The Cascade ski slopes continue to see a dramatic increase of snowfall, ensuring a ski season that will extend into spring, but it comes with an immediate note of caution due to winter storms and a high avalanche hazard in the backcountry.
Close to 3 feet of new snow is expected through the weekend at Mount Baker and Stevens Pass ski areas.
An initial weak frontal system crossed the Pacific Northwest on Thursday, and the western facing mountains picked up 6 to 12 inches of snow, with Mount Baker receiving 20 inches in a 24-hour period ending Friday morning. Ski areas to the south, including Crystal Mountain and White Pass, received a little less.
Look for a series of low-pressure systems brewing off the coast to cause an increase of precipitation Friday that will likely bring stormy alpine winds and moderate to heavy rain or snow in the Olympics and Cascades.
This will change quickly as the low-pressure system drops south, and by this weekend look for much colder temperatures and light to moderate snow showers. The freezing level will bounce around between 500 to 4,000 feet, and then drop to sea level by late Saturday.
An avalanche warning has been issued for the northwest Cascades, with storm and wind-slab avalanches becoming very likely due to more snowfall coupled with a warming trend and strong southwest winds. This will create unstable snow layers so travel in the backcountry is not recommended in that region. The warning doesn’t apply to ski areas where avalanche-prevention operations are in place.
With snow dumping heavily in the mountains, some skiers and riders will venture to the backcountry in search of untouched powder that brings the potential of avalanches and other hazards.
The avalanche conditions were listed as “high” on the Northwest Avalanche Center’s website. A group of skiers at Washington Pass near the highway hairpin on the east side of the pass Tuesday afternoon was hit by a natural cornice-released avalanche from a group above them. Four skiers were caught and carried up to 1,000 feet downslope. There were some injuries, but no fatalities. The release occurred on a very steep slope at the top of a northeast facing bowl at about 7,500 feet.
When traveling in the backcountry it is important to ski or ride with a partner(s), and stay in visual contact with each other; let others know of your travel plans; avoid tree wells and keep a safe distance from trees; stay on groomed runs; and avoid unmarked areas in off-boundary areas of ski resorts. For more information, go to www.deepsnowsafety.org or www.nwac.us/avalanche-forecast/current/.
Expected snowfall totals through Monday are: 18 to 35 inches of snow will fall at the Mount Baker Ski Area; 16 to 33 at Stevens Pass Resort; 8 to 18 at Alpental at The Summit at Snoqualmie; 14 to 30 at Crystal Mountain Resort; and 15 to 28 at White Pass Ski Area.
The total snowfall this season is 534-plus inches at Mount Baker Ski Area (big snow periods were 115 inches in November, 207 in December, and 133 in January). The average season total is 659 inches. The record was 1,140 inches in the 1998-99 season, and the runner-up was 857 inches in the 2010-11 season.
Other total snowfall this season are 283 inches at the Summit at Snoqualmie; 333 inches at Stevens Pass Resort; 313 inches at Crystal Mountain Resort; 333 to 367 inches at White Pass Ski Area; and 332 inches at Whistler-Blackcomb Resort in British Columbia.
The Loup Loup Ski Bowl — located between Twisp and Okanogan on Highway 20 — is open Wednesday, and Friday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. with a 42-inch base. The Hurricane Ridge Ski and Snowboard Area in Olympic National Park is open Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., weather conditions permitting.
Many cross-country ski trails have been groomed and await weekend visitors at Lake Wenatchee State Park; Scottish Lakes High Camp; Paradise in Mount Rainier National Park; Mazama; Echo Ridge; Methow Trails; Leavenworth Winter Sports Club; White Pass; Stevens Pass; and Cabin Creek, east of Snoqualmie off I-90.
In Montana, Whitefish Resort is open daily with a 123-inch base (9 inches new snow), and has 101 trails and 10 lifts open with night skiing offered Friday and Saturday. Big Sky Resort is open daily with a 52- to 78-inch base.
Open daily in British Columbia are Cypress (138-inch base); Whistler-Blackcomb (109); Mount Seymour (120-148); Grouse (98-126); Whitewater (116); Mount Washington (70-87); Revelstoke (94); Hudson Bay (42-63); Big White (87); Sun Peaks (60-74); Silver Star (57-83); Kicking Horse (34-71); Fernie (53-111); Panorama (32-54); and Red (28-94).
Open daily in Idaho are Lookout Pass (106-120); Schweitzer (69-111); Tamarack (54-98); Sun Valley (61-123); Brundage Mountain (72-100); Bogus Basin (88-93); Silver (70-82); and Pomerelle (152-163).
Open daily in Oregon are Mount Hood Meadows (119-188); Mount Bachelor (120-145); Mount Ashland (119-185); Willamette Pass (75-112); Hoodoo (105); Timberline (156); and Mount Hood Ski Bowl (78-91).
