Submitted by belf_priest t3_zcln8j in Washington
DangerousMusic14 t1_iyxp81x wrote
These are some treacherous areas for driving. It’s not just snow, these are serious mountains and you can get stuck in some dangerous driving conditions making for a pretty crummy/sketchy experience if you get stuck.
I’d be prepared for closures. You’ll need chains. AWD with traction control is a strong preference.
If you’re doing it for skiing, I’d do N-S rather than E-W and start with Whistler BC then Mt Baker, Steven’s Pass, Crystal Mt, Mt Bachelor or the like.
belf_priest OP t1_iyxpwpb wrote
So my thinking was to do EW so I can take advantage of the free day passes I get to hurricane ridge & mission ridge from having a season pass to my home mountain (mt bohemia does resort partnerships). I was planning on hitting up stevens and possibly snoqualmie in between.
As much as I salivate at the idea of being so close to WBC and Crystal, the day pass prices are definitely very high compared to what I was budgeting for. In your experience, would you recommend them as worth it despite the price, versus getting free passes to the other places?
kkicinski t1_iyxvd02 wrote
No, I wouldn’t. Crystal is a big mountain, bigger than you can really ski in one day. It’s a nice mountain with good snow, don’t get me wrong. But parking can be a nightmare, it’s a long day to go out there and back, and it’s expensive. The smaller resorts are fine. I ski at Summit Central, because that’s where my kids’ lessons are. I pretty much ski Silver Fir lift, with occasional runs on Rampart and Central Express, which are the two lifts adjacent either side. A giant mountain isn’t necessary, a couple lifts with good runs is all you need.
Hurricane Ridge is a long way to go for a poma lift, though. I mean it could make for a nice adventure to go all the way out there, but getting to and from the peninsula is very time consuming- it’s a lot of travel for a little skiing. And tough to do as a day trip from Seattle unless you only ski a couple hours. So you have to factor the cost of a hotel for 1-2 nights into your plans.
Others have mentioned Alpental. It’s reasonably priced and a local gem, especially if you are an experienced skier. The other Summit resorts are good value- not the best snow or terrain in the area but they treat folks well and as I said prices are reasonable.
Re: Highway 2 or I-90, you’ll need to check conditions on the WSDOT website or even better get the WSDOT app. Hwy 2 is fine for going east usually, but late in the day on weekends it is an absolute disaster getting home. It’s a 2-lane highway and it just backs up. It can take 3 hours to get home from Stevens Pass on a weekend. So if you’re returning from Wenatchee I’d recommend taking I-90. But again that’s all dependent on conditions and our weather can’t be predicted accurately more than 2 days in advance, so there’s just no way to know ahead of time what you’ll encounter. Could be clear, could be a blizzard.
DangerousMusic14 t1_iyysm4n wrote
I’ll take Whistler-Blackcomb over all the others. Loft tix and lodging is pricey though.
Snoqualmie is open for night skiing but it’s pretty low altitude. It’s a short drive from Seattle so you can enjoy the metro area and ski same day most of the time.
Steven’s Pass is a good place to ski and the free pass makes it worth the drive.
Hurricane Ridge has a significant risk of closure.
pala4833 t1_iyycgii wrote
You want to turn traction control off when driving in snow. Especially if you have chains on.
DangerousMusic14 t1_iyyrvqq wrote
pala4833 t1_iyyvosc wrote
You want traction control off in both cases. With it on, it will apply the breaks and if you hit a slippery spot it will send you into a slide.
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