Snow totals should carry skiers and boarders through, well into spring.
Snowflakes are once again in the weather forecast, with the likelihood of better conditions on Cascade ski slopes.
This won’t be a heavy snowfall — more like 2 to 5 inches over the course of a few days — but enough to build upon what is already a solid base at all ski resorts, enough to carry the season well into spring. For now it looks like folks can bank on late-season snow coverage that could outlast the legs of even the most hardcore skiers and snowboarders.
Expect a slightly unstable cold air mass peppered with light snow flurries through Friday, and a freezing level from the surface up to 2,000 feet.
There will be a brief break in the precipitation with sunshine on Saturday before another low pressure disturbance forms off the coast, bringing another round of light to moderate snow showers late Saturday through Monday.
The total snowfall this season is 397 inches at Mount Baker Ski Area (record was 1,140 inches in the 1998-99 season, runner-up was 857 inches in 2010-11 and average is 659 inches); 253 inches at the Summit at Snoqualmie; 303 inches at Stevens Pass Resort; 286 inches at Crystal Mountain Resort; 303 to 337 inches at White Pass Ski Area; and 315 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.
Grooming has resumed at most Nordic areas, and look for decent cross-country trail conditions at Lake Wenatchee State Park; Scottish Lakes High Camp; Paradise in Mount Rainier National Park; Mazama; Echo Ridge; Methow Valley; Leavenworth Winter Sports Club; White Pass; Stevens Pass; and Cabin Creek, east of Snoqualmie Pass, off Interstate 90.
In Montana, Whitefish Resort is open daily with a 97-inch base (they received 22 inches of snow in the past five days). It has 101 trails and 10 lifts open with night skiing offered Friday and Saturday. Big Sky Resort is open daily with a 50 to 75-inch base, having received 1 to 2 inches of new snow.
Open daily in British Columbia are Cypress (128-inch base); Whistler-Blackcomb (101); Mount Seymour (96-138); Grouse (98-122); Whitewater (110-112); Mount Washington (68-91); Revelstoke (91); Hudson Bay (39-61); Big White (76); Sun Peaks (56-69); Silver Star (47-74); Kicking Horse (34-73); Fernie (47-96); Panorama (32-55); and Red (28-93).
Open daily in Idaho are Lookout Pass (98-106); Schweitzer (65-103); Tamarack (38-88); Sun Valley (61-123); Brundage Mountain (67-90); Bogus Basin (70-76); Silver (64-77); and Pomerelle (124-135).
Open daily in Oregon are Mount Hood Meadows (109-177); Mount Bachelor (118-150); Mount Ashland (113-156, closed on Thursday); Willamette Pass (75-112); Hoodoo (99); Timberline (140); and Mount Hood Ski Bowl (66-74).
Latest snow and lift reports:
Which ski areas are open and closed:
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Resort |
Hours |
Base |
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Summit West, Snoqualmie | Open: 4pm-10pm Thursday and Friday; 9am-10pm Saturday; 9am-5pm Sunday, and March 4-5; closed Monday to March 3 (1 to 2 inches new snow) | 79 inches |
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| Summit Central, Snoqualmie | Open: 9am-10pm Thursday to Saturday, and Monday to March 4; 9am-5pm Sunday, and March 5 (1 to 2 inches new snow) | 79 inches | |
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| Summit East, Snoqualmie | Open: 9am-4pm Saturday to Sunday, and March 4-5; closed Monday to March 3 (1 to 2 inches new snow) | 79 inches | |
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| Nordic Center, Snoqualmie | Open: 9am-4pm Friday to Sunday, and March 3-5; closed Thursday, and Monday to March 2 (1 to 2 inches new snow) | 79 inches | |
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Alpental, Snoqualmie | Open: 9am-10pm Thursday to Saturday, and Tuesday to March 4; 9am-4pm Sunday, and March 5; closed Monday (1 to 2 inches new snow) | 93-141 inches |
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Mount Baker Ski Area | Open daily: 9am-3:30pm (no new snow) | 126-170 inches |
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Crystal Mountain | Open daily: 9am-4pm (no new snow) | 67-86 inches |
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Stevens Pass | Open daily: 9am-4pm; night skiing until 10 pm Thursday to Sunday, and March 3-5; for gliders the nordic area has a little more than 27.0 kilometers of trails open and only Gandy Dancer is closed (no new snow) | 81-95 inches |
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White Pass | Open daily: 8:45am-4pm; night skiing until 9pm Saturdays only until March 4 (trace to 1-inch new snow) | 80-98 inches |
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Mission Ridge Ski & Board | Open: 9am-4pm Thursday to Monday, and March 2-5; closed Tuesday and Wednesday; and night skiing until 8 p.m. on Saturdays only (1 to 2 inches new snow) | 49-52 inches |
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49° North Mountain | Open: 9am-4pm Friday to Tuesday, and March 3-5; closed Wednesday and March 2 (trace to 2 inches new snow) | 94-150 inches |
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Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard | Open: 9am-9:30pm Wednesday to Saturday; 9am-4pm Sunday; closed Monday and Tuesday (trace new snow) | 57-78 inches |
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Ski Bluewood | Open: 9am-4pm Wednesday to Sunday (no new snow) | 65-92 inches |
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Whistler-Blackcomb | Open daily: 9am-5pm (no new snow) | 101 inches |
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Mt. Bachelor | Open daily: 9am-4pm (no new snow) | 118-150 inches |
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Leavenworth Winter Sports Club | Open: All nordic trails open daily; ski hill open Friday to Sunday, Wednesday, and March 3-5 (no new snow) |
30 inches |
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Methow Trails | Open daily: All nordic trails open at Sun Mountain, Rendezvous, Winthrop and Mazama (no new snow) | 29 inches |