Stevens Pass Ski Area
| Stevens Pass Ski Area | |
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 Stevens Pass Ski Area
Location in Washington
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| Location |
King County, near Skykomish, Washington  United States
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| Nearest city |
Leavenworth 37 mi (60 km) east |
| Coordinates | 47°44′41″N 121°5′20″W / 47.74472°N 121.08889°WCoordinates: 47°44′41″N 121°5′20″W / 47.74472°N 121.08889°W |
| Vertical | 1,800 ft (550 m) |
| Top elevation | 5,845 ft (1,782 m) Cowboy Mountain 5,600 ft (1,700 m) Big Chief Mountain |
| Base elevation | 4,061 ft (1,238 m) main base area 3,821 ft (1,165 m) Mill Valley |
| Skiable area | 1,125 acres (4.55 km2) |
| Runs | 37 - 11% easiest - 54% more difficult - 35% most difficult |
| Lift system | 10 chairs |
| Lift capacity | 15763 passengers/hr |
| Terrain parks | 1 |
| Snowfall | 450 in (1,100 cm) |
| Snowmaking | no |
| Night skiing | yes |
| Website | Stevens Pass |
The Stevens Pass Ski Area is a ski area located at the crest of Stevens Pass in the Cascade Range of Washington, United States. The base elevation is at 4,061 feet (1,238 m) with the peak at 5,845 feet (1,782 m). The Mill Valley "backside" of the resort drops to a minimum elevation of 3,821 feet (1,165 m). Total skiable terrain includes 37 major runs covering 1,125 acres (4.55 km2).
Stevens Pass offers a variety of alpine ski runs ranging from beginner to advanced. Because there is no lodging at the base, Stevens is a day resort drawing heavily on skiers from the Seattle area. Night skiing is offered until 10pm most days (except Tues and Weds) during mid-season.
The area is divided into front (north and east facing) and back (south facing) sides.
From the base area, there is direct access to the chairlifts Daisy, Hogsback, Brooks, Skyline, and Kehr's:
There are also 3 higher chairlifts on the front side:
The backside (named Mill Valley) provides a more natural environment with lots of sparsely treed runs. The backside features two lifts that load from the same immediate area:
The Stevens Pass Nordic Center provides access to 28 km of groomed cross-country ski trails of varying difficulty.
The ski resort was started by Don Adams and Bruce Kehr, both passionate skiers, in the winter of 1937-38. The original lodge was constructed in 1937 by the CCC, a government funded work force. In 1940 this lodge burned down.
The area around Stevens Pass is known to be avalanche prone, having experienced the most deadly avalanche in U.S. history in 1910 when two trains were swept off the tracks and buried, killing 96 people.
Out of a group of 16 experienced skiers, three men, Chris Rudolph, age 30; Johnny Brenan, 41, and Jim Jack, age 46; were killed in an avalanche at Stevens Pass on February 19, 2012. The avalanche occurred in an unmaintained back-country area known as Tunnel Creek, which was described as "ski at your own risk," after 3 feet of fresh snowfall.
The growth of population in the Seattle area has led to increased use at all the Cascades ski areas in Washington, and Stevens pass frequently reaches capacity on weekends during January and February. In June 2007, a Master Plan was submitted to the Forest Service describing proposed future expansions and upgrades over the next ten years.
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Wikipedia