Dec 27 2008
Review of White Pass Ski Area, WA
As promised, a review of White Pass, WA, is due! Although this is short, a few quick facts about the ski area, conditions, and times to go will be listed. Stay tuned for more reviews and other awesome ski areas to go to!
WHITE PASS, WA
Location: White Pass, WA
Elevation: Bottom=4500′/Summit=6000″
Ski Runs: 32
Special Features: Excellent terrain and tree skiing.
Overall Rating: 4.5 / 5
Conditions: Can be extremely foggy with visibility reduced to <100 feet at times. Views are spectacular when sunny. Check prior to going for conditions at their website. Trails are usually groomed or powder, offering excellent skiing and snowboarding conditions the majority of the time. Crowds are thin on weekdays, even during most holiday times, but lift lines can become extremely long on weekends.
The Story:
Leaving early in the morning, we arrived at White Pass at 8:35 am. Crowds were thin and tickets were purchased quickly. Ten minutes later the lifts open and no lines were present. Powder was excellent and covered most runs, although snow was sparse in some areas due to the recent opening of the ski area. Most terrain was open and the runs were either groomed or powder.
The best part about White Pass is the superb terrain. The trees along most runs offer you some of the best challenges you can tackle, and my favorite activity is boarding quickly through the trees in a fast paced, adrenaline pumping sport bordering on survival. Jumps are present on the most runs as well, offering excellent opportunities to work on your freestyle and aerials.
If you plan to go, expect fair weather only 50% of the time, but skiable conditions 90% of the time. White Pass is a smaller ski area, but offers far superior terrain and conditions present at larger resorts. Happy skiing and boarding!
