By Greg Whittaker

You guys ready for an actual ski report instead of how to gear up for the winter? Well we have snow in the mountains with 1 to 3 feet expected and northwest ski and snowboard areas are opening!

Whistler opens Wednesday (tomorrow) and Crystal is shooting for a Friday opening, however be sure to check their websites for details. Mt. Bachelor is also opening this Friday if you happen to be down visiting family in Oregon, bring your gear. Mt. Baker Ski Area should get enough in this storm and it is anticipated that they will open on Friday as well. Mission Ridge is also observing how the storm hits and may be open as early as Friday as they have setup a great base with their snow-making equipment and Mother Nature is helping out with this weather system big time. Stevens Pass, Summit at Snoqualmie and White Pass won’t be far behind, so it looks like a great start to the year is ramping up.

Larry Schick, ski meteorologist at Ski Washington.com is keeping it real and says, “Your fun depends on how much snow actually falls - it's only a forecast - reality can be different - sometimes better. That said, we will no doubt, get a decent shot of snow. Unfortunately, we are starting this snow storm cycle with very little snow on the lower elevations. Higher ski slopes elevations may already have a foot or maybe two - so we will add to that for sure. Early conditions and limits in operations will be evident. Bottom line...it's snow time!”

Cliff Mass another local expert published on his blog, “There are going to be some happy skiers, snow shoe enthusiasts, and snow lovers this weekend, because quite a bit of snow is going to fall above 3000-3500 ft during the next week. A combination of a series of wet systems and temperatures just cold enough for mountain snows will result in several feet of fresh snow at higher elevations.”

I am thankful for the bounty of snow that will soon blanket our region and the return of normal northwest winters to our mountains. Not only do the skiers benefit from the snow; our salmon, forests, and entire way of life has been created around our maritime climate and seeing a return to normal conditions is a blessing for all of us. Have a fantastic and safe Thanksgiving weekend all.

Here are links to local ski areas so you can visit their sites for the most up to date info. If you want to contribute, come by Mountain to Sound Outfitters and let us know how your trip was or feel free to post in the comment section.

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.