They say the early bird gets the worm and that's truer than ever opening weekend THIS WEEKEND at Mission Ridge. 

Three lucky guests are going to get three gifts cards as part of our “First Chair” contest.

Did we say luck? It’s more about being a hardcore Mission Ridge rider... 

The first person in line at chair 1 on both Saturday and Sunday of opening weekend (Nov. 19 & 20) win Mission Ridge Mountain Money cards, which are good for anything from food to gear. Of course the SAME person can't win both days, although your dedication and stoke is epic... 

PLUS the first person in line at chair 1 at 11:19 a.m. on Saturday to say the password "Arlberg" to our lifties will get a $50 Arlberg sports gift card.

Remember – it's 11:19 on 11/19 and the password's "Arlberg."  

Couple things to note: only one winner per gift card – spread the wealth! No purchase necessary and you must be present to win. Meaning: leaving your skis or boards at the front doesn't qualify you to win and you don't have to buy anything to stand in line, but you might feel kind of funny without any gear.  

Special thanks to Arlberg Sports. And all our loyal skiers and boarders. This is one of the many ways that Mission is going to be rewarding Mission Ridge riders this season. It’s a way to say “Thank You” to the people who make Mission the great place it is. 

See ya at First Chair!

Maintenance crews have been hard at work upgrading Mission Ridge’s Liberator Express lift during the offseason in preparation of the season’s winter opening. 

The ski area spent its summer maintenance capital, converting the lift’s original analog controls to a modern digital system.

In addition to new PLCs and sensors, the upgrade included replacing and insulating wiring, re-building the electric drive motor and weather shielding the Summit return terminal.  The Midway terminal received the same electrical controls and sensor upgrade.

“The electrical upgrade will significantly improve the reliability of the Liberator Express,” said Mark Milliette, Mission Ridge’s General Manager. “That’s important because the Liberator is our primary lift that provides access to a majority of our terrain.” 

“The new digital system and sensors are pretty high tech,” said Lift Maintenance mechanic, Clement Mikkelson, “They allow us to resolve problems with less of an impact to the public.” 

Milliette concurred, “If there are problems, maintenance mechanics will be able to remedy the issues more quickly, thus shortening the delay to get the lift back in service”. 

Last season, electrical problems and weather delays plagued the Liberator Express.  With these upgrades, electrical issues should be fewer and morning start-up more consistent during storm cycles. 

In addition to the Liberator Express upgrades, Mission Ridge also kicked off Phase I of a base area revitalization aimed at sprucing up the buildings at the resort, starting with the Ticket Office. 

“We think guests are really going to like the new improvements once the season gets underway,” Milliette said. 

Our weekend-long Snow Daze event at Arlberg Sports is back! This weekend, all weekend you can get your season pass and discounted gear downtown Wenatchee.

Why wait in line once the snow's on the ground? Get your pass now and hit the slopes in style!

 And we've been selling passes and it is good to see everyone coming back. Ticketing manager Cheri Hobbs is down there all weekend and spent about 10 hours selling passes and that was just the first day! 

"We processed a ton of passes and there were a lot of new business," she said. "But hey! When the mountain calls you want to be ready! Why come up and stand in line?"

Why indeed... 

Matt Dorsey, a 7th-grader from Foothills Middle School came in with his family and got his pass. Here he is proudly showing off his 2011-12 Mission Ridge pass. 

So come on in and get your gear, get your pass and get ready because it's going to be an awesome ride this year. 

Viva La Nina!