Stevens Pass Opens But The Journey Just Got Longer

If you're a skier or snowboarder on the west side of the mountains, this is an announcement that you've been waiting for, for a while now. The Stevens Pass ski resort officially opens today, Monday, January 29th. But if you're on the west side of the mountains, you're in for an additional 100-mile drive. 

According to seattletimes.com,
‘Stevens Pass, the last Cascades ski area still yet to open this winter, will fire up the lifts on Monday, Dec. 29 — but prepare for a grueling detour if you’re coming from the west side of the state and want a taste of fresh powder. And in a reversal of initial policy, the ski area’s owner Vail Resorts is now hinting that some kind of compensation for season passholders may be forthcoming’ 

It's no secret that Hwy. 2 from Leavenworth all the way over to Skykomish is a mess because of the recent rains and flooding and there was a lot of damage. Tumwater Canyon is impassable, and Stevens Pass Ski resort was basically cut off from both Eastern and Western Washington. So, it's very good news that Stevens Pass and the Washington State Department of Transportation have come to some kind of accommodation to get Hwy. 2 from Kohl's corner up to the top of Stevens Pass usable for traffic again. 

Read more about Hwy. 2 partial reopening. 

Anyone from the West side of the mountains excited about skiing Stevens Pass will have to make a large detour. Instead of having easy access on Hwy. 2, they will have to go over Snoqualmie Pass, then Blewett Pass, back up to Leavenworth and then take the Chumstick highway to Cole's corner and at that point they follow a guide car and go up to Stevens Pass on Hwy. 2. This adds an extra 100 miles to their normal drive. 

Also, access to that section of Hwy. 2 from Cole's Corner to the top of Stevens Pass is only available from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM.