Pacific NW/AK/BC 2022-2023 PNW Ski Resorts/Conditions/Meetups

[slowrider]

They preparing for the loss regarding the latest wrongful death lawsuit against the inept shit show they run.

^ Local

 

[RJS]

On mountain we will be adding up to 5 additional positions per day in our pro-patrol department. We received more feedback than ever last season regarding skier and rider conflicts on our runs. While this was largely a result of fewer powder days forcing everyone onto ski runs in pursuit of groomed corduroy, we definitely heard you and will be increasing our patrol presence across the mountain to educate and enforce safe skiing and riding behaviors, especially in our high traffic areas.

@slowrider what are your thoughts on this? I only skied a few days at Bachelor last season, but I noticed at times that some people skied fast and sometimes out-of-control on some of the connecting traverses that made me nervous - not really nervous for me, but there are tons of kids and beginners going slow on these traverses.

 

[slowrider]

@slowrider what are your thoughts on this? I only skied a few days at Bachelor last season, but I noticed at times that some people skied fast and sometimes out-of-control on some of the connecting traverses that made me nervous - not really nervous for me, but there are tons of kids and beginners going slow on these traverses.

It's a good thing. A few women skiers had been hit by "people" that use the traverse for jumping, ect. Most of those people skied Skyliner (Parks) which was closed for the season. That's my take.

 

[RJS]

Here's an idea that is probably bad or at least ill-thought out: could we take some of the pressure off of Mount Bachelor by creating a small, community ski area on Tumalo? There could be a fixed-grip double or triple going to the summit from the road servicing 1,400' of SW facing terrain, and then maybe a Poma lift/t-bar dropping off the top into the E facing bowl servicing 500' of expert terrain. Other than the lifts you would need to cut some ski trails on the SW slopes and perhaps do a bit of tree-thinning for glades and create a larger parking area, but on the whole the infrastructure requirements would be pretty minimal. The place could offer some pretty neat skiing for locals but wouldn't be a draw for tourists - you get way more vertical, acreage, amenities, and the ability to use your Ikon Pass at Bachelor.

Realistically, getting financing and forest service approval (it is outside of federal wilderness) for such a project would be very challenging. The biggest hurdle in generating support would likely be opposition from backcountry skiers. There aren't that many places to backcountry ski in the area unless you like long approaches or have a sled, so the idea of developing Tumalo, even if the development is kept minimal, kind of stinks? One way to mitigate this problem would be to allow free uphill access.

If we're really talking pie in the sky types of ideas, we could pair a Tumalo community ski area with expanded backcountry skiing access. What I'm about to propose might cost just as much or more than creating a Tumalo ski area, but imagine if NF 370/380 (once again, all outside of federal wilderness) were improved and kept plowed in the winter? Those roads are in rough shape and get a ton of snow, but there isn't very much avalanche danger if any on the way to the Broken Top trail. Being able to start a tour at that trailhead would create some pretty amazing touring options. There are cool terrain options there, with everything from hard-charging lines to a surprising amount of mellow, non-avalanche terrain that could be fun for beginners or high-danger days.

Anyway, none of the above is serious but these thoughts crossed my mind last season while skiing at Bachelor.

 

[Bad Bob]

PNW did pretty darned well on this list. Have skied many of these choices and in general would agree; thank goodness it is just a few of the good ones though.
I kind of hate it when this stuff happens.

Time For Plan B: The 10 Best Small Ski Resorts To Ski This Winter

Want to ski powder? Over crowds? Look under the proverbial rock and check out these best small ski resorts in the US this season.

localfreshies.com

 

[New2]

Willamette Pass is joining the Power Pass and will be managed by Mountain Capital Partners: https://liftblog.com/2022/10/04/mountain-capital-partners-to-operate-willamette-pass/. By all reports, they're a great operator and have invested significantly in at least some of their mountains. Also earlier in this thread or last year's we were discussing where the first 6-pack in Oregon was going... turns out Willamette Pass is the correct answer, and it's been there for a while.

It's an interesting expansion for the Power Pass--I doubt there'll be a whole lot of travel between Wilamette Pass and the existing MCP mountains. But some folks will definitely take advantage. I'm interested to see if they'll aim to expand more in the Northwest.

 

[tomahawkins]

Bummer.

Canada’s Second Largest Resort Joins the Ikon Pass

Sun Peaks and the largest ski area in the Pyrenees are the newest additions to the Ikon Pass.

www.skimag.com

 

[DanoT]

Bummer.

Canada’s Second Largest Resort Joins the Ikon Pass

Sun Peaks and the largest ski area in the Pyrenees are the newest additions to the Ikon Pass.

www.skimag.com

I wouldn't get too bummed out if I were you as Sun Peaks is not about to get overrun by Ikon Pass holders. SP is still off the beaten path (3 hour drive from Revelstoke) and requires a connector flight to get to from Vancouver, or Calgary, or Kelowna to get to Kamloops and then an hour shuttle drive. Most Americans with the exception of WA skiers, still mostly go to Whistler even though the B.C. Interior is and always has been less crowded, less expensive, and has better weather than Whistler.

And if I am wrong and crowds start to grow at SP, not to worry as the owners of Sun Peaks also own 40% of Doppelmayr Lift Co., so a lift up the north face of Mt. Morrisey, an extension up Orient Ridge and conversion to high speed for the Orient Chair, and high speed conversion for the Crystal and Elevation Chairs are all in the future if demand increases. And the 22minute ride on the Burfield Chair will get you 2894' vertical and still will result in most new SP skiers riding it once, never to return, leaving it as the long time "locals chair".

 

[New2]

Uh oh. Schweitzer is #11 in this year's Ski Magazine top resorts in the West. And they've announced a new high-speed quad going in next summer, replacing Musical Chairs in serving the beginner terrain and going down to where the new day lodge will be.

No Oregon, Washington, or Alaska in the top 30 this year. In the greater northwest, Sun Valley's #1, Whistler-Blackcomb #5, Whitefish #6, and Big Sky #28.

 

[David Chaus]

Interesting. It’s a decent write up of the resort. I guess the ranking is a result of the Ikon Pass, drawing more people who participate in these surveys. Still, Schweitzer didn’t feel crowded at all when I visited twice last year, though one visit was the last weekend they were open in early April (the other was Xmas week).

It’s still surprising they made it as high as #11 the first time in the resort rankings.

 

[Bad Bob]

The new 2022 '30 best Ski Towns in NA' is out from Ski Magazine. Saw it yesterday and they absolutely painted the NW. Bend, Sandpoint, Whitefish, Big Sky, and a bunch of others. Sun Valley/Ketchem came in #1.
Went looking for it again today but no success. Maybe one of you guys took it down, if so GREAT JOB.

 

[chris_the_wrench]

The new 2022 '30 best Ski Towns in NA' is out from Ski Magazine. Saw it yesterday and they absolutely painted the NW. Bend, Sandpoint, Whitefish, Big Sky, and a bunch of others. Sun Valley/Ketchem came in #1.
Went looking for it again today but no success. Maybe one of you guys took it down, if so GREAT JOB.

For some reason they didn't mention the fog we get here in Whitefish that can be so nasty it forces the hordes of tourists to ride the lift back down to safety! I thought ski magazine went belly up??

 

[dbostedo]

For some reason they didn't mention the fog we get here in Whitefish that can be so nasty it forces the hordes of tourists to ride the lift back down to safety! I thought ski magazine went belly up??

I thought that fog was just what you made up to scare away tourists, right?

 

[David Chaus]

I knew it! The snowmaking system also is a massive fog machine system! So that’s where all the leftover rock-and-roll show equipment goes to when people finally give up on their dreams of taking their garage band to new heights.

 

[Sibhusky]

A little old, these employees are mostly gone.

 

[RJS]

 

[dbostedo]

View attachment 180729

Holy Stevens Pass Batman!

 

[RJS]

The best short-term outcome would be for there to be enough precipitation to put out the fires for the season. Hopefully this is finally our shift out of this hot, dry spell that we've had for a very long time. The icing on the cake is that these are decent snow totals, especially for Stevens (30") and Alpental (22").

Someone page the TAY folks and tell them that they are going to be able to get in their October turns without having to hike up South Sister or the Muir Snowfield.

 

[David Chaus]

Holy Stevens Pass Batman!

Regardless of how much snow they get, VR has set Dec 2nd as the opening date. Other areas around here were open 3 weeks before Stevens last year.

 

[Posaune]

Don't hold your breath on Cascade snow before mid-November at least. A bunch of snow in October will probably turn into a bunch of snow-melt a week later. I would not be unhappy to be wrong, however.