Snoqualmie skiers and snowboarders eager to get on the slopes as lack of snow slows operations

SNOQUALMIE, Wash. — KIRO 7 was at the Summit at Snoqualmie on Wednesday to get an update on snow conditions for skiing and snowboarding.

The base of Summit West is at 53% of its 30-year average, which is not terrible. But skiers and snowboarders told us they would like to see more because right now snow is limiting operations.

“Right now we have limited our operations,” said Karter Riach with the Summit at Snoqualmie. “Normally at this time of year, we would have all four of our mountain areas open. Right now we have Summit West and Summit Central open and hopefully, with more snow, we can announce more openings next week.”

Ski resorts across Western Washington are doing their best to work with the little snow Mother Nature dropped in December.

“Our grooming team is constantly moving snow refilling holes, smoothing out as much terrain as they can and they do as much as they can with what material they have to work with, and the more snow the better those conditions become,” said Riach.

Skiers and snowboarders we spoke to have come to Summit West in seasons past and they’re certainly noticing the snow shortage.

“I haven’t really seen it like this,” said Fiona Schmid. “Like last year it was way more powdery this time of the year. Usually, in December/January, it’s not so bad but I’ve never seen it like this.”

But with the grooming team hard at work, skiers and snowboarders are just happy to be on the slopes.

“It’s real nice, like right over here, we haven’t been all the way up yet, but right here it’s still exactly the same as it normally is,” said Sean Bursek.

A couple of fresh inches fell Tuesday night. And right now, all eyes are on the forecast for this weekend. Especially the operations team at the summit who said with the right amount and density of snow, they may be able to open more lifts next week.

“We’re always trying to take incremental steps forward to open more and more terrain as mother nature allows,” said the team.

Now if Mother Nature sticks to her plan for this weekend, folks at the summit have told us that ticket sales are reduced more than average due to condensed operations. But with lots of snow, comes lots of people.

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