by Greg Whittaker

The Mt Baker Ski Area is OPEN, and Crystal Mountain is a go for limited operations tomorrow, Saturday 11/21. Get your gear waxed up and head to the hills people! Snow reports are good: the last storm cycle left the the Mt. Baker Ski Area with 34" at the base and over 60" at the top of Pan Dome.

Speaking of which, that was an amazing storm that started cold depositing a good layer of snow down to 3000 ft throughout the Cascades. Later, it warmed up as it slammed wind and waves into West Seattle, with sightings of a surfer off Constellation Park. There was another good cool down after the warm front with more snow in the hills. Check out the photo in the slideshow of Highway 410, you can barely tell there is a road there. Highway 2 also got hit hard, with the pass currently closed at Skykomish with no predicted opening. This could be devastating for Stevens Pass and the pass-holders who are ready to go, so much thanks to the highway department for working hard to this lifeline open as soon as possible.

Mission Ridge has called out November 27th for opening day as well if you want to head over to the east side.

All ski areas will have early season conditions, so be aware of exposed rocks and ankle breaker logs that can lay hidden just under the snow as you get off piste.

Tip of the day, dry off your skis or snowboard when you get home and put them in a warm dry place. This will help prevent rust forming on the edges and lengthens the life of your ski or snowboard. If you keep them up in your roof top carrier between trips, you are going to have to deal with rust eventually, so take care of your gear and it will take care of you.

Here are links to local ski areas so you can visit their sites for the most up to date info.

Crystal Mountain Resort
Summit at Snoqualmie
Stevens Pass
Mt. Baker Ski Area
Mission Ridge Ski Area
White Pass Ski Area
Loup Loup Ski Bowl

Make sure you check the WSDOT Pass Reports for driving conditions.

Greg Whittaker is the owner of Mountain to Sound Outfitters your West Seattle ski, snowboard, kayak, and paddle board experts that can also rack out your car so you can carry all that gear that wont fit in your trunk.