Stevens Pass Ski Area

This article is about the ski area. For the mountain pass along US Highway 2 where the ski resort is located, see Stevens Pass.

The Stevens Pass Ski Area is a ski area in the Cascade Range of Washington in the United States. It is located at the crest of Stevens Pass at a base elevation of 4,061 feet (1,238 m) above sea level and peak elevation 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). The ski area is accessed via U.S. Route 2, which connects to nearby Leavenworth.

Stevens Pass Ski Area
Hogsback Express chairlift in 2016
Stevens Pass Location in Washington Stevens Pass Location in the United States
Location	King County, near Skykomish, Washington, U.S.
Nearest major city	Leavenworth 37 mi (60 km) east
Coordinates	47°44′41″N 121°5′20″W
Status	Operating
Owner	Vail Resorts
Vertical	1,800 ft (549 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)
Trails	37 - 11% easiest - 54% more difficult - 35% most difficult
Lift system	10 chairs
Lift capacity	15,763 per hour
Terrain parks	Yes, 1
Snowfall	450 in (38 ft; 1,100 cm)
Snowmaking	Yes
Night skiing	Yes
Website	stevenspass.com

Alpine skiing

Stevens Pass offers a variety of alpine ski runs ranging from beginner to advanced. Without lodging at its base, Stevens is a day resort, drawing heavily from the Seattle-Everett metropolitan area, via U.S. Route 2. Night skiing is offered until 10 pm most days (except Mondays and Tuesdays) during mid-season.

The area is divided into front (north and east facing) and back (south facing) sides.

Front side

From the base area, there is direct access to the chairlifts Daisy, Hogsback, Brooks, Skyline, and Kehr's:

• Kehr's (formerly Big Chief) was upgraded in summer 2023 from a fixed double to a fixed quad, sitting below Big Chief Mountain, providing access to a very consistent cruiser with small bumps on the left side and an ungroomed steep bump slope leading to a valley on the right side. This chair provides access to the backside via an upper lift called Double Diamond.
• Daisy is a beginner's quad lift that offers access to beginner terrain directly in the middle of the ski area. (There is also a conveyor belt (aka "magic carpet") lift in the beginner area at the base of Daisy.)
• Hogsback is a high-speed quad providing access to intermediate runs and some more advanced tree runs, along with the terrain parks.
• Skyline is a high-speed quad that offers the longest intermediate and advanced runs on the front side of the mountain. It is the most difficult front side lift from the base and has much steeper intermediate and black runs.
• Brooks is a high-speed quad lift that primarily provides access to beginner-intermediate terrain with rolling hills, as well as large jumps as part of the advanced terrain park.

There are also 3 higher chairlifts on the front side:

• Seventh Heaven is a fixed double experts-only lift that accesses double-black diamond runs and backcountry access near the top of Cowboy Mountain. It is accessed by the Skyline lift and is the steepest lift in North America.
• Tye Mill is a fixed triple that provides access to the backside and to intermediate and advanced runs and is accessed by the Hogsback lift or Seventh Heaven chair.
• Double Diamond is a fixed triple that provides access to the backside and also to Double Diamond, Big Chief Bowl, and Wild Katz, all experts-only extra-steep ungroomed runs. It is accessed by Kehr's Chair.

Back side

The backside (named Mill Valley) provides a more natural environment with many sparsely treed runs. The backside features two lifts loading from the same immediate area:

• Jupiter Express - a high-speed quad that unloads next to the top of Tye Mill. This lift accesses the most intermediate terrain on the backside, as well as black and double black diamond terrain and tree skiing. It offers the second longest vertical drop of a single chair (about 1350 ft) and the fastest vertical per minute on the mountain.
• Southern Cross - a fixed triple that is the same physical lift as Double Diamond on the frontside. This lift accesses much more steep and advanced terrain and unloads at the top of Double Diamond chair. Southern Cross features the longest vertical drop of Stevens Pass, over 1850 ft. Not recommended for intermediate skiers.

Cross-country skiing

The Stevens Pass Nordic Center provides access to 28 km of groomed cross-country ski trails of varying difficulty.

History

The ski resort was started in the winter of 1937–38 by Don Adams and Bruce Kehr, both passionate skiers who had acquired rights to develop a ski area on Big Chief Mountain. The chambers of commerce for Everett and Wenatchee, who sought to promote the use of the Stevens Pass Highway, also purchased land owned by the Northern Pacific Railroad near the pass and transferred it to the U.S. Forest Service for use by a ski resort. The original lodge was constructed in 1937, burned down in 1939, and was rebuilt the next year by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a federal New Deal jobs program. By 1963, the Stevens Pass Ski Area had expanded to three chairlifts and twelve rope tows with a ski lodge and ski shop. The Big Chief chairlift was renamed for Kehr in 2009, a year after his death.

In 2011, Harbor Resorts after 35 years of ownership sold Stevens Pass to CNL Lifestyle; operations were turned over to the operator of Mountain High in California. In 2016, CNL sold Stevens Pass to Och-Ziff Capital Management. On August 15, 2018, Vail Resorts completed its acquisition of Stevens Pass. The acquisition had been announced two months prior; Vail planned to include Stevens Pass in its Epic Pass program as well as opening access to Whistler Blackcomb Edge Card holders.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Vail Resorts implemented a pre-reservation requirement to control crowds at Stevens Pass and mandated the use of face coverings and social distancing for the 2020–21 season. The ski area's employee accommodations were also reduced in half to a capacity of 65 people. Several lifts were inoperable for part of the season, which drew criticism from patrons alongside the shortened hours and overcrowding. The restrictions were lifted for the following season, but staffing shortages and high avalanche risk caused only five lifts and 40 percent of terrain to be open, leading to longer lines. An online petition was started on Change.org, which garnered nearly 40,000 signatures in two weeks, and over 80 consumer complaints were submitted to the Washington Attorney General's office. Vail announced discounts for renewing passholders in response to the criticism and the ski area later opened more backside terrain areas.

A new general manager was hired from the Heavenly Mountain Resort in California ahead of the 2022–23 season, which opened with full staffing and additional capacity in employee housing, as well as pay raises.

Avalanches

Main article: 2012 Tunnel Creek Avalanche

The area around Stevens Pass is known to be avalanche prone, having experienced the deadliest avalanche in U.S. history in 1910, when two trains, stationary due to heavy snowfall, were swept off the tracks and buried, killing 96 people.

More than a century later in 2012, another notable avalanche occurred. 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. The avalanche occurred in an unmaintained back-country area known as Tunnel Creek, which was described as "ski at your own risk," after three feet (0.9 m) of fresh snowfall.

Future development plans

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 following ten years.

Development objectives

• Improve the mountain experience at Stevens Pass by diversifying its terrain offering, including a variety of trail width and aspect, as well as gladed terrain of varying difficulty.
• Increase the Comfortable Carrying Capacity of both the ski trails and the ski lifts to better match actual demand, making use of the majority of skiable terrain that is now underdeveloped.
• Balance the ski terrain skill max to match the market, within the limitations imposed by the Stevens Pass terrain.
• Provide additional 'in-bounds' and 'hike to' adventure skiing opportunities.
• Provide a diverse range of gladed and other off-piste skiing possibilities.
• Better manage lift accessed backcountry use.
• Improve guest satisfaction through lift and trail system upgrades.
• Relieve pressure and congestion in the base area with the establishment of on-mountain facilities.
• Develop new terrain, as well as re-groom (grade) and re-vegetate existing terrain, with climate change predictions and Visual Quality Objectives in mind.
• Provide a small-scale snowmaking system focused on the super-pipe and facilities near the base area.
• Design new terrain development to bring a net gain in forest health and diversity with the SUP area.
• Develop a summer lift accessed Mountain Bike product to satisfy a growing demand, as well as other related, appropriate outdoor activities.
• Plan for and develop other mountain products and facilities as use increases.

Front side

A northern exposure area is planned to the left (east) of the current Big Chief lift, with a Northern Exposure detachable quad providing access to runs and glade skiing. This expansion would add 115 acres (0.47 km²) of total terrain.

Brooks has been upgraded from a double to a high speed quad, opening fall of 2019.

Daisy has been upgraded from a triple to a fixed grip quad, also opening fall of 2019.

A Grace Lakes area is planned to the right of the top of Brooks, heading off downhill to the right (north), consisting of groomed cruisers and gladed runs. The area would be served by a fixed quad lift, and add 80 acres (320,000 m²) of total terrain. Additionally, there would be new adventure runs from the top of skyline down into the Grace Lakes area.

Big Chief was upgraded to a fixed quad, and the loading area was moved slightly down the mountain to improve access for the 2023–2024 season.

A new fixed quad "The Katz" would be added to the right of Big Chief, extending up and to the right.

Back Side

Backside improvements happen at the right (east) side. To the immediate right of Southern Cross, new trails and glades provide expanded area, and a proposed permit expansion into Highlands Bowl to the right of that would provide a backcountry experience for those willing to do some hiking. A catch trail at the bottom would return to Southern Cross. This expansion would add 75 acres (300,000 m²) of terrain.

There are no lift changes planned on the backside, other than the installation of the Jupiter Express which was carried out in 2013.

Base area and facilities

A "Solitude lodge" would be constructed near the top end of Skyline. Smaller yurts would be constructed at the top of Tye mill, at the top of the terrain park, and at the base of the lifts in the back. The base lodges would be expanded and reconfigured, while a new mini-lodge and ticket area would be constructed at the base of the Northern exposure lift. 470 new parking places would also be added.

External links

• Stevens Pass Ski Area Website at the Wayback Machine (archived 2021-12-26)
• Stevens Pass Master Plan at the Wayback Machine (archived 2016-08-28)
• Mountain Map at the Wayback Machine (archived 2018-09-20)
• Trail Maps at the Wayback Machine (archived 2021-12-12)