Snowmaking finally had a chance to get back out there this afternoon after the wild weather of the past week or so! Last night saw more high winds and a trace of new snow that got blown around quite a bit, but it’s super nice to see the slopes adorned in some white once more. Last night also finally brought cold temps back to the mountain, though snowmaking production was not possible due to the wind. The crew was on hand throughout the day today making sure the guns were set to go and waiting for the gusts to die down so production could begin. As afternoon turned toward evening, they got guns on Lower Tumwater, Midway, and the top of Mimi fired up. It’s fantastic to see the snowy plumes and snowmaking lights back out there on the mountain after the last few weeks of uncooperative conditions.
As for snow coverage, we are at close to zero natural snowpack, but high-elevation areas that received snowmaking – Sunspot and Upper Tumwater – are holding on to decent coverage. The forecast ahead is looking very promising for those upper areas, with the possibility to pick up a foot or more in the next 48 hours up there. Lower down, Midway and Mimi are very thin at the moment. They are gonna need a lot of attention from our team and/or Mother Nature the next couple days. Unfortunately, snowmaking temps are not likely to reach all the way to the bottom of Mimi tonight – the biggest window for snowmaking in the near future looks like Friday night. Down near the Base Area, we are likely to see tomorrow’s precipitation start as snow, transition to rain for a spell, and then return to snow on the back end of the storm. The marginal temps will diminish snow totals compared to the upper mountain, but we could still see significant new snow depending where exactly the freezing line ends up. When we see just how much we are able to accumulate on the lower slopes, we’ll gain a much better idea for this weekend’s operational outlook.
Operational Outlook
We will be closed through at least Friday. Saturday, December 20th is our earliest possible reopening date, conditions permitting. However, conditions remain extremely dynamic, and all dates are subject to change based on weather, terrain readiness, and safety considerations.Â
Operations from December 20th through December 24th will remain TBD at this time. As soon as we can confirm lift and terrain readiness, we will put lift tickets and other products back online. Until then, we have removed all products for these dates from our website.
Guests who purchased tickets, rentals, or lessons for December 18th or 19th will be issued refunds automatically.
Night skiing, originally scheduled to begin December 19th, will now tentatively begin on Thursday, December 26th, conditions permitting.
Christmas on the Mountain
We’re excited to bring some holiday joy to the mountain no matter what the weather brings. Regardless of whether skiing and riding are able to resume on December 20th, we will move forward with Christmas on the Mountain activities. Crafts and activities will occur in the Hampton Lodge and on the deck, and we are super excited to welcome Bandits of the Animal Kingdom to play some carols in the evening.Â
Chair 5 Pub
The Chair 5 Pub will be open Friday–Sunday regardless of whether the mountain is open for skiing. If we are closed for skiing, hours will be Friday from 4-9, Saturday from 11-9, and Sunday from 9-2. If we are open on Sunday, we’ll be open until the end of the ski day on Sunday.Â
Retail Shop
The Mission Ridge Retail store will be open Friday-Sunday as well regardless of operations to help everyone finish up holiday shopping and prep for the winter season.Â
Uphill Policy
Uphill Policy is currently CLOSED.
