Written by Chris Rudolph 09/10 for the inaugural Ski Washington Magazine: This state is home to big mountains and real snow, where community, culture, and conditions collide to create a unique identity that can only be described as unequivocally Northwest. Gifted with unparalleled terrain, world-record snowfall, and hardy residents, our reputation resonates globally with the sport’s core.
For seven months every year, skiers and riders of every description and discipline converge upon these snow-blanketed ridgetops. Brewers and baristas, lawyers and longshoremen, winemakers and Web geeks – we may come from different places, but we’re hardly strangers. We’re all connected by our willing trade off of long lift lines for long powder lines and bluebird skies for gray-bird storms.
Photo: Tim Cartright
Our parking lots transform into town meetings, lodge tables into family gatherings, and mountainside bars into storytellers’ lairs. The terrain and snowfall are enough to talk about for days, but there is more to these mountain and their hundred year legacy than just the riding; progressive learning programs and strong, warm ski communities are part and parcel of the Northwest experience – all within easy drives of Puget Sound and other hubs, mind you, so that you don’t have to suffer four hours in a car to get to them. Furthermore, these resorts are rooted deep within the mountains themselves, each contributing its part to soften its impact through some progressive measures from harnessing wind power to employing exhaustive recycling programs. We’re working hard toward a level of sustainability that will enhance and preserve our unique natural landscape and set the standard for the industry.
Photo: Tim Cartright
So leave your frumpy sweater, furry boots, and attitude at home. This is the birthplace of Gore-Tex and fat skies, where the coffee is strong, the beer is dark, the snow is deep , and the only prerequisite is a sense of adventure. Be prepared for anything and welcome the to the Northwest. Welcome to Ski Washington.
Photo: Chase Jarvis
