SEATTLE — With a La Niña winter on the horizon, skiers and snowboarders are itching to start the winter ski season.
Most ski areas have announced opening dates with the earliest ones already open.
Here is when Cascade ski areas expect to open for the 2024-25 season.
Crystal Mountain Resort
Crystal Mountain Ski Resort opened to pass holders Friday, Nov. 22. It opened to the public Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 23 and 24.
Mission Ridge Ski and Board Resort
Mission Ridge plans to open two chairs for operation Fridays through Sundays beginning Nov. 29. It expects to add a third chair starting Dec. 14.
Daily operations with three chairs could begin the week of Dec. 16. Full operations with all chairs are expected to begin Dec. 21.
As of Nov. 25, Mission Ridge reported a base depth of 20 inches.
Mount Baker Ski Area
Mount Baker opened for season pass holders Wednesday, Nov. 20 and for the general public Thursday, Nov. 21.
As of Nov. 25, Mount Baker had 60 inches of snow at the base of Heather Meadows and 80 inches at Pan Dome.
Stevens Pass Ski Resort
Thanks to recent snowfall, Stevens Pass plans to open Friday, Nov. 29. Stevens will open with four lifts – Daisy, Hogsback, Skyline, and Brooks – and expand terrain as more snow accumulates this season.
As of Nov. 25, Stevens reported a base depth of 36 inches.
Summit at Snoqualmie
The Summit at Snoqualmie has not announced an opening date as of Nov. 25. The ski resort said it would announce one once it has enough snow to operate.
Summit West is typically the first area of the resort to open, according to the ski area.
The resort said it needs at least a few feet of snow to open Summit West and “quite a bit more” to open Alpental.
As of Nov. 25, Summit West and Alpental have bases of 12 inches.
White Pass Ski Area
White Pass opened for season pass holders Friday, Nov. 22. The resort opened to the public starting Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 23-24.
White Pass will be closed Nov. 25-28. It will then be open Nov. 29-Dec. 1, although services that will be available are still to be determined.