The slopes are calling

STEVENS PASS — Skiers and snowboarders got what they wanted.

Stevens Pass is open for the season.

On Wednesday, about 2,300 people enjoyed the slopes, not caring that it was the middle of the work week.

“I have been waiting all year for this,” Matt McPherson of Bothell said.

McPherson took a day off to snowboard. His friend T.J. Watson does not work on Wednesdays but said he would have called in sick.

For him, going downhill on his snowboard is the ultimate high. It doesn’t matter that he didn’t get much sleep.

“I got four hours of sleep and I am wide awake,” said Watson, of Edmonds.

The mountain received about 10 inches of snow Tuesday. The snowpack was 38 inches at the bottom and 42 inches at the top, creating ideal conditions for opening day, marketing manager Nate Escalona said. Steven Pass is scheduled to be open seven days a week through the end of April.

There was an abundance of powder snow and even though the overall snow cover is still a bit thin, it was still ideal for skiing.

“Everybody can ski everywhere,” he said.

Because of La Nina, a weather system that creates colder temperatures than normal in the Northwest, there are high hopes this will be a great snow season.

Escalona believes it could also help new people try skiing and snowboarding. “Hopefully we’ll get people who have not come to the mountain before.”

More snow also could mean more employment. Over the course of a normal year, Stevens Pass employs about 1,000 people in full-and part-time positions. If business is good, more people could be hired, Escalona said.

Five chairlifts were open Wednesday. Most of the skiers and snowboarders went right past the easiest runs, going directly to more challenging ones. At the base of the mountain there was a general zigzag of people avoiding each other and rushing back in line for the chairlift.

Joe Towner was ecstatic after he finished coming downhill. Stevens Pass deciding to not open last weekend was worth it, he said, because now it has more snow.

“This is what snow is all about,” said Towner, of Seattle.

Nate Irish did not go to Stevens Pass at all last season, so on Wednesday he wanted to make up for it.

The Seattle resident and five coworkers took advantage of a business perk and took a day off to come to the ski resort as early as possible. They met at their Seattle office at 6 a.m. and were on the slopes before 9 a.m.

“I want to get as many runs as possible,” he said.

Being among the first on the mountain on the day it opens is a special treat, because it gives snowboarders like Dan Hauenstein, 34, of Everett, an opportunity to ride where nobody has done so yet.

In fact, Hauenstein visited Steven Pass twice before Wednesday, not caring that the chairlifts were closed. He walked up and rode down.

Snow conditions on Wednesday couldn’t have been better, he said. “It was epic.”

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Trader Joe’s customers walk in and out of the store on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Trader Joe’s opens this week at Everett Mall

It’s a short move from a longtime location, essentially across the street, where parking was often an adventure.

Ian Bramel-Allen enters a guilty plea to second-degree murder during a plea and sentencing hearing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Deep remorse’: Man gets 17 years for friend’s fatal stabbing in Edmonds

Ian Bramel-Allen, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder for killing Bret Northcutt last year at a WinCo.

Firefighters respond to a small RV and a motorhome fire on Tuesday afternoon in Marysville. (Provided by Snohomish County Fire Distrct 22)
1 injured after RV fire, explosion near Marysville

The cause of the fire in the 11600 block of 81st Avenue NE had not been determined, fire officials said.

Ashton Dedmon appears in court during his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett Navy sailor sentenced to 90 days for fatal hit and run

Ashton Dedmon crashed into Joshua Kollman and drove away. Dedmon, a petty officer on the USS Kidd, reported he had a panic attack.

A kindergarten student works on a computer at Emerson Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘¡Una erupción!’: Dual language programs expanding to 10 local schools

A new bill aims to support 10 new programs each year statewide. In Snohomish County, most follow a 90-10 model of Spanish and English.

Cassie Franklin, Mayor of Everett, delivers the annual state of the city address Thursday morning in the Edward D. Hansen Conference Center in Everett, Washington on March 31, 2022.  (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
At Everett mayor’s keynote speech: $35 entry, Boeing sponsorship

The city won’t make any money from the event, city spokesperson Simone Tarver said. Still, it’s part of a trend making open government advocates wary.

Logo for news use featuring the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Woman drives off cliff, dies on Tulalip Reservation

The woman fell 70 to 80 feet after driving off Priest Point Drive NW on Sunday afternoon.

Everett
Boy, 4, survives fall from Everett fourth-story apartment window

The child was being treated at Seattle Children’s. The city has a limited supply of window stops for low-income residents.

People head out to the water at low tide during an unseasonably warm day on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Lighthouse Park in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett shatters record high temperature by 11 degrees

On Saturday, it hit 73 degrees, breaking the previous record of 62 set in 2007.

Snohomish County Fire District #4 and Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue respond to a motor vehicle collision for a car and pole. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, near Triangle Bait & Tackle in Snohomish. (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
Police: Troopers tried to stop driver before deadly crash in Snohomish

The man, 31, was driving at “a high rate of speed” when he crashed into a traffic light pole and died, investigators said.

Alan Dean, who is accused of the 1993 strangulation murder of 15-year-old Bothell girl Melissa Lee, appears in court during opening statements of his trial on Monday, March 18, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
31 years later, trial opens in Bothell teen’s brutal killing

In April 1993, Melissa Lee’s body was found below Edgewater Creek Bridge. It would take 27 years to arrest Alan Dean in her death.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Man dies after crashing into pole in Snohomish

Just before 1 a.m., the driver crashed into a traffic light pole at the intersection of 2nd Street and Maple Avenue.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.