addition it has become the largest ski resort in the NW. Boasting a whopping 2300 acres of skiable terrain, 1000 of that being accessable backcountry skiing, you’ll never run out of options at Crystal. And on a clear day, you absolutely can’t beat the view of Rainier. When it’s really clear, you can even make out Mount St. Helens in the distance!

One thing Crystal isn’t is snowboarder friendly. Not because of the people or mountain “attitude”, but just the layout of the hill. It’s laid out along a long mountain ridge, which equates to a lot of painful traversing to cover the mountain. If you’re strapped to two boards however, it’s a blast. Crystal doesn’t have the highest snowfall (340”), but it has the longest runs and is perfect for a day when you want to rip it up.

Mt. Baker

Mt. Baker holds the world record for most verifiable snowfall in a season, so you’re guaranteed to get good coverage. Located just north of Bellingham, Baker is a fairly easy drive from Seattle and takes about 2 hours from downtown. Baker attracts all the locals from Bellingham, but with the lack of local lodging you won’t have much of the weekender traffic that plagues other local spots.

If you hit it after a big storm Baker is unbeatable. It has great tree skiing and you can find a lot of untracked terrain just off the beaten path. With only 1,000 acres of skiable terrain, Baker is not a place to go for a cruiser day. But the views are unbelievable when it’s clear and sunny.

Steven's Pass

Steven’s Pass is located east of Seattle and is by far the busiest resort around. With 450” of annual snowfall, and 1125 acres of skiable terrain, Steven’s attracts snow bunnies from around the Northwest. Depending on when you hit it, Steven’s can be a major blast or a major bust! Parking is always a struggle, unless you get there before the lifts open at 9am, or after 3pm for night skiing when all the day birds have cleared out.

Steven’s caters to all skill levels and has some fun extras, including a great Terrain Park (that you now have to watch an informational video and sign a waiver to go in). Unlike Crystal, Steven’s is easy to navigate on a snowboard and also has some great tree skiing. You can also hike off of 7th Heaven to come down in mostly untracked powder. The “back side” offers some great terrain, but gets tracked out/sunned out by mid-afternoon.

Steven’s is my personal favorite, but only if you can go on a weekday when everyone else is at work. Weekends are just crazy busy with all the ski classes – it’s better just to stay home, or come late and hit up the decent night skiing (at a discounted price, of course!).

Snoqualmie

If you’re a beginner the best place to learn is Snoqualmie. With four different ski areas – Alpental, and Summits East, Central, and West – there’s something for everyone. Snoqualmie is just 50 miles east of Seattle and goes by fast – assuming the pass is open.

The major drawback of Snoqualmie is its low elevation. At only 3,000 feet above sea level, the snow is often very wet and heavy, and more often than not it’ll rain while you’re up there. But it will teach you to ski in all conditions, ice or slush, rain or shine.

On a plus side, Alpental offers good expert terrain. Summit Central also has excellent night skiing. With lots of lighting and fairly benign terrain you can have a pretty relaxing night on the slopes. But the lifts are slow and the runs are too short. In all, this is a perfect place for a beginner or someone wanting to blow off some steam after work, but it you’re looking for a full day of challenging terrain, I’d look elsewhere.