Now that ski season has begun, many students are heading up to Stevens Pass Ski Resort, near Leavenworth, with 37 major runs covering over 1,125 acres. Stevens is the closest ski resort, so the proximity draws students and Kenmore residents.
Junior Seth Rigor said that he loves Stevens because he is quite familiar with the terrain.
“I’ve been skiing at Stevens Pass my whole life,” Rigor said. “When I visit a new place, it’s a cool experience, but I don’t know all the little secrets like I do at Stevens.”
Stevens has a mix of 11% beginner, 54% intermediate, and 35% advanced runs.
Senior Chase Ingersoll has been skiing for more than 10 years, but only at Stevens for a few years. He said he goes out every weekend with his competitive team, including his friends junior Lorenzo Pasinelli and senior Dane Loucks.
“Lorenzo and Dane are some of my favorite people to ski with at Stevens,” Ingersoll said. Despite the 450,000 visits per year, Stevens Pass is filled with lots of powder, which skiers deem as the ‘peak’ of snow conditions. Ingersoll said he loves Stevens’ fresh powder, especially in the backcountry.
“It kinda just feels like you are floating on nothing,” Ingersoll said. “Stevens is just untouched snow happening all day.”
With all of Stevens Pass’ positive aspects, many people have complained about Vail Resorts, the new company that bought out Ski Resort Holdings, LLC as of Aug. 15, 2018. Since 2016, walk-up ticket prices were raised from $69 a day to $200.
“One of the biggest tragedies of Vail is that I used to buy burritos for under $10 and now they are $20,” Ingersoll said.
In addition to increasing the prices, some of the locals’ favorite courses have been modified.
“Since Vail’s takeover happened, I might be moving to Snoqualmie,” Pasinelli said.
Although there are runs that were changed, Ingersoll said that Stevens will always have a special place in his heart.
“Stevens is an amazing place to ski,” Ingersoll said. “If you want to learn how to get into the sport, Stevens is always a great place to start.”
Junior Sophia Zeng is a freestyle skier who has been skiing for only three years and is already racing competitively. Zeng said the parks at Stevens are above average and compare well to other resorts.
“One of the big things for me is the amount of powder, and Stevens has always provided that for me,” Zeng said. On some of the more popular runs at Stevens where more people are skiing, the snow is often more compact. Zeng said she would recommend less experienced skiers go to the less common areas to get more controlled practice.
“Last year my team went back to a run in Stevens called Grace Lakes in a pretty secluded area, and since there was no one there, the snow was super fresh,” Zeng said. “Gliding down the hill with that lush snow in your face is amazing.”
