Best ski resort for a trip this weekend? (Seattle, Bellingham: rentals, vs.)

[ctr88]

I'm new to Seattle and want to go skiing this weekend. I may stay the night not sure. Want to avoid really crowded places and long lift lines if possible. I have skied 7-8 times in my life but haven't skied for about 18 years. So I'm a kind of a beginner, but not a super, super beginner. I have done a lot of cross-country too in my life. Any suggestions? I don't mind a longer drive. Thinking Mnt. Baker, Stevens Pass, Mission Ridge.

Thanks!

[MafHoney]

Well with the big storms this weekend, I imagine EVERYWHERE will be packed. I'm going to Stevens on Monday and I still expect there to be lines. I haven't been to Baker or Mission Ridge, but I've been to Stevens and Crystal. Stevens doesn't have any lodging there if you plan on staying the night.. it's literally a ski area on the side of the road. But they have really good runs, and it's pretty laid back. The lines there can get to be really long when there's enough fresh snow dropping.

We went to Crystal twice this year, and it's an actual resort. There's lodging right there, and well.. they have the gondola to go to the top for awesome views of Rainier on a clear day. I haven't done a lot of their runs, but only because the first two times we were there, it was actually the first two times we've skied.

Either way, you'll definitely have to deal with the crowds this weekend, but, at least for me it would be totally worth it.

[ctr88]

Thanks for the info!

I noticed on the road conditions web site chains are required going up to Mt. Baker for non 4 wheel drives. Do they have a place to pull over where people will help put on chains?

Crystal might be good for me to think about but I'm sure it will be crowded. I have a flexible work schedule, maybe I should plan to go during the week. Do they have WIFI access at Mt. Baker?

[mkarch]

Crystal is probably the easiest to do a weekend trip to, and it's a good mountain for skiing. For boarding it has a few too many flat/uphill areas!

Baker is an amazing mountain unlike any of the others around here. The location and lodging situation is poor however. The closest cabins are around 30 miles from the mountain and they're mostly private rentals. Definitely make it up there at some point.

Mission Ridge is not great as it really is just a ridge. It's inexpensive and that's the best part. If you're in Wenatchee it's fine to play around on but not really worth a trip on it's own. On the plus side, it's visually interesting because of all the volcanic rock outcroppings, some of which are in the middle of runs.

Snoqualmie is a little boring, but has a lot of easy runs and is good for learning or getting back in to the sport. Stevens is more challenging and has better terrain.

Whistler is the only one I make a point of traveling to and getting lodging lately.

[ctr88]

How crowded is Whistler on the weekends? I would imagine lodging is very expensive up there.

[MafHoney]

Not sure about wifi. I know at Stevens I have perfect reception and all bars (couldn't get it to connect to wifi though). At Crystal I have no service whatsoever, and no wifi. I'm sure if you were staying overnight in a room they'd have something. As for chains, there should be stop offs to chain up. They have them all along the road going to Stevens as well.

During the week it's really never crowded. We went to Stevens two weeks ago on a Wednesday right after a good dump, and there was hardly anyone there. But we've also been when it hasn't snowed in a week and well.. it sucks. I mean, it still beats a day at work, but it's still not as fun when you're dealing with slush and potential icy spots.

I'd say still go this weekend if that was your original plan. Stevens is expected to get 15-23" today/tonight alone. Baker is expecting 20", and Crystal is expected to get 17-27" today/tonight. At that point, I wouldn't care what the lift lines looked like.

[MafHoney]

Lodging is expensive in the winter, and lift tickets are (what I consider to be anyways) ridiculous. We went in August and it was still pretty crowded, but I can only imagine it in the winter.

[Kayela]

noticed on the road conditions web site chains are required going up to Mt. Baker for non 4 wheel drives. Do they have a place to pull over where people will help put on chains?

Crystal might be good for me to think about but I'm sure it will be crowded. I have a flexible work schedule, maybe I should plan to go during the week. Do they have WIFI access at Mt. Baker?

Baker is way out in the middle of the wilderness. There are vacation rentals nearby, but Baker itself is strictly a ski lodge. And it is one of the most bare-bones ski places I've ever been to (we stay around Bellingham, ~1 hr away). However their snow is pretty world-class. There's places up there you can go snow shoeing in July and they hold the record for US snowfall. They don't have cross-country (and you'll see why), but there are groomed sno-park trails on the way up if you have your own skis (or rent before you head up). My hardcore, ski-every-weekend friends head straight there, and Baker is known for not having lines. It's also right in the middle of some impressive backcountry. Be very, very careful about going out-of-bounds if you aren't prepared for backcountry conditions (and have taken an avalanche course).

You can get cell phone reception there, but Baker doesn't have wifi, ATM's or TV - and they wear that like a badge.

I've not gone up there in chain conditions, but I'd be pretty shocked if there were people to help you out. I could be wrong on that though... However the road, as it winds up Baker, is pretty tight, no guardrails and some pretty sheer dropoffs. By this time of year though - there should be large snowbanks on either side. Still - it's a road I would hesitate to drive on in a storm, and that's coming from a person who grew up out in the middle of nowhere with some very harsh winters.

For my money, I like Steven's. It's not too crowded, it's a slightly higher altitude which means better snow (drier, crunchier - not as heavy and wet), and you can head down the road to Leavenworth if you want to make a weekend of it. (however you usually need reservations - Levenworth gets booked pretty fast) IMO, they have the best cross country conditions, and I love that the nordic center is a few miles removed from the regular lifts.

Crystal is definitely the most 'resort-y' of the lot. I tend to avoid these places, but my friends with kids love it. Apparently the lines aren't too bad, and they have the most in the way of amenities. They're about the same distance as Steven's. No cross-country right there, but there are sno-park locations nearby. Snoqualmie and Steven's are the only ones with nordic skiing.

Happy skiing!

[ctr88]

Thanks Kayela for the good advice. This trip I would be doing downhill vs. X country. In the future I will be doing X country and snowshoeing trips.

I'm just a single guy no kids. Sounds like Stevens is worth a look. I just hope the lines are not terribly long this weekend. I will check Leavenworth for a place to stay.

I've also been thinking of heading up to Whistler and just staying up for a whole week.

[ctr88]

Is it worth waiting for a weekday to go to say Stevens? I have a flexible schedule and I could do that.