Our big list of Washington State ski ticket discounts

There are 13 Washington State ski areas, 10 in the West and Central parts of the state and 3 in the East:

• Nine ski areas in the Cascade Range nearest the Seattle-Tacoma metro area.
• One ski area in the Olympic Range on the Washington Peninsula.
• Two ski areas in the eastern part of the state, closer to the city of Spokane.
• One ski area in the southeastern part of the state, close to the city of Walla Walla.

For each ski resort in the list below, we give adult daily ski lift ticket prices and the cost of a regular season pass. The regular prices are followed by different ways to get discount tickets for daily tickets or passes.

Advance purchase is often one way to save on ski lift tickets and season passes. Be sure to confirm pricing and cancellation policies before you buy.

2020/2021 Ski Lift Ticket Discounts

Daily Ski Lift Tickets

Common discount tickets include weekdays, youth and seniors, and half-day or late arrival. Other types of discounts may be offered, such as ticket packages or group purchase, military, night skiing (if available), and special events, sponsorships (Toyota, Pepsi, etc.), or other discounts.

Some ski areas also offer discounts if you only plan to go snowshoeing or Nordic (cross-country) skiing on groomed trails, or “tubing” at play areas. For these activities, resorts offer much lower rates than those for alpine or downhill skiing and snowboarding.

Especially for the more remote areas, there are often lodging packages that include ski lift tickets. So look for links to these discounts and deals on the individual ski area websites.

Ski Lift Season Passes

If you plan to ski regularly or take ski lessons, buy a ski lift season pass. If you purchase a season pass anytime during the ski season, you will pay full price. Washington Ski Season generally runs November-March. Payment plans are available for some passes, especially for pre-season purchase.

To get a discount on a season pass, buy it during the off-season. The earlier you buy a, the more you save. Here are the general guidelines for saving money on ski lift season passes:   

• Good discount: before the current season opens, most resorts offer a modest discount on the purchase of ski lift passes.
• Better discount: during summer, many resorts offer a good discount on ski lift season passes purchased before fall.
• Best discount: at the end of each season, some resorts offer a steep discount on season passes purchased for the next year.

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Ski Resorts in Washington State

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.

The best powder is usually found in the western part of Washington State at the Mt. Baker and Mission Ridge ski areas and in the east at Bluewood. In my experience, powder in Washington State ski areas is heavier than say, the Rocky Mountains and other popular ski destinations around the country.

Before you go, you may want to check snow conditions:

• Washington State Snow Report (expected to cease operation in 2020/21)
• Ski Resort Info: Snow report Washington State
• National Weather Service: Washington Mountain Forecast
• United States Department of Agriculture: Washington Snowpack Summary Maps and Graphs

When traveling to any Washington State ski area, always check WSDOT Mountain Pass conditions and be prepared for winter driving.

Cascade Mountain Ski Areas

Cascade Mountain Range ski areas are listed in order by driving distance from Seattle.

Note: Hurricane Ridge, located in the Olympic Mountains on the Washington Peninsula is listed in the next section, followed by the Spokane area ski resorts in the eastern (and southeastern) part of the state.

Summit at Snoqualmie Pass and Alpental is located 1 hour east/southeast of Seattle via I-90. Snoqualmie Pass is composed of four unique ski areas offering a huge diversity of terrain. Elevation: West 765’-3765’, Central 1025’-3865, East 1100’-3710’, Alpental 2280’-5420’. Total: 62 trails, 24 lifts, 1981 skiable acres.

• Snoqualmie/Alpental regular ski tickets: Prices vary by day and demand, and are subject to change daily. Prices were not posted last time we checked, but begin around $67 for all-day.
• Snoqualmie/Alpental ski ticket discounts: Discount on passes include off-peak “remedy” pass, twilight (after 2PM), and Nordic trails. Plus discounts for various ages groups. 

Snoqualmie Summit 2021-2022 Season Passes

• Unlimited Pass $689/fall price (age 26-61, discounted for other age groups): Unlimited access to every area at The Summit (including Alpental) for the entire 2021-22 season. Plus other discounts and deals.
• Remedy Pass $379/summer price (age 13+) is a great value for locals that don’t need to ski or ride on peak weekends. It provides access to any Summit lifts open during off-peak days, including Alpental.

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. Elevation: 4061’-5845’, 37 trails, 10 lifts, 1125 skiable acres.

• Stevens regular ski tickets: Adult daily $89, Stevens season pass $429, Epic pass $969 (includes 17 ski areas).
• Stevens ski ticket discounts: purchase daily tickets online 7 days in advance for best price. Other ways to save include 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 5^th graders, youth, seniors, learning area, early bird pass, college student pass, military pass. 

2020/2021 Stevens Pass and Epic Ski Lift Passes

• EPIC Pass $979 (age 13+): unlimited days at U.S. and Australian resorts with no blackout dates, plus discounts tickets and/or limited access to more U.S., Canadian, Japanese, and European resorts, some with blackout dates.
• Epic Local Pass $729 (age 19+): unlimited days at U.S. resorts, plus discounts tickets and/or limited access to more U.S., Canadian, and Japanese resorts, some with blackout dates.
• EPIC Day Pass $109-$766 (age 13+): Flexible pass for up to 50% off–choose 1 to 7 total days with or without holiday restrictions at U.S. and Canadian resorts.
• Stevens Pass Select (Off-Peak) Pass $429 (age 13-69): limited access on selected dates and unrestricted access on other dates. Discount available for seniors 70+.

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.

• Crystal regular ski tickets: Adult daily $80 and Ikon multi-resort season pass $729 – $1,049.
• Crystal ski ticket discounts: Buy passes before 10/17. Other discounts: off-peak (most weekdays), youth, senior, beginner chair, night time, spring skiing. Elevation: 4400’-7002’, 57 trails, 11 lifts, 2300 skiable acres.

IKON 2020/2021 worldwide ski lift season pass discount

• 20/21 IKON PASS $1,049 (age 23+): ski unlimited days at 15 U.S. & Canadian destinations and 7 days each at 27 worldwide destinations with no blackout dates. Payment plan available if purchased by July 2020 for $199 down and 0% interest. Discount available for renewals, children, nurses, military, and students.
• 20/21 IKON BASE PASS $749 (age 23+): ski unlimited days at 14 U.S. & Canadian destinations and 5 days each at 26 worldwide destinations with some blackout dates. Payment plan available if purchased by July 2020 for $199 down and 0% interest. Discount available for renewals, children, nurses, military, and students.
• 20/21 IKON SESSION PASS 4-DAY $429 (age 23+): ski four days total at 30 U.S. & Canadian destinations with some blackout dates. Discount available for children, nurses, military, and students.

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.

• Mt. Baker regular ski tickets: Adult daily $63 and season pass $794.
• Mt. Baker ski ticket discounts: Advance purchase discount $718 by September 30, or $755 by November 2. 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.

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.

• LWSC regular ski tickets: Skiing and snowboarding adult daily $22 and season pass $250.
• LWSC ski 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.

• White Pass regular ski tickets: Adult daily $69 and season pass $899.
• White Pass ski ticket discounts: Save on  passes before Oct 31. Other discounts: e-ticket multi-day packages, youth, 3^rd 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.

• Mission Ridge regular ski tickets: Adult daily $75 and if still available, season passes are $659. Season pass sale begins March 1 until sold out.
• Mission Ridge ski ticket 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.

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.

Loup Loup GoFundMe Community Challenge. Fifty years ago the Wolf Den Lodge at Loup Loup was built to get people out of the elements, and give them a place to have a meal and warm up before the next run. The time has come to replace the Lodge! Every dollar counts and moves them closer to a goal of a new Lodge for Winter 2020/21.

• Loup Loup regular ski tickets: Adult daily $55.
• Loup Loup ski ticket discounts: passes purchased before November 1 are $410. Loup Loup passes include a number of free days and discounts at other ski area in and outside Washington State. Other discounts include mid-week, half-days, family passes, and lower mountain (poma + rope tow), plus the typical discounts for children, students, seniors, military, and corporate. Elevation: 1220’-5280’, 10 trails, 3 lifts, 300 skiable acres.

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 on the eastern slopes of the Cascade range.

• North Cascade Heli regular ski tickets: One-day Heli-Assisted Touring $650pp or Heli skiing $1,300pp; get $50 off for each additional day. 3-Night or 4-Night Yurt Trip $1,350pp or $1,500pp. Elevation: 5300’-8200’.

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.

• Hurricane Ridge regular ski tickets: Daily adult $40 and season pass $270.
• Hurricane Ridge ski ticket discounts: half-days, intermediate lifts, bunny lifts, non-profits, and groups of 10 or more. Elevation: 4800’-5500’, 10 trails, 3 lifts.

Spokane & Eastern Washington Area Ski Areas

(Listed north to south)

49 Degrees North is located 330 miles east of Seattle via I-90 and WA-231 and 60 miles north of Spokane via US-395, in the heart of the Colville National Forest. Spokane International Airport and for small planes the Chewelah Municipal Airport/Sand Canyon airport.

• 49 Degrees North regular ski tickets: Adult daily $65, season pass $850.
• 49 Degrees North ski ticket discounts: 4-pack and 6-pack, limited (select days), youth, child, student, military, senior, and corporate. Other discounts: Ace Hardware Stores Mega Monday half-price coupon. TwoFer Tuesdays two lift tickets for the price of one. Alaska Air/Horizon Air Discount. Ski & Stay lodging packages that include lift tickets are available at participating resorts, motels, and RV parks.

Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park operates within Mt. Spokane State Park located 310 miles east of Seattle via I-90 and WA-206 and 30 miles north of Spokane via US-2 and WA-206. In addition to Nordic skiing, the park offers snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and year-round camping, horseback riding, biking, hiking trails, berry picking, and more.

• Mt. Spokane regular ski tickets: Adult daily $62, season pass $679.
• Mt. Spokane ski ticket discounts: pre-season purchase, half-day, nighttime, mid-week, youth, child, student, military, family pack (20 tickets).

Bluewood is located in the southeastern part of Washington, miles southeast of Seattle and miles from Yakima. Bluewood is known for clear skies, more than 300 inches of light, fluffy, smoke-dry powder snow, and a wide variety of terrain.

• Bluewood regular ski tickets: Adult daily $50, season pass $588.
• Bluewood ski ticket discounts: advance purchase, child, student, senior, military, family pass, Vintner’s Ridge and Cat Skiing (ungroomed terrain), Pepsi 2-for-1 Thursdays, Toyota Ski Friday January 17.

But wait, there’s more!

• Here are 7 affordable winter sports on ice and snow.
• The rest of the year, enjoy 10 best free outdoor activities year-round.
• And here’s a list of 101+ always free things to do for fun.
• More free and cheap things to do every day: Greater Seattle on the Cheap event calendar.
• Still more ideas for frugal fun: Greater Seattle on the Cheap home page.

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