Northwest ski areas have been on a spending spree since the end of last season. Last year’s early-season snows and cold temperatures translated into a profitable 2003/2004 season following the previous year’s disastrous warm winter. Those revenues have transformed into a blizzard of on-mountain improvements for the oncoming winter season.
Following is a glimpse into current developments in our three-state region.
WASHINGTON
Crystal Mountain (www.skicrystal.com)
The Forest Queen finally has a jeweled crown. Perched at the top of the namesake six-pack lift, the new Cascade-designed Campbell Basin Lodge offers an upscale food court, seating for 630 persons and stunning views of surrounding peaks and snow basins.
Mission Ridge (www.missionridge.com)
New owner Larry Scrivanich has invested heavily this season by increasing the terrain near Chair #3 and expanding the ski school by 30 percent. Bigger and better than ever, the B.2.4 terrain park at the top of Lift #2 offers new rails, fun boxes, tables and other features.
Mt. Baker (www.mtbaker.us)
Baker’s Alpine Safety Awareness programs cover avalanche awareness, snow safety, backcountry travel, and transceiver and rescue skills. New programs include freestyle terrain etiquette and safety courses, and advanced backcountry refresher classes.
Stevens Pass (www.stevenspass.com)
Expect the 450-foot long Olympic superpipe to open earlier this year thanks to a recontouring project that will require less snow cover. The new half-pipes have been added for beginners and intermediate boarders.
Summit at Snoqualmie (www.summitatsnoqualmie.com)
Central Park features an Olympic-size superpipe, groomed nightly with the new Zaugg Pipe Monster. Equally challenging is West 52nd Terrain Park. Beginners can train on Greenhorn Acres, West Greenhorn and Gnu Intergalactic Snowskate Park.
White Pass (www.skiwhitepass.com)
No crowds, plenty of light powder on the sunny side of the Cascades and a high-speed quad – could life get much better? Here, kids receive a free season lift pass when they sign up for a full-season instruction or racing clinic.
OREGON
Hoodoo (www.hoodoo.com)
One of the nation’s largest snowtubing centers, the Autobahn Park, has expanded to 12 lanes, with rides ranging from gentle floats to heart-thumping wild. Hoodoo also rents inflatable plastic Airboards. The modern sled – a long-time favorite in Europe – is light, fast and controllable.
Mt. Bachelor (www.mtbachelor.com)
Mt. Bachelor’s 400-foot superpipe is the site for the 2006 Olympic Qualifier and the U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix. Slopeside Arena, home to the Big Air Exhibition, challenges experts with infamous Big Momma. Mile-long Air Chamber features the Wallride. For beginners, Sunshine Park offers smaller–sized hits.
Mt. Hood Meadows (www.mthoodmeadows.com)
The new Vista Express high-speed quad serves the Badlands ridge overlooking Timberline resort. From the top terminal, freestylers can hit newly built Vista Park – the ski area’s biggest terrain playground– South Park and the Superpipe, all in one run.
Timberline (www.timberlinelodge.com)
North America’s only year-round ski area offers six lifts accessing 1,400 acres and 3,590 vertical feet – the greatest drop in the Northwest. Pending Forest Service approval, it plans to add more elevation with a new high-speed quad in the near future.
Skibowl (www.skibowl.com)
North America’s largest night skiing area also offers Oregon’s premier snowtube and adventure park. This year, Skibowl will offer K-2 snowbike rentals, offering snowsports enthusiasts a new method for racing down the mountain. Skibowl will again offer Tele-Tuesdays this year in cooperation with The Mountain Shop, providing telemark skiing demos and clinics.
IDAHO
Bogus Basin (www.bogusbasin.com)
In 1998, Bogus Basin stunned the ski world by slashing season pass prices to $199, a practice now emulated by ski resorts nationwide. With the sudden cash flow surge, Bogus rebuilt itself by adding new lifts, grooming machines, snowmaking machines, terrain parks and day lodge upgrades.
Brundage (www.brundage.com)
The Overnight CatSki Adventure package includes two days of skiing on 19,000 acres in the Payette National Forest, plus an overnight stay in a remote, mountainside yurt. You’ll log 7–10 runs each day, equivalent to 13,000–16,000 vertical feet.
Schweitzer (www.schweitzer.com)
To know Schweitzer is to know Stella, Idaho’s only six-passenger lift. Skiers and boarders can lap the mountain on the Stella – and five other chairs – then charge back down through 2,400 vertical feet across 2,500 acres of legendary north Idaho powder.
Silver Mountain (www.silvermt.com)Visitors can board the world’s longest single-stage gondola and ride from the parking lot directly off I-90 three miles up the mountain. Twenty minutes later, they are gazing at 53 runs with 2,200 vertical feet and 1,590 acres of terrain spread across two mountain peaks, linked by five lifts.
Sun Valley (www.sunvalley.com)
Modern American skiing and America’s first chairlift were invented at Sun Valley in 1936, when the first U.S. destination winter resort opened. Sun Valley claims the country’s greatest lift capacity per skier and the largest automated snowmaking system, assuring top-to-bottom coverage, weather or not.
Tamarack (www.tamarackidaho.com)
North America’s first new ski resort to be developed in 23 years, Tamarack opens in December. Two high-speed quads access 62 runs with 2,800 feet of vertical drop. At build-out, a mid-mountain lodge and seven chair lifts will complete the slopeside amenities.
– Peter Schroeder of Seattle is the editor of the Western SnowSports Guide, a sister publication of Outdoors NW. |
