Seattle area beta

[shamrockpow]

So if I was unexpectedly gonna be flying into Seattle on the 27th, where would be the best places to hit up right now? Probably don't want more than a 4 hour drive, so that puts me borderline on Whistler and/or Oregon skiing I'm guessing.

Who's got the best base? best value? best chance of powpow next week???

PNW JONG right here

[fiddler]

most snow? Baker
cheapest lift ticket? Baker
drive time from Seattle? 2 1/2 to 3 hrs
but don't tell anybody

[Snow Dog]

The Seattle crowd talks about Stevens and Crystal.

[Buster Highmen]

Alpental: awesome overlooked, 1+ hours from downtown Seattle. If it's below 48 and raining, hit it.
Stevens: Best variety, better snow than Alpental, can get really crowded, have to get there before 9:00 on a weekend. 1.5* hours from downtown Seattle.
Crustal: Best terrain in WA, can be thin on snow and ridiculous weekend crowds. 2 hours from downtown.
Baker: Best snow in WA, great hike to skiing. 3 hours from downtown.
White Pass: Another overlooked jewel. 3+ hours.

My recommendation: day at Baker, day at Alpental, day at Crustal, day at Stevens.

[fiddler]

Hey Buster, how is Alpental doing for snow? I haven't been since yr before last and plan on getting there sometime this season. I just got some 2 for 1 coupons for buying Shell gas that are good on Wednesdays at Alpy so I'll be looking for ways to get some Weds off. (cough cough)

[fiddler]

Shamrock, I was just reading your post again and you're arriving on Saturday, what time? You might want to get to Alpental for night skiing on Saturday once you get settled in to your accomodations. How many days you gonna be around here?

[shamrockpow]

Fiddler: looks like I can hook up with my family for some holiday skiing (read: free) if I can get last minute airfare which is running about $340 (booking today). Probably late Saturday night through friday morning the 2nd....

I've done a little bit more looking at the map now and can come up with some better questions.

1. If I was interested in going to Whistler, how much drive time am I looking at for Baker day 1 (I got a buddy to probably stay with in Bellingham), then Whistler, then drive all the way back to Seattle?

2. I'm assuming there's budget hotels in Yakima. How far from there to Crystal and Stevens (might have some free tix)?

3. How far from Yakima to Hood areas? ie how many passes from Washington to Oregon? are some of the roads closed in winter?

4. How far from Yakima all the way down to Bend/Bachelor?

[pollard]

I'll be at stevens on the 27th

[Buster Highmen]

Originally posted by fiddler
Hey Buster, how is Alpental doing for snow?

Don't crush that dwarf, hand me the pliers - your Firesign will get you nowhere.

Coverage is really good. Breakover and right side of nash have some thin spots, but overall, it's decent coverage. Skied there last week with the Schmears and I think we were all pleased with the conditions. LOwer stuff has no rocks or even twigs showing. I didn't go bc since I'll bet there's still some nasty sinkholes out there.

[Buster Highmen]

Originally posted by shamrockpow
Fiddler: looks like I can hook up with my family for some holiday skiing (read: free) if I can get last minute airfare which is running about $340 (booking today). Probably late Saturday night through friday morning the 2nd....

I've done a little bit more looking at the map now and can come up with some better questions.

1. If I was interested in going to Whistler, how much drive time am I looking at for Baker day 1 (I got a buddy to probably stay with in Bellingham), then Whistler, then drive all the way back to Seattle?

Seattle to Whister is 5-7 hours, depending on road and border conditions. High terrorist alert could make border crossing slow. Use alternated to the Blaine crossing. I think B'ham to W/BC is about 3-4 also depending on road and border conditions, but I've never done that one. Baker kooks, what say ye?

2. I'm assuming there's budget hotels in Yakima. How far from there to Crystal and Stevens (might have some free tix)?

Stevens would be closer, likely. To get to Crustal, you'd have to drive I90 down to N. Bend and take 18, a very roundabout route. If you're in Yakima, Whire Pass is your best bet.

3. How far from Yakima to Hood areas? ie how many passes from Washington to Oregon? are some of the roads closed in winter?

A bunch of the roads are closed. Take US97 down to I82, but I'll bet it's about 4+ hours. But Hood sucks in general, excpt for corn in spring and summer or the rare pow storm.

4. How far from Yakima all the way down to Bend/Bachelor?

5 hours, maybe less.

[natty dread]

I'll be skiing Crystal the 29th and 30th--red arcteryx coat and grey helmet. Rusty? Joshbu? Bueller?

[britney]

what is this??? i thought there was good skiing 35 min from seattle. did i hear wrong?

i was going to apply for a job there, and the res is due tomorrow -- let me know if the good skiing really is over 2 hours away, and i might have to stick with san francisco or come home to CO with my tail between my legs.

[fiddler]

Whistler is 130 miles from B'ham. It takes me right around 3 hrs to Creekside. Don't go Blaine Peace Arch. Go Blaine Truck Crossing, I think that is exit 275 from I5, you'll see the sign. Lynden-Aldergrove doesn't open until 8 am, closes at midnight, return to Bham this way. It is best to leave Bham no later than 5:30am, especially midweek. When you cross, don't get on the freeway to Vancouver, go due north until you get to HWY 1. Go west. It is best to have someone with you so you can use the car pool lane on the way into Vancouver (once again, especially midweek). Just keep going, be careful where the ferry lanes and 99 to Whistler split up, you'll be staying to the right. Unless you're going to Blackcomb or are staying in the village, go to Creekside and park under the big building that used to be a parking lot. You'll save much time by not driving through suburban Whistler, you can probably be on the Creekside gondola by the time you'd figure out where to park and walk in to the village.
You can stop in Squamish and get discount lift tickets at the 7-11 on the left side of the highway, pretty easy access as there is a traffic light there.
Whistler is a very worthwhile day trip from Bellingham, and it will take you about 4 1/2 hrs to get back to Seattle.
VERY IMPORTANT, make sure you have photo ID, drivers license and a passport or certified copy of your birth certificate. I use my license and birth cert and don't have any problems. I also have a photo ID from my Whistler pass and Baker pass, the more the merrier. Have the DL and birth cert out and ready to hand over both entering Canada and re-entering the US. Play their game, smile, don't be a smart ass and you shouldn't have any problems.(knock on wood) Expect them to look around in your car though, at least through the windows. And if they wave you through after you answer a few questions, so much the better.
Kinda long, but hopefully helpful info.

[Dr. Crash]

27th, I'll be at Stevens with my sister. Anybody else?

drC

[pollard]

27th, I'll be at Stevens with my sister. Anybody else?

Originally posted by pollard
I'll be at stevens on the 27th

lil slow? wana meet up? shoot me an e-mail at joeripper_67 att hotmail dert com

[Buster Highmen]

Originally posted by natty dread
I'll be skiing Crystal the 29th and 30th--red arcteryx coat and grey helmet. Rusty? Joshbu? Bueller?

I'm going to try to get there Tuesday. Early line up or AI?

[Dr. Crash]

Originally posted by pollard
lil slow? wana meet up? shoot me an e-mail at joeripper_67 att hotmail dert com

I meant besides the ones who posted they'd be there in posts above mine, duh.

Natty, it'd be cool to hook up. Joshbu and I have plans to ski Alpental on the 30th, do you insist on Crystal both days?

Oh and since we're sharing dates, I'll be at Crystal on 1/2 too. And Alpental tomorrow.

Blask spyder pants w/ blue and yellow insert at knee, red hiking jacket, gray Nine.9. Or gray fartbag and same helmet. Haen't been wearing the fartbag lately though.

drC

[Buster Highmen]

Originally posted by britney
what is this??? i thought there was good skiing 35 min from seattle. did i hear wrong?

Well, if you have your lawyers act as bait on the way up, in some raging 4wd porsche, you could probably do it in 35 minutes. But for the rest of us, it's realistically an hour from Seattle, less from the E, side (msft) suburbs.

i was going to apply for a job there, and the res is due tomorrow -- let me know if the good skiing really is over 2 hours away, and i might have to stick with san francisco or come home to CO with my tail between my legs.

Tahoe is so much better. But there's good stuff lurking out there.

[natty dread]

Crash--Since I'm staying at Crystal and only have two days of skiing, I'll prolly just chill there.

Buster--Depends on conditions, but probably early line up. Name a time and place (with a later alternative perhaps) and I'll wait there for a few minutes to see if you made it up there.

I'll have a room at the Quicksilver lodge the 28th/29th/30th.

[Dr. Crash]

Originally posted by britney
what is this??? i thought there was good skiing 35 min from seattle. did i hear wrong?

i was going to apply for a job there, and the res is due tomorrow -- let me know if the good skiing really is over 2 hours away, and i might have to stick with san francisco or come home to CO with my tail between my legs.

As Buster says, count on a bit less than 1 hour from the city. From where I am (East side) I can get to the Summit (Alpental) in 40 minutes. It's still good enough to ski before work on Tuesdays Try that in SF. Now, if you're sailing, we don't have it as good as in the bay, and this I truly miss. But skiing's much better as far as being accessible. Tahoe's great and I've enjoyed it but it's much farther away.

drC

[britney]

thanks dr c and buster! im applying for the job now -- getting tired of that drive to tahoe and all the traffic (both human and vehicular)...

and yesterdays christmas with the fam proved once again that, although they are wonderful, and visiting home is great, living here in boulder would be too close for comfort!

[grrrr]

Seattle's bad for traffic, but nowhere near as bad as SF. It's a big metro area, so where you start out from makes a difference.

Travelling to Whistler - They had the dogs out the other day, which added an hour to the customs line. Truly sucked, and i wouldn't count on it getting any better soon, especially Blaine (both crossings). If you are up at Baker, you can jet up to Whistler after skiing - cross at Sumas and get on 1 west instead of driving all the way into Belli and then north.

Yakima - less than an hour to White Pass. Miight as well check it out.

drC - Sailing not as good as the bay area??? You don't get out much, do you? San Juan County alone has more coastline than the state of California, and from here north there's nothing but islands, bays and fjords for hundreds of miles. This is the mecca of west coast sailing.

[shamrockpow]

OK, worked out some free lodging (and tix) issues with friends and family, so now here is my 90% confirmed Washington/Oregon trip:

28th Crystal
29th and 30th Hood Meadows (free ski house at base makes it worth it to drive)
Somewhere between Hood and Stevens on the 31st (maybe Whitepass?)
1st at Stevens (free tix and stay in Leavenworth for free before heading to the airport the next morning)
Out

Anybody got any advice on how awful the drive from Hood up to Yakima is gonna be?

Where to avoid the crowds at Hood Meadows? (is Hood Ski Bowl worth hitting?)

Advice for where to ski on the way to Leavenworth from Hood?

Thanks to everyone who's answered already. A lot of this info was over on Powder, but I couldn't find shit in a search now - "topic does not exist"

[grrrr]

From Hood drive up 97 to Yakima. About 3 hours, very scenic. When you go north from Yak to Leavenworth, take the River Road (821) through the canyon. Beautiful drive. Pick up 97 again in Ellensburg for drive over Blewett Pass into Leavenworth.

Best choices for skiing on that side of the mts. are white pass or Mission. I would go for mission - more interesting terrain and only 1 hour from Leavenworth. About 2 hours from Yak.

[rbtree]

Meadows is saying they've opened some new terrain, with some crazy steep stuff. http://www.skihood.com/pdf/MHMtrailmap.pdf . Ask around, or look up as you ski down the lower part of Heather Canyon. I only ski there if I'm visiting family in Oregon, as it is mostly rather lame compared to Washington areas.

I've heard a lot of good about SkiBowl, lots of good steeps. Scot Schmidt used to host steep camps there.