Seattle

jasoncapecod

jasoncapecod

Well-known member
I found reasonably priced airfare to Seattle over the Xmas week. Any thoughts, mountains lodging etc..thanks
 
I live in Seattle and ski here when I am not in Utah. Crystal has best terrain and lifts. Baker gets the most snow. Alpental is steep and fun. I am not a big fan of Stevens.

Happy to answer any questions 123deg@gmail.com.

Doug
 
Snoqualmie/Alpental is going to be closest. Baker is Baker, one of the most bad ass areas in the US. It's also probably the furthest from Seattle. Place is amazing though. Crystal is another solid choice, also has the most amenities. There is actually lodging there. Stevens is quality. It is not as obvious as the other areas, but there is some damn fine stuff there.

The biggest hitch is when you are there. Hard to say what the conditions will be. I would think you stand a decent chance of hitting it good. If memory serves the last few Decembers have been good in the PNW. The rains held off until January.

If you want the resort experience, hit Crystal. They have the full package. Otherwise stay in Seattle, rent a car and drive to your spots. Expect anywhere from around and hour to over two hours to get to where you are going. If you do Baker, it would probably be wise to stay in Bellingham for a day or two. Leavenworth can be a fun place to stay on a Stevens Pass visit. It's a "Bavarian" town. Cheesy, but it's a fun cheesy.

Really, really good stuff there. If I moved out of Colorado, Washington state would be at the top of my list of where I would want to end up.
 
Seattle is an excellent choice in terms of expected snow conditions. Be prepared for a lot of driving if daytripping. Crystal is 2 hours from Seattle without traffic. There is lodging there but it's limited, not sure if they would jack up prices.

You won't have the Christmas vacationers, but with schools out there could be a significant crowd impact from the locals. I'll ask Larry Schick about that, probably won't get an answer that soon as I'm in Australia, soon to get off the grid on a dive boat.
 
It can be very busy during the holidays. Seattle people get out if the snow is good.

Lodging is limited at Crystal, and it makes Snowbird look like Las Vegas.

Baker is not all that badass unless you are willing to hike the Shuksan Arm (not a bad hike but there be dragons). The inbounds is good for a day trip. A 2.5 hour each way kind of day trip.

We have had better early seasons than Utah of late but past results are no guarantee of future returns.
 
I spent several days at Crystal at the end of March 2012. Great mountain and I hit it big with snow. However, I will echo that the lodging and dining are bare bones. Only one restaurant to choose for breakfast and dinner, which got pretty repetitive. The mountain is assuredly bigtime, though, especially hiking to the top. If you get a break in the clouds, which for me didn't happen until Day 6, the view of Rainier is spectacular.
 
rfarren":1bz0y8hq said:
Isn't crystal a short drive from there? If there's snow, why not.
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In Washington State one must be very careful when converting distance to driving time. The same goes for assuming that snow removal will be efficient, as it is Utah, Colorado, and Ohio.

As an example, during last year's snow drought the Washington mountains were smacked with 80" of new powder over the course of a few days in early January. My wife and I promptly booked SW flights to Seattle and arranged lodging near White Pass and at Crystal. Upon arrival, we couldn't leave the airport area for nearly 24 hours until some snow melted off and the roads cleared. It turns out that Seatac has only 10% of the snow removal capacity that Washington, DC has! (And DC is a southern city!)

Our first day at White Pass was a perfect, sunny powder day, but the second quickly went to cement, so we drove over to Crystal. Even though White Pass and Crystal are separated by 10-15 miles, it took 4-1/2 hours to drive to Crystal, as we had to go to the coast, drive north, and then drive East to Crystal. In past years we have also driven Crystal to Stevens Pass/Leavenworth and Leavenworth to Mission Ridge, and to other destinations in Washington. I generally plan for an average speed of 35 MPH on local roads, as heavy rain, fog, snow, and local traffic usually slow travel greatly.

BTW, White Pass is a beautiful not-so-little ski area atop a mountain pass. It has a little expert terrain and a great quantity of new terrain in an intermediate open bowl. For intermediate skiers who don't care for the high priced Rocky areas, White Pass is a real jewel, and it's very cheap.

Crystal is the only true destination resort in Washington state. (We haven't skied Baker, which I estimate to be very appealing to me but still falling short of the destination moniker.) It feels like a bigger Alta or A-basin, but with good offerings for all levels. Great terrain when you can see it. But lodging is very sparse, leaving most to commute daily from Enumclaw--which averages 45-50 minutes each way. It gets old after a week. Great mountain though and generally terrific local skiers.

Jeff
 
Larry Schick says you can expect it to be busy with the exceptions of Christmas Eve and Day and New Year's Eve and Day.
 
jasoncapecod":2cik5qzy said:
Thanks for all the advise...I booked SLC..
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Are you Gpaul in disguise?

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