In the middle of the snowy mountains of the Cascades lies a surprise. The constant narrative across the country is that the Pacific Northwest is horrible in terms of skiing, but Steven’s Pass seems to be the one resort that is actually comparable to some resorts in the Rockies. There are still a few disadvantages compared to Snoqualmie Pass and Alpental, but it still seems to be the best set of slopes in the region.
The biggest disadvantage of Steven’s Pass is the price. While Snoqualmie and Alpental charge $85 for a weekend ticket, Steven’s charges $170. It would seem strange to find a doubling in price compared to their local competitors, until you take into account who owns them. Vail Resorts is a massive corporation who own 40 mountains worldwide. A corporate ski chain isn’t inherently bad, but what Vail has done to skiing is hard to get past. Just 7 years ago in 2017, a lift ticket to Vail’s home resort in Colorado cost about as much as Steven’s pass does now, at $175. Now it’s $285. Vail is pretty much the sole reason for the insane price of lift tickets right now, as well as why Steven’s pass is twice as expensive as its Snoqualmie counterparts.
The drive is also a struggle. It’s an hour and a half long, and that’s when there’s no traffic. On busier days and holidays, it could easily be upwards of 2 hours. This means that, in order to get there in time to gear up, load your card, and get in line for a lift by opening at 9 am you would have to leave around 6:15-6:30.
That, however, is where the negatives end. The snow is amazing. The area is massive. The terrain is awesome. The tree runs are incredible. The closest comparison I can make for Steven’s Pass would be Utah’s Sundance Resort. With prices ranging from $130 to $150 and the snow, size and relative difficulty all being fairly similar, the comparison to any Utah resort makes it incredible, but the fact that it’s in the Pacific Northwest makes it exceptional.
Overall, Steven’s Pass is undoubtedly the highest quality resort in this area. It’s pricey and a little farther away, but the fact that it’s massive, has the best powder available in the Pacific Northwest, and has the best terrain makes it all easily worth it.
