EC_expat27
Member
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2023
After returning to Seattle on Saturday for a few weeks home, I went up to explore Stevens Pass and meet some old friends from college. About 1.5 hours from the city, I set my sights on a 6:30 departure time, as the limited parking at the pass fills up around 9AM, which is when the lifts start spinning. Fatigue from my early flight home the day prior and some extra time packing the car kept me from hitting the road until around 6:50. Some traffic along the way extended the trip slightly, pushing my arrival time to 8:45, just in the nick of time for one of the final parking spots.
A little bit of snow fell overnight, along with some light snow showers during the day. The passing snow showers left the mountain socked-in most of the day, with the occasional break in the clouds. Stevens has a vertical drop of 1,800 feet and just over 1,100 acres of skiable terrain split between the front side and Mill Valley backside area. A trio of 3 express lifts serve the frontside terrain on looker’s right.
Despite several recent lift upgrades following Vail’s purchase of the area, the mountain still has a few classic center-pole Riblet double chairs, a trademark of the region. The Seventh Heaven lift serves a short upper-mountain expert pod and makes an incredibly short but steep climb.
The lift climbs to nearly the top of the peak in the upper left of the first picture.
The frontside has a wide variety of terrain, from steep open slopes to mellow groomers rolling through impressive pine groves.
Weekends bring a pretty heavy crowd to Stevens, but with good coverage, the trees were a great place to avoid busy trails. Some warmer precipitation recently left some of the bump and tree runs a little crusty underneath, but plenty of soft snow could be found by picking the right line.
The backside was a bit skied off, so we didn’t spend a ton of time back there. Compared to more mellow terrain on looker’s right of the frontside, looker’s left has some nice steeps that provide cool views of the base area at the foot of the mountain pass.
The terrain is served by some more old-school lifts, including a unique up-and-over lift that you can board on both ends and reach the summit from either direction.
The cool tree moss reminds you that you’re in the PNW!
I called it a day as the light got flatter and my legs grew tired, saving a little energy in the tank for the drive home. It was a fun first day exploring the Cascades with some friends, and I am excited to see what the rest of the region has to offer!
I hit the road around 3:30, joining the exodus of weekend warriors back to Seattle. Some advice from a regular revealed that the return trip during the weekends usually takes an hour longer, and he was spot on- soon enough I ended up in the red snake. He recommended either an early departure or taking advantage of the night skiing and sticking around for a bit, something I look forward to trying.
Despite the slow-going, a positive of the traffic was stumbling upon this cool view in Index, WA as Waze took me on a backroads detour. The train line in the photo parallels US 2 for most of the way up to Stevens Pass and then enters the Cascade Tunnel, the longest rail tunnel in the US!
A little bit of snow fell overnight, along with some light snow showers during the day. The passing snow showers left the mountain socked-in most of the day, with the occasional break in the clouds. Stevens has a vertical drop of 1,800 feet and just over 1,100 acres of skiable terrain split between the front side and Mill Valley backside area. A trio of 3 express lifts serve the frontside terrain on looker’s right.
Despite several recent lift upgrades following Vail’s purchase of the area, the mountain still has a few classic center-pole Riblet double chairs, a trademark of the region. The Seventh Heaven lift serves a short upper-mountain expert pod and makes an incredibly short but steep climb.
The lift climbs to nearly the top of the peak in the upper left of the first picture.
The frontside has a wide variety of terrain, from steep open slopes to mellow groomers rolling through impressive pine groves.
Weekends bring a pretty heavy crowd to Stevens, but with good coverage, the trees were a great place to avoid busy trails. Some warmer precipitation recently left some of the bump and tree runs a little crusty underneath, but plenty of soft snow could be found by picking the right line.
The backside was a bit skied off, so we didn’t spend a ton of time back there. Compared to more mellow terrain on looker’s right of the frontside, looker’s left has some nice steeps that provide cool views of the base area at the foot of the mountain pass.
The terrain is served by some more old-school lifts, including a unique up-and-over lift that you can board on both ends and reach the summit from either direction.
The cool tree moss reminds you that you’re in the PNW!
I called it a day as the light got flatter and my legs grew tired, saving a little energy in the tank for the drive home. It was a fun first day exploring the Cascades with some friends, and I am excited to see what the rest of the region has to offer!
I hit the road around 3:30, joining the exodus of weekend warriors back to Seattle. Some advice from a regular revealed that the return trip during the weekends usually takes an hour longer, and he was spot on- soon enough I ended up in the red snake. He recommended either an early departure or taking advantage of the night skiing and sticking around for a bit, something I look forward to trying.
Despite the slow-going, a positive of the traffic was stumbling upon this cool view in Index, WA as Waze took me on a backroads detour. The train line in the photo parallels US 2 for most of the way up to Stevens Pass and then enters the Cascade Tunnel, the longest rail tunnel in the US!
