White Pass Ski Area | Image: Brett Ploss

Report from Monday, March 3, 2024

Skiing

I drove from Yakima around 6:30 a.m. since the forecast called for sun. I parked right at the base, threw my skins on, and walked up across the street from White Pass, Washington. Seeing the early morning sun shining from behind the White Pass after a fresh blanket of snow was incredible.

It was only eight by the time I reached a solid viewpoint to watch patrol make their untouched laps and the groomers put on their finishing touches for the day.

A resting spot in the trees across the street from White Pass Ski Area | Image: Brett Ploss

As I skied back down to the road, it was deep. The snow skied soft and light, like the past few days at Mission Ridge and Mt. Baker.

Being a Monday, there was not a huge crowd for the lift opening at 9 a.m. I hopped on Great White Express from the base and took it to the top while passing over untouched snow of 4-5” reported snow but around a foot higher. The lift also passes over the infamous 911 cliff where local legends drop 30ft+ after big storms.

From the top, I stayed skiers left on Roller Cattrack and side-stepped up the ridge. A local on the lift said it had been skiing waist-deep since the storm cycle started early this week. He was not wrong. My powder stache was full of snow by the time I reached the ridge’s bottom and about seven deep turns.

Heading up Roller Cattrack for the steeps off to the right | Image: Brett Ploss

I then headed to Basin Quad since more people had shown up. Still not a line, but a lot of people for White Pass standards.

I skied down to Couloir Express and made a few tree laps off to skiers left. There are a few steep sections but this zone is primarily intermediate which was not quite steep enough for the amount of fresh snow up high. It still skied deep and untouched where it was steep.

At the base of the Couloir lift, a wild “pet” bird has been hanging around with the lifties for the past two seasons!

Once people started heading over, I decided to go back to the main base. From the top of Couloir to the day lodge is 2,000ft of vertical and the run feels like it. Since many people had not headed in that direction yet, there were a few groomed runs with about 4” of fresh snow on top.

I cut to the right of Main Street and found some untouched tree runs. The snow had accumulated well in there but a few creeks cut through the area which were important to watch out for.

Back at the day lodge, I hopped on a lift with a 76-year-old local from the Northeast. He had hitchhiked across the US for four years before stopping at White Pass 46 years ago. For him, this is home. He agreed to show me around.

Chair 4 was not running, so the nice intermediate runs were untouched with the 4” of fresh snow on top. We took a few laps on Paradise while I listened to his story.

Even though he was 76, he sure did not ski like it. He was skiing the fresh snow hard and talked about dropping cliffs in deeper snow. I like to think I ski fast, and he was tough to keep up with. A great reminder that if you treat your body well, age is just a number.

White Pass local 76-year-old rips! | Image: Brett Ploss

After he headed home, I took a few more laps off Great White. Highlights included the same ridge from the morning back to under 911 cliff where it was untouched. I also frequented the woods between Holiday Cliff and Cascade Cliff. There were some nice steeps and drops back there into deep snow.

Overall, White Pass is a mountain with a lot of charm and a great place for Yakima locals to call home. Anyone out here would have a great time with everything from steep chutes, cliffs, to lifts dedicated to intermediate runs. The views from the top towards Mount Rainier and the drive up past mountain lakes from either direction are unmatched.

White Pass, I can’t wait to come back!

White Pass

White Pass is located three and a half hours from downtown Seattle. With a 2,000ft vertical drop, 1,402 skiable acres, 90 acres of night skiing, and eight lifts, there is enough for every type of skier here. A world-class Nordic center with daily grooming is also located across the street.

They host a winter carnival yearly with a giant castle made of snow. 40ft+ long dragons and other creatures are crafted to the sides of it, truly making it a unique site to see. Later into March, they host a rail jam in the castle. Very unique for any park skiers in the area. It will be hosted in under two weeks on March 16.

White Pass winter carnival castle | Image: Brett Ploss

Current Conditions

Untouched snow at White Pass Ski Area on 3/4/2024 | Image: Brett Ploss

Today had about a foot of fresh snow on the ground. It has been mostly skied out, leading to packed powder for the next few days. But that will soon change with a big storm next weekend.

The snow skis light and soft, not your typical PNW wet snow. The cold temperatures will keep it nice between now and the next storm. Get after it!