No-show snow puts ski areas on rocks

This winter is shaping up as the worst ski season in almost 30 years, first because of a lack of snowfall, then balmy temperatures and rain that washed away much of the snowpack.

The effect has been severe on those who work at ski areas in the Cascade Range, depend on them for business or simply live for carving up the slopes.


		Gilbert W. Arias / P-I
	Karel Sir dodges rocks to take advantage of the only ski run in the region that's open daily: Crystal Mountain's Green Valley.

Only one major ski area in Washington's Cascades, Crystal Mountain, is open daily -- and just barely. Even Mt. Baker, the ski area that in 1998-99 set a world record for seasonal snowfall (1,140 inches), is open only on weekends. The four other major areas -- Stevens Pass, The Summit at Snoqualmie, White Pass and Mission Ridge -- are closed until more snow falls.

Many ski-area employees have been sent home jobless. Ski schools and ski buses have been canceled. And season-pass holders are left with cards that in most cases can't be used.

While season passes are generally non-refundable, some ski areas, including Stevens and The Summit, are considering ways to give their customers a break, perhaps cutting the cost of a 2005-06 pass.

"We are concerned for our customers, and we're weighing options particularly for what we can do for next year," said Guy Lawrence, The Summit marketing director.

The situation has reached such a low point that some snow-starved people are resorting to desperate measures. Last night, some Stevens Pass employees planned to meet at Uncle Uli's Pub in Leavenworth and put skis into a fireplace as a symbolic offering to the Norse snow god, Ullr.

"We are trying to keep morale up," said Stevens Pass marketing director Lori Vandenbrink, whose voice-mail message makes a plea for new snow.

"Everyone is extremely disappointed. The young people here looking forward to working at the resort, even the people who have been here longer, are kind of taken aback by the weather patterns we've had," said Chester Marler, an operations official at Stevens Pass, which had been close to being fully operational until last week's warm and heavy rain.

White Pass ski area on U.S. 12 southeast of Mount Rainier has probably had the worst of it, open for skiing only 10 days this winter.

"Everywhere I go, I see skiers and snowboarders who are just hurting. It's tough," said Kathleen Goyette, White Pass marketing director.

While the poor start to the ski season will certainly hurt Washington's ski resorts, most say they are prepared for such events.

"Financially, this season has definitely been a headache and obviously has a fairly significant impact on our bottom line," said The Summit's Lawrence, who could not provide specific figures. The poor conditions also have created tough times for those who work at ski areas, especially in and around small towns where the areas provide much of the employment base.

Stevens Pass, which in a good snow year employs about 750 people in January, now has only about 30 workers on the payroll. At Mission Ridge near Wenatchee, the privately owned ski resort yesterday reduced its work force from 59 to 15. It usually employs more than 200 when all the lifts are running.

"We're all out of work," said Patty Morrison, a Ski Patrol member and avalanche forecaster at Stevens Pass. "... But being in the ski industry, we all have a bit of the dirt bag in us, so we can lay low."

Morrison, who lives outside Leavenworth, says some friends who work at Stevens are worse off. Some recently bought homes, and one couple just had a child.

"The hard thing is, around here there is no other employment," she said. "The town is suffering as well. ... A lot of the Ski Patrol is heading out of town."

For skiers and snowboarders, the situation goes beyond just being unable to schuss cares away. Some families have bought gear and lessons for their kids and season passes for the whole family that they now can't use.

"We've had years when we didn't get any snow until January, but this is the worst I've ever seen it. I could be wearing shorts right now!' said Jeff Hendrix of Ballard, a former snowboarding instructor who bought new boots and skis for his two daughters this year and season passes at The Summit. "It's frustrating. The kids are signed up on the ski bus. They managed to get in one weekend."

Accustomed to the whims of Cascades snowfall, most local skiers and snowboarders are philosophical.

"You can be bummed, but there's not a lot you can do," said Zack Stevenson, manager of the Snowboard Connection shop in Seattle. "You can travel out of state if you feel the urge. We're seeing people definitely looking more toward Whistler (in British Columbia), which doesn't have great snow either right now."

Stevenson said the economic effect on most ski and snowboard shops should not be too great, since most sliders buy gear before Christmas, and no one knew then how bad it would be.

But service businesses near the ski resorts -- including hotels, restaurants and gas stations -- are struggling.

"This is the worst season by a substantial margin. We just can't seem to get going," said Rick Goranson, manager of the SkyRiver Inn in Skykomish, just 16 miles east of Stevens Pass. "It has really impacted everyone in the valley. Everyone is kind of holding their breath and waiting for Mother Nature."

The 18-room hotel has experienced a 50 percent drop in revenue this ski season. Only half a dozen rooms are booked for this weekend, and the chances of those reservations holding up are "not good," Goranson said.

The hotel, which has operated on the banks of the Skykomish River for 16 years, has delayed a remodeling project, laid off employees and cut back hours for the maids.

"I wish it would snow," Goranson said.

That was also the hope of Debbie Grubb, co-owner of the Wapiti Woolies outdoor clothing shop and espresso stand in Greenwater near Crystal Mountain.

Grubb recently laid off her six employees and cut back hours at the store.

"I've never seen this happen before," said Grubb, who has owned the shop for 30 years with her husband.

Weather patterns this winter have been bizarre. Most ski areas opened late because of a lack of snowfall and operated on a limited basis through mid-January.

Then snow fell, and a cold, dry snap took hold, which maintained coverage and allowed snow-grooming machines to prepare a decent surface. That ended with ice storms on Martin Luther King Day, followed by almost a week of warm rain that washed away most of the remaining snow.

Optimists will point out that winter is not over and if Cascades snowfall can be fickle, it can also be dramatic. Baker, for example, can receive more than 30 inches of snow in a night.

The winter of 1976-77 is often cited as the worst over the past 30 years.

"I expect to be skiing here before very long," said Stevens' Marler. "If you look back at '76-'77, we opened around Christmas for about three weeks and gradually wore out the snow. Then storms came back in February and we had a good ending. We're not giving up."

But White Pass, Stevens Pass and The Summit have no current plans to reopen. Bare spots are showing at lower elevation of all three areas, and they'll need a heavy snowfall or two before they have enough base to reopen. Mission Ridge has bare spots showing at its top, but it does have snowmaking machinery on its mid and lower slopes, and managers there are hoping colder temperatures will return so it can reopen this weekend.

Bare spots are also rampant on the lower slopes of Crystal, but that area is tenaciously sticking to a daily schedule, with skiing open in its Green Valley area.

Skiers and snowboarders must ride two lifts to get up to Green Valley and the Green Valley chair -- and then ride both of the two chairs back down to the base.