Mt. Baker, Crystal Mountain ski resorts to reopen this week

With snow coming down in the Cascade Mountains, it’s almost time to hit the slopes again this year. Crystal Mountain and Mt. Baker ski areas have confirmed that they will be reopening this week.

The first to open will be Mt. Baker on Thursday, Nov. 17 for season ticket holders and Friday, Nov. 18 for the rest of the public. For more information on Mt. Baker Ski Area’s opening, click here.

Stevens Pass hopes to address staffing shortages with $20 minimum wage, announces opening day

Crystal Mountain chairlifts will similarly start delivering skiers and riders at 9 a.m. Friday, Nov. 18, the earliest the mountain has been open since 2017.

The first weekend of operations will be for season ticket holders exclusively, but by Monday, the mountain will be open to the general public. For more details on Crystal Mountain Resort’s season opening, click here.

Name this lift! This is 1 of 3 chair lifts that will be spinning for our ❄️EARLY OPENING❄️ Nov. 18-20 for pass holders only, and Nov. 21 onwards for the public with a limited number of lift tickets available each day: https://t.co/benYj5rhIA

More info: https://t.co/LYUcBaRPUn pic.twitter.com/Eb53bgK60U

— Crystal Mountain (@CrystalMt) November 14, 2022

Open terrain is expected to be limited at both ski areas, with early-season conditions prevalent and no natural snow expected until Sunday, Nov 20.

The Summit at Snoqualmie and Stevens Pass are expected to reopen in early December, with the former opening for the season Dec. 14 and the latter opening Dec. 2.

“While fresh snow provided a terrific start to November, we need a bit more to put the fleet back out on the hill,” Stevens Pass General Manager Ellen Galbraith wrote in an update on the opening. “We’re still targeting Dec. 2 as our opening date, but we’re constantly evaluating conditions and forecasts and will open when Mother Nature allows.”

Part of the reason for the earlier-than-normal opening dates is the high snowpack that Washington has gotten this November, with Natural Resources Conservation Service’s SNOTEL data showing that snowpack is 211-441% higher than average, depending on the area. This is likely due to the third La Niña winter in a row, which leads to above-average precipitation in Washington and the mountains generally see more snow than usual.