I love Stevens Pass. As an advanced skier there is plenty to look forward to. My favorite run is Cloud 9 off of seventh heaven. I also reccomend Double Diamond and Wild Catz. The picture I posted is of the warning sign in front of the Meadows(get to it off of Cloud 9). If you go by it you get some nice steep terrain. I highly reccomend Stevens Pass. It is smaller than Crystal but that just means the good runs are easier to get to. The only bad thing is alot of lifts close at three p.m. If you're not an advanced skier this shouldn't bother you to much.

Stevens is a pretty sick place, but has some disadvantages just like any other ski area would. A vertical of 1,800 ft. isn't that big, but enough to satisfy your day. It has all the big mountain terrain while maintaing a light crowd on weekdays, weekends aren't that bad either. I would suggest going to the less crowded backside, but just be aware that it gets slushy since it is more exposed to the sun. Lots of tree riding is found back there and a powder day it is some of the best riding around. The frontside is more busy, but still has some good areas and decent terrain park (lame $5 fee though). The overall ski area isn't that big compared to other places, but has all the elements of a bigger mountain. Night skiing is unmatched, with 6 lifts running and staying open till 10 p.m.

I've been skiing Stevens for 15 years and am a season pass holder; so I guess I am committed to the place. Weather is quite variable with spring skiing being the best. Fortunately the resort is right off a major US highway so there is good plowing of the road. A gripe I have is the grooming but then again I admit I was spoiled at Bogus Basin in Idaho (groomers were out day and night). Things get pretty chopped by evening on weekends and holidays. I think they could do better on some of the more used runs by grooming in the afternoon or early evening. The terrain is terrific for intermediate skiers and has some challenges for experts, especially the cliffs. Powder hounds will also enjoy after a fresh snowfall but because there is limited access the best areas seem to get skied out quickly. The night skiing is fantastic (especially on a cold, clear night) with most of the front side well lighted and open to 10 PM!!! Stevens announced plans in 2007 for a major expansion which will greatly enlarge the advanced and expert areas. The grub is OK. The soups seem to be Stock Pot origin and very salty. Nice to have salmon and some other unusual entrees available. Food prices seem in line with other ski areas. The place really is a good area to bring the kiddies to. Parking is more convenient than other areas I've been to. Stevens reminds me of some of the smaller Canadian areas such as Apex Alpine. I am an upper intermediate skier, and my favorite run is Showcase. I came close to having a heart attack (literally) on it at age 53(4 way bypass a month later), but what a way to go!! My wife and I ski weekdays mostly and lift lines are almost always nonexistent. Stevens is a nice local ski area that will please over and over.

Steven Pass is where I grew up. It brings back tons of happy memories and that is where my favorite memories stay. I was taught to ski by Jean Lyon. She was the best! It was so much fun to climb in the Winnie (Big W) and plan on spending the weekend with all my ski buddies in their motorhomes too. Normally, the kids would hang out in one motorhome playing games or coloring, while our parents hung out together in another.

Easter Sunday was always there and the Big MM race (follow the blue line) was so much fun. I remember many years there. It was a safe place with lots of friends, family and relatives. It was as if all the motorhomes were family - where people could just be themselves. Jean started teaching me how to ski when I was about 1 1/2-2. She and Dick ran a great school and it's so great to see that David is now running the show up there and carrying on like his partents.

I traveled the counry ski racing with PNSA & through college racing and there have been many great places along the way. However, still in my heart - Stevens is still my favorite! Good, fun times up there. Times I wish I could go back and repeat...it would be so fun to just go up and run Big Chief again. Living in Oregon - I haven't been up there in many many years - things have changed, I hear, and that's too bad. Memories are what we hold on to and tell our kids. Stevens Pass was a great childhood memory - when things were slow, people were not so into showing off, and everyone was like "family".

It would be great to have a reunion up there with all the families that had all the 60's and 70's kids up there waiting for training the next day by Dick and Jean. When people ask me who taught me...it was Jean. She rocked. Good luck David - you have big shoes to fill - but you will do just fine with your upbringing. I remember.

I started riding at stevens pass in 1999. Personally I like the fact that there is only 2 high speed quads. I've ridden crystal, and it gets tracked out so fast, it sucks. The only real fun there is the backcountry when the lifts that access it are actually open. They are always breaking down when I go to crystal.

I also like the fact that stevens grooms the backside right at dusk. If the powder falls that night, it covers the groom and leaves nothing but a heavenly layer of white fluffy goodness. If you are desperate for perfectly groomed easy runs stay on the frontside groomers. the backside has more of a solitude feel with slower lifts and shorter lines. Which means it'll get tracked out less and keeps the people that can't wait for bliss away.

The other thing I love about riding stevens is the varied terrain. Unlike crystal, there are also trails everywhere between the trees and powder stashes hidden even on some of the really bad snow days. The side trails are off of intermediate to expert runs. Varying the terrain that you can learn on. If the snow gets bad, they have done an awesome job at expanding the terrain park. so when you can't hit up natural hits, jumps and cliffs, you can tear up precision made jumps, rails and the half pipe.

Another great feature at stevens is all the natural rock out-croppings. You can start learning to drop rocks from 3ft to over 20ft right off or not far from the trails. There's gaps and natural hits everywhere. If you get board start looking for side trails or go play in tye bowl or big chief bowl. Your imagination is your only limitation. There's also a fairly decent backcountry, from corona bowl out-of-bounds, the back of Cowboy mountain, or Heather Ridge across the highway. Overall i love this resort, the variety keeps me coming back.