There are 10 ski areas in western Washington State, nine in the Cascade Range and one in the Olympic Range on the Washington Peninsula. Western Washington ski areas are listed below. Three more Washington State ski areas not listed here are in the eastern part of the state, closer to the city of Spokane.
For western Washington ski resorts, we list adult daily ski lift ticket prices and the cost of a regular season pass, followed by different ways to get discount tickets for daily tickets or passes (most often for weekdays, youths, seniors, and half-day or late arrival). Some passes go on sale as soon as the season ends, usually March. Many other season passes go on sale in fall, September-November. If you plan to ski regularly or take ski lessons, buy a season ski lift pass as early as possible.
Other discounts may be offered for ticket packages or group purchase, military with ID, night skiing (if available), and other discounts.
Some ski areas also offer snowshoeing and Nordic (cross-country) skiing trails, and tubing play areas at much lower rates than alpine skiing.
When traveling to any Washington State ski area, always check WSDOT Mountain Pass conditions and be prepared for winter driving. To check snow conditions, visit https://www.onthesnow.com/washington/skireport.html.
We’ve update this list for 2018-2019, though a couple websites appear not to have updated pricing. Since advance purchase is often one way to save on ski lift tickets, be sure to confirm pricing before you buy or head to the slopes.
Cascade Mountain Ski Areas
Cascade Mountain Range ski areas are listed roughly going north to south, by driving distance from Seattle. Hurricane Ridge, located in the Olympic Mountains on the Washington Peninsula is listed in the next section.
Generally, ski terrain is more rugged in the north Cascades or at higher elevations. Snow is drier at higher elevations and/or on the eastern slope of the Cascade Mountain Range. Mt. Baker and Mission Ridge are usually mentioned by skiiers as the ski areas with the best powder snow.
North Cascade Heli (NCH) in Mazama, WA is located 5 hours east/northeast of Seattle via I-90 (or from the north via US-2) and US-97. Note that the northly route via I-5 and US-20 (aka North Cascades Highway) is typically closed due to avalanche dangers from mid-November to mid-April. NCH offers the highest elevation skiing in Washington State. Regular tickets: One-day heli skiing begins at $1,250pp. Nothing discount here. Elevation: 5300’-8200’.
Loup Loup Ski Bowl is located 4½ hours east/northeast of Seattle via I-90 and US-97, between the towns of Twisp and Okanogan. The ski area is operated under special use permit with the Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest. Regular tickets: Adult daily $50 and season pass $499. Ski ticket discounts: Advance purchase passes September 1-November 30 at $389 for the adult pass. Other discounts: mid-week, half-days, family passes, and lower mountain (poma + rope tow), plus discounts for children, 5th graders, students, seniors, military, corporate. Elevation: 1220’-5280’, 10 trails, 3 lifts, 300 skiable acres.
Mt. Baker Ski Area is located 2½ hours north/northeast of Seattle via I-5 Exit and SR-542. The ski area is within the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, operated under a permit granted by United States Forest Service. Regular tickets: Adult daily $53.75 and season pass $755. Ski ticket discounts: Advance purchase passes September 15-30 (lowest price) and Oct 1 – Nov2. Other discounts: mid-week, half-days, family, and beginner chair, plus discounts for children, 5th graders, seniors, military. Elevation: 3500’- 5089’, 31 trails, 10 lifts, 1000 skiable acres.
Summit at Snoqualmie Pass and Alpental is located 1 hour east/southeast of Seattle via I-90 composed of four unique ski areas offering a huge diversity of terrain. Regular tickets: Adult daily $75 and season pass $529. Ski ticket discounts: Discount on passes include restricted areas, 3-0f-6 days, mid-week, college, and Nordic. Other discounts for half-day, night skiing, 2-day ticket, or beginner area. Plus discounts for youth, seniors, military, <100 days of snow. Elevation: West 765’-3765’, Central 1025’-3865, East 1100’-3710’, Alpental 2280’-5420’. Total: 62 trails, 24 lifts, 1981 skiable acres.
Stevens Pass is located 2 hours east/northeast of Seattle via I-405, SR-522, and US-2. Situated on the crest of the Cascade Range, the ski area straddles two national forests: Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie on the west side of the crest and Wenatchee National Forest on the east. Regular tickets: Adult daily $89 and season pass $649. Ski ticket discounts: advance online purchase, partner ski shop purchase, off-peak (most weekdays), 4-hour flex, 4- or 6-day pack, night time (after 4pm), and 5-night pack, plus 5th graders, youth, seniors, learning area, early bird pass, college student pass, military pass. Elevation: 4061’-5845’, 37 trails, 10 lifts, 1125 skiable acres.
Crystal Mountain is located 2¼ hours south/southeast of Seattle via I-5, SR-18, SR-164, SR-410, in the eastern shadow of Mt. Rainier (with some killer views from the top of the ridge). It is the largest ski resort in Washington State. The ski area operates in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service within the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Regular tickets: Adult daily $80 and season pass $999. Ski ticket discounts: Buy passes before November 2. Other discounts: off-peak (most weekdays), youth, senior, beginner chair, night time, spring skiing. Elevation: 4400’-7002’, 57 trails, 11 lifts, 2300 skiable acres.
Leavenworth Winter Sports Club (LWSC) is located 2½ hours east/northeast of Seattle via I-405, SR-522, and US-2 (30 minutes past Stevens Pass). LWSC is a great family play option offering an alpine ski area with two rope tows, ski jumping hill, tubing hill, and 26 kilometers of Nordic (cross-country) trails. Regular tickets: Skiing and snowboarding adult daily $19 and season pass $210. Ticket discounts: Season passes on sale through October 31. Other discounts: Afternoon (1PM), 2-day tickets, youth, senior, family, business pass, lifetime passes. Tubing, snowshoeing, and sledding are separately priced. Discount for tubing & skiing ticket purchased together. Elevation: 1200’-1400’, 2 trails, 2 lifts.
White Pass is located 3¼ hours south/southeast of Seattle via I-5, WA-512, WA-7, and US-12, on the southeastern side of Mt. Rainier. Regular tickets: Adult daily $62-$66 and season pass $859. Ski ticket discounts: Season pass sale Sept 1 – Oct 31. Other discounts: e-ticket multi-day packages, youth, 3rd graders, senior, beginner area, night skiing. Elevation: 4500’-6550’, 40 trails, 8 lifts.
Mission Ridge is located 3½ hours east/southeast of Seattle via I-90, US-97, and US-2, on the eastern side of the Cascade Mountains. Regular tickets: Adult daily $69 and season passes are $659. Ski ticket discounts: Season pass sale begins March 1 until sold out. Other discounts: youth, children <10 with paying adult, senior, family, 3-day (reloadable), late arrival (12pm), night time, military, beginner chair, rope tow, groups of 15 or more. Elevation: 4570’-6820’, 36 trails, 6 lifts, 2000 skiable acres.
Olympic Mountain Ski Areas
We could not confirm prices for Hurricane Ridge for 2018-2019 as their (apparently new) website has no pricing information and many of the pages bring up nonsense language.
Hurricane Ridge Ski Area is located 3½ hours north/northwest of Seattle via I-5, the Edmonds-Kingston Ferry, and SR-104 to the Olympic National Park. It is one of only a few remaining lift operations in the National Parks (the others are Badger Pass in California’s Yosemite National Park and Boston Mills/Brandywine Ski Resort in Ohio’s Cuyahoga Valley National Park). Rising a mile high, Hurricane Ridge features stunning Pacific Northwest winter vista. The National Park charges an entrance fee, $15 per car, or purchase a yearly pass for $30. Weather dependent, the road generally opens to uphill traffic at 9am and closes to uphill traffic at 4pm. Regular tickets: Daily adult $34 and season pass $225. Ski ticket discounts: half-days, intermediate lifts, bunny lifts, non-profits, and groups of 10 or more. Elevation: 4800’-5500’, 10 trails, 3 lifts.
