Warm, wet weather affecting Stevens Pass, businesses on U.S. 2

STEVENS PASS — It’s the dead of winter here but only small, dirty patches of snow spot the landscape along U.S. 2 near the summit ski area.

Workers at Stevens Pass are hoarding piles of snow to cover trails and turns as best they can, said spokesman Chris Danforth. That’s because the unusually warm, wet weather this season has brought the mountain little more than half its average snowpack.

The less-than-ideal conditions also have attracted fewer skiers and snowboarders. Without the usual winter traffic, Stevens Pass and businesses along U.S. 2 are struggling.

“It could be worse,” Danforth said. “We don’t have much snow, but at least we have the most snow.”

Some other ski areas in the state are operating with less snow or have had to shut down. While conditions aren’t optimal, much of the terrain at Stevens Pass is open.

The season started late, with a few lifts operating Dec. 20. Since then, parts of the mountain have opened with more snow and closed when rain melted it.

The mountain has 38 inches of snow at its base. That’s compared to 61 inches at the same time last season, which also saw less snow than usual.

All 10 chairlifts have been running on about a dozen days this season, Danforth said. Lift ticket prices have been adjusted to match how much terrain is available.

With lower ticket prices and fewer people coming to the mountain, the resort is down about half its usual business, Danforth said. Stevens Pass usually has some 400,000 skiers during the season.

The business is financially prepared to weather a bad season but the downturn has been hard on employees, Danforth said. Work started later this season and with less terrain to operate, staff hours have been cut. There are at least 50 fewer people working on the mountain compared to usual, Danforth said.

Businesses along U.S. 2 also have been affected by the slowdown at the mountain. Sky Valley Chamber of Commerce director Debbie Copple said nearly all of the group’s 170 businesses are feeling the pinch, particularly those selling food, gas and gear. People have lost their jobs or had their hours cut, which means they have less money to spend at other local businesses, she said.

Cascadia Inn owner Henry Sladek last week had to reduce hours by half for several of his employees at the Skykomish hotel.

“That’s a big impact on this little economy,” he said, noting there aren’t many other jobs to be had in town. “But the business couldn’t survive if I didn’t do it.”

Sladek counts on the busier ski season to carry operations through spring, which is typically slow until summer travel season starts. He said he hasn’t seen a winter this slow since 2004-05, when lifts ran on just 46 days. That was the worst season on-record at Stevens Pass.

So far this season, the mountain has been open more than 50 days. Operations typically continue into April.

“It affects everybody in the valley when there isn’t as much traffic,” said Sandy Klein, owner of the Bigfoot Espresso Chalet near Index.

Klein said her business is down by as much as half on weekdays. Weekends also have slowed, she said.

Another business owner, Leanne Smiciklas, said she’s decided to close Old School Barbeque near Monroe on Wednesdays to survive with fewer customers coming by. Smiciklas, a Texas native, has been serving about 200 pounds of meat a week. That’s about half of what she usually does.

“We’re mom and pop. That’s what allows us to keep going,” said Smiciklas, who runs the food truck with her husband. “When you don’t have that bumper to bumper traffic, you feel it.”

Rusty Drivstuen has seen a significant decrease in business at his Mt. View Chevron on U.S. 2 in Sultan. He sells Stevens Pass lift tickets at his gas station. But this season, the mountain has hurt his sales by offering discounted tickets for an average of $55 due to the limited terrain. At peak prices, tickets cost $69.

So far, Drivstuen has sold about $10,000 in tickets, compared to his average of about $100,000 a season.

“It’s so slow, it’s unbelievable,” Drivstuen said. “Have everybody do the snow dance.”

At Stevens Pass, Danforth and others also are holding on to hope of more snow this season. In the meantime, ski instructor Dave Erickson said the spring-like weather and the soft snow it brings can be a benefit for beginners, who often have trouble with ice.

On Tuesday Ron Snell, of Kirkland, said he was having fun skiing the soft, slushy snow.

There were also no crowds, parking was easy to find, lesson prices had dropped and most of the beginner and intermediate terrain was open.

“You don’t need a ton of snow to have a good time,” said Danforth, a snowboarder. “A day on the mountain still beats sitting in the office. You gotta take what Mother Nature gives you.”

Amy Nile: 425-339-3192; anile@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @AmyNileReports.