The weekend's stormy weather left up to a foot of snow on Washington Pass by Monday morning and Blewett Pass closed for several hours due to winter weather as the first significant mountain snowfall of the season dusted the Cascades and Olympics.
Snowfall also closed the gates to Paradise at Mount Rainier National Park, which is maintained for public access throughout the winter but may be affected by the ongoing partial federal government shutdown. Park webcams showed a plowed parking lot at Paradise and visitors enjoying a sunny day with fresh snow on Tuesday. The National Park Service will continue to keep parks as accessible as possible during the lapse in appropriations, an agency spokesperson wrote via email.
With snow falling as low as 4,000 feet, Crystal Mountain Resort's webcams showed several inches coating the chairlifts, a sure sign that winter is on its way. While it will take a lot more fluffy white stuff to start skiing and snowboarding in earnest, Crystal is optimistically projecting a Nov. 28 opening — pending Mother Nature's cooperation. Meanwhile, Stevens Pass has set an opening date of Dec. 5, weather depending.
Washington's other ski areas aren't so aggressive about predicting the weather over a month in advance, so you'll have to sit tight before plotting your first turns at the likes of Mount Baker, The Summit at Snoqualmie and White Pass.
Elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest, Whistler Blackcomb in B.C. and Schweitzer Mountain in Idaho have set Nov. 21 to kick off their season, while Oregon's Mount Bachelor is already targeting Nov. 28.
With the countdown to ski season underway, here's a short list of events Seattle-area skiers and snowboarders should have on their calendars. For full addresses, prices and other information, you can go to the websites provided.
* Oct. 17-19: Preseason ski festival Snowvana returns to Magnuson Park Hangar 30 for a second year of discount lift tickets and ski gear. snowvana.com/seattle
* Oct. 18: Wonderland Gear Exchange in Fremont hosts Seattle’s only backcountry-specific ski swap. wonderlandgearexchange.com
* Oct. 25: Northwest Snow and Avalanche Workshop dives deep into snow science at Cascadia College in Bothell. nwac.us/workshops
* Oct. 26: Teton Gravity Research’s 30th annual film, “Pressure Drop,” screens at North Bend Theatre. tour.tetongravity.com
* Nov. 8: Rider's choice of preseason parties. Crystal Mountain’s Winter Stoke Block Party takes over downtown Enumclaw while the REI Seattle Flagship transforms into an après haven with live music, DJs and gear giveaways. events.rei-co-op.com/SummontheSnowSeattle
* Nov 8-9: The Seattle area's biggest ski swap (more of a consignment sale) fills the Newport High School gym in Bellevue floor to ceiling with everything you need for winter. newportskiswap.com
* Nov. 22: The Warren Miller film tour makes its annual Emerald City pit stop, screening “SNO-CIETY” at McCaw Hall (also showing Nov. 7 at Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, Nov. 8 at Temple Theatre in Tacoma, Nov. 9 at Vashon Theater, Nov. 15 at Historic Everett Theatre, Nov. 20 at Admiral Theatre in Bremerton, Dec. 14 at North Bend Theatre and Nov. 21 at Chalet Theatre in Enumclaw). warrenmiller.com
This story has been updated.
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