Storms mean more resorts opening and additional terrain for skiing and snowboarding enthusiasts.
Contact: John Gifford, President, 877-533-5520
Release Date: Saturday, December 5, 2015
La Conner, WA – The storms keep bringing snow to the mountains of the Pacific Northwest. Resorts already open are adding more lifts and terrain plus additional resorts are opening for the for the 2015-2016 winter season. The season is off to a great start Following is a rundown of the resorts that will be operating this weekend.
WASHINGTON
49 Degrees North will open the season on Sunday, December 6 with Chairlift #1 and #3 as well as the Hobbitt Handle Tow operating. Terrain will be limited but will include summit to base area runs, as well as beginner terrain. For more information on operations and conditions see: http://www.ski49n.com/snow_report.php or contact Eric Bakken, ebakken@ski49n.com, 509-935-6649.
Crystal Mountain is open operating Mt. Rainier Gondola, Green Valley Express, Rainier Express & Discovery chairs starting at 9 am. Forest Queen Express & Chair 6 will open on Sunday, December 6. For more information on conditions and operations go to: http://crystalmountainresort.com/the-mountain/current-conditions or contact Tiana Anderson, tiana@skicrystal.com, 360-663-3012.
Mission Ridge Ski & Snowboard Resort is open this weekend operating Chairs 1, 2, 3 as well as the Pika Peak and LIBtech 100LAPS rope tows scheduled from 9am-4pm. For details see: https://missionridge.com/snow-report or contact Tony Hickok, ahickok@missionridge.com, 509-588-9404.
Methow Trails is open daily nearly every trail in the 120 mile system. For more information go to: http://www.methowtrails.org/winter-trails/grooming/ or contact James DeSalvo, james@mvsta.com, or (509) 996-3287.
Mt Baker is operating daily with full operation out of both base areas, with all three lodges, all 8 chair lifts, and both free handle tows open this weekend and normal weekday operation Monday through Friday. The resort will be full operation for weekends and holidays. For more information go to: http://www.mtbaker.us/snow-report/ or Amy Towbridge, amy@mtbaker.us, 360-734-6771.
Stevens Pass Mountain Resort is operating the Daisy and Hogsback chairs from 9 am to 4 pm and adding Skyline and Brooks chairs at 12 pm on Saturday. Also, one Magic Carpet in the learning area, and the Rope Tow with a rail park will operate. For details see: www.stevenspass.com, or contact Alysa Hetze, alysa.hetze@stevenspass.com, 206-812-7344.
White Pass Ski Area will operate the Great White chairlift, platter and carpet Saturday, December 5 and Sunday, December 6, 8:45 am to 4 pm with weekend-only operation until there is additional snowpack. For more details go to http://skiwhitepass.com/the-mountain/snow-report.aspx or contact Kathleen Goyette, kat@skiwhitepass.com or 509-945-3789.
OREGON
Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort is scheduled to operate Saturdays and Sundays, 9am – 4pm. The resort will be open daily for the holiday break, December 19th through January 3rd (closed Christmas Day). For more details on conditions and operations go to: http://anthonylakes.com/ or contact Chelsea McLagan, chelsea@anthonylakes.com, 541.856.3277.
Mt Bachelor is operating daily with Pine Marten, Red Chair, Sunshine Accelerator and Sunrise Express from 9 am to 4 pm. For more information go to: http://www.mtbachelor.com/conditions-report/ or contact Spencer Weimar, sweimat@mtbachelor.com, 541-693-0953.
Mt Hood Meadows is open Saturday, December 5 and Sunday, December 6 with Buttercup, Easy Rider, Mt Hood Express and Ballroom Carpet 9 AM – 4 PM each day. The Nordic Center is open 9am-4pm Saturday-Sunday with Sahallie Falls trail and practice flats. More information: https://www.skihood.com/the-mountain/conditions, or contact Dave Tragethon, dave.tragethon@skihood.com, 971-373-8111.
Mt Hood Skibowl is operating the Tube Hill & Adventure Park and Cosmic Tubing. Operations will be Friday through Sunday with day tubing from 10:00am to 4:00pm, and Cosmic Tubing Friday and Saturday from 5:00pm to 11:00pm. For more information go to: http://www.skibowl.com/winter/ or contact Hans Wipper, hans.wipper@skibowl.com or 503-272-3206.
Timberline Lodge is in daily operations with the Pucci and Bruno lifts open from 9 am to 4 pm. Conditions and operating information at: http://www.timberlinelodge.com/conditions/ or contact John Burton, jburton@timberlinelodge.com, 503-272-3345.
IDAHO
Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area is open with five of seven lifts operating – Coach, Deer Point, Morning Star, Bitterroot, and Pine Creek. Also there is a Terrain Park at Stewarts Bowl. Nordic Skiing is open at the Nordic Center. Operating hours are 9 am to 4:30 pm on weekends until moving into full regular season mountain operations. More details at: www.bogusbasin.org, or contact John Hart, john@bogusbasin.org, 208-332-5125
Lookout Pass is open Saturday, December 5 through Sunday, December 6 from 9 am to 4 pm PST with two lifts and all base area services. More information at: https://skilookout.com/snow-report, or contact Phil Edholm, phil@skilookout.com, 208-744-1301.
Schweitzer Mountain is open for the weekend with plans to operate three chairs – the Basin Express Quad, Musical Chairs Double and the Lakeview Triple – and the Magic Carpet. For more information on conditions and operations: http://www.schweitzer.com/mountain/snow-report/ or contact Sean Mirus, smirus@schweitzer.com, 208-263-9555
Silver Mountain will open Saturday, December 5 and Sunday, December 6 for snow tubing, scenic rides and at the least, limited beginner ski terrain serviced by the conveyor lift. For current conditions and operations go to: http://www.silvermt.com/snow-report or contact Jeff Colburn, JeffC@silvermt.com, 208-783-1111.
ALASKA
Alyeska Resort us open daily from 10:30 am to 5:30 pm. For operations and conditions details go to: http://www.alyeskaresort.com/snow-report.aspx or contact Eric Fullerton, efullerton@alyeskaresort.com, 907-382-0442.
Eaglecrest Ski Area will be open Saturday & Sunday December 5 & 6, 9 am to 3 pm. For more information see: http://www.skijuneau.com/hours-lifts.php or contact Jeffra Clough, jeffra.clough@skijuneau.com, 907-790-2000 x219 or Charlie Herrington, charlie.herrington@skijuneau.com, 907-790-2000 x227.
MONTANA
Whitefish Mountain opens on Saturday, December 5 with five lifts and seven trails. Lifts operate from 9 am. For more information on operations and conditions go to http://skiwhitefish.com/snowreport/ or contact Christina “Riley” Polumbus, rileyp@skiwhtiefish.com, 406-862-1948.
Early season conditions note: variable conditions exist at the operating resorts so watch for unmarked objects and as always obey all closures.
Many of the resorts in the Northwest are watching the weather closely and evaluating their current snow depths to determine when they will be opening. PNSAA will send updates as more resorts announce their opening dates. For the most up-to-date information on your favorite resort, please visit their website.
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The Pacific Northwest Ski Areas Association is a non-profit trade association, which represents the interests of 35 ski and snowboard facilities located in Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Idaho, Montana, and California. The Association’s member ski areas – most of which operate on public land – collectively host an estimated 5.5 million visits annually. For additional information on Pacific Northwest skiing and snowboarding, contact the PNSAA office at (877) 533-5520, or visit www.pnsaa.org to link to the website of your favorite mountain.
