Rental cars often prohibit use of chains in their contracts fyi

Whistler is fucking wild man. You should just got to Whistler as a whole trip.

Hurricane ridge is closed m-th, and absolutely packed at times. Beware.

Crazy how nature do that

Beautiful 😍

No, I wouldn’t. Crystal is a big mountain, bigger than you can really ski in one day. It’s a nice mountain with good snow, don’t get me wrong. But parking can be a nightmare, it’s a long day to go out there and back, and it’s expensive. The smaller resorts are fine. I ski at Summit Central, because that’s where my kids’ lessons are. I pretty much ski Silver Fir lift, with occasional runs on Rampart and Central Express, which are the two lifts adjacent either side. A giant mountain isn’t necessary, a couple lifts with good runs is all you need.

Hurricane Ridge is a long way to go for a poma lift, though. I mean it could make for a nice adventure to go all the way out there, but getting to and from the peninsula is very time consuming- it’s a lot of travel for a little skiing. And tough to do as a day trip from Seattle unless you only ski a couple hours. So you have to factor the cost of a hotel for 1-2 nights into your plans.

Others have mentioned Alpental. It’s reasonably priced and a local gem, especially if you are an experienced skier. The other Summit resorts are good value- not the best snow or terrain in the area but they treat folks well and as I said prices are reasonable.

Re: Highway 2 or I-90, you’ll need to check conditions on the WSDOT website or even better get the WSDOT app. Hwy 2 is fine for going east usually, but late in the day on weekends it is an absolute disaster getting home. It’s a 2-lane highway and it just backs up. It can take 3 hours to get home from Stevens Pass on a weekend. So if you’re returning from Wenatchee I’d recommend taking I-90. But again that’s all dependent on conditions and our weather can’t be predicted accurately more than 2 days in advance, so there’s just no way to know ahead of time what you’ll encounter. Could be clear, could be a blizzard.

So my thinking was to do EW so I can take advantage of the free day passes I get to hurricane ridge & mission ridge from having a season pass to my home mountain (mt bohemia does resort partnerships). I was planning on hitting up stevens and possibly snoqualmie in between.

As much as I salivate at the idea of being so close to WBC and Crystal, the day pass prices are definitely very high compared to what I was budgeting for. In your experience, would you recommend them as worth it despite the price, versus getting free passes to the other places?

These are some treacherous areas for driving. It’s not just snow, these are serious mountains and you can get stuck in some dangerous driving conditions making for a pretty crummy/sketchy experience if you get stuck.

I’d be prepared for closures. You’ll need chains. AWD with traction control is a strong preference.

If you’re doing it for skiing, I’d do N-S rather than E-W and start with Whistler BC then Mt Baker, Steven’s Pass, Crystal Mt, Mt Bachelor or the like.

More than welcome. As for distances, Hurricane Ridge is only 60 miles from Seattle (+ferry ride), and Steven’s Pass, about 55. Snoqualmie Pass less than 50, so you’re not going to experience any massive distances.

Thanks for the rec!!

You can buy chains at Les Schwab, and if unused, you can return them for a full refund. Not that uncommon. In over 24 years here, only used chains once.

I will be renting a car since I'm flying in, and I know how to put chains on since I've used them in the Northeast before--will likely need to buy a fresh set when I arrive in Seattle since I can guarantee you the tires on my rental car will be larger than the ones on my own car unless chains are a one size fits all kinda deal? My car has extremely small tires that are basically rubber bands on rims because I'm too stubborn to give up my civic SI even though that thing is NOT designed for winter driving hahahah

Are you renting a car? Need a set of chains - and know how to put them on. More likely for HR than anywhere else though. Expect wet roads. If it snows, not that common after all, expect roads (be it US-2 or I-90) to close down until cleared. Chains will be required going up and over the pass. Go slowly.

That sounds good. People often underestimate how remote PA is.

Yep, I got my itinerary all planned out. I'm breaking it up into chunks so I'll spend the week slowly trekking eastward, not doing a cannonball run in one day

> hurricane ridge/mission ridge

How many days do you have? Have you looked to see just how far apart those two places are?

Thank you so much for the details!! In all honesty I don't mind at all that hurricane ridge is on the small side, I'm not into the whole gigantic overpacked resort scene anyway. I was going to take up a couple private lessons while I'm there so I won't be navigating deep pow and backcountry on my own. My home mountain here in michigan (mt bohemia) partners with various resorts out West to give lift tickets to season pass holders, and hurricane ridge/mission ridge are among them which is why I'm hitting them up. Stevens gives me pause because Vail lmfao. But I'll keep it mind!

This is really lovely, I like your style.

Very cool!

Wet snow, but dry snow occurs. Hurricane ridge has a poma and a rope tow but endless backcountry if you're a competent backcountry traveler and navigator. PA has hotels. Your drive from PA to highway 2 will be dark and very rainy in all in likelihood.

You will need chains to fit your car, mandatory at national parks (hurricane ridge). Be reasonable driving the ridge, but don't go 15 mph. You will go from sea level to 5250' in about 40 mins so it will be a bit if a different drive for you if you are from the east coast.

Highway 2 can be really sketchy. Many bad accidents on that road. People drive like idiots on it. Get to Stevens really, really early for a parking spot on a weekend. Like 5 am early. Prepare for lines and an inadequately staffed resort. Give the finger to Vail while there for maximum effect. Idk about lodging, Leavenworth is maybe kind of somewhat close but expensive and tourist-ey.

90 then up to Wenatchee might be a good bet, but 2 is fairly reliable, if not traffic laden.

Alpental has some of the best terrain in the state if you hit it on a slow weekday. (I-90) but a terrifying nightmare on the weekends.

Mission is supposed to be rad and less crowded. Wenatchee is pretty.

Go to loup loup.

Avalanche conditions can and do close all of these roads throughout the winter.

Good luck

Edit: PA is really quite far for the tiniest amount of terrain. It is not worth it unless you and your buddy are experienced Backcountry skiers/boarders. I say buddy because you should not enter the backcountry alone. Realistically it takes 3 hours from here to Seattle if you miss a boat (common) or have to engage with Tacoma at all. Don't do what Google says and drive through Olympia. Take the Tacoma narrows bridge.

I uploaded a partial photo here, but it's not very good. You may still be able to find the original poster in some shops. It's from 1983 so there have been a lot of changes in the skyline.

https://imgur.com/a/gwVXyF0

Here's the author info from the text -

WILL LANDON BELLEVUE, WA.

COPYRIGHT 1983

FROM SOMERSET

OLYMPICS

PHOTOGRAPHED WITH A 48" LENS

ARTWORK BY THERESA TODO

IDENTIFICATIONS BY ARNOLD BLOOMER

There are formulas for that, but above my pay grade. They do loom over Seattle when seen from a distance, such as driving in on W90 from Issaquah.

Yup! It’s my full time job! We’re not allowed to sell or promote products on this sub. But feel free to message me f you have any questions. Thanks!

How much %wise would you estimate the exaggeration is?

I have no doubt the mountains dwarf the city but am curious how the image processing compares with what the naked eye sees.

Do you sell your art?? This is beautiful!

Which one? Like to see it