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Seattle's Summit at Snoqualmie Opens for Season

Originally posted on Powder | By Ian Greenwood | Last updated Dec 17, 2024 4:12 PM ET

It might've been a bit of a late start, but the ski season is officially here at Seattle's home mountain.

The Summit at Snoqualmie opened for skiing and riding today, December 17, 2024, welcoming season and Ikon passholders.

As is tradition, the ski area kicked things off in its Summit West area. Julies, Pacific Crest, Little Thunder, and the Upper Carpet are ferrying skiers and snowboarders upwards. Wildside, which services intermediate and advanced terrain on the skier's right side of Summit West, isn't open yet. But the Summit hopes to open the lift soon.

Also tradition: low early season coverage. "While we received over a foot of snow this weekend, snow coverage is still thin out on the mountain. Always look ahead and watch for marked and unmarked hazards, as well as depressions," The Summit's mountain report reads.

The ski area opens for everyone on Wednesday.

Looking ahead, the Summit has its sights set on opening the Central and Alpental areas next. Alpental, which is a distinct ski area across the road, houses the Summit at Snoqualmie's best big mountain terrain with excellent backcountry access to match. Summit East is scheduled to open on December 26th, conditions and snow depth permitting.

The Summit at Snoqualmie is the last major Seattle area ski destination to open this season which, given the resort's lower altitude, isn't unusual. Crystal Mountain, Mt. Baker Ski Area, and Stevens Pass all opened in late November.

"We're running about 11 days later than normal as far as our opening goes," The Summit at Snoqualmie Marketing Manager, Karter Riach, told Komo News.

The coming days could also test The Summit's fledging snowpack.

While it's currently snowy at the resort, the National Weather Service calls for rain at Snoqualmie Pass this week. More favorable weather—read: heavy snow—may arrive between December 24th and December 28th per an atmospheric river warning from the National Weather Service. Let's hope the freezing level cooperates.

Either way, I'm shacking up at The Summit this season. I've got my pass, and I'll be out there next weekend, whether there's rain or snow. Gore-Tex (and maybe, in this case, trash bags) was God's gift to Pacific Northwest skiers. We might as well make use of it.

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This article first appeared on Powder and was syndicated with permission.

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