2012 Snow Ride Guide: 99 reasons to become a ski bum

If the Mayan calendar is right and the world ends Dec. 21, this will be your last ski season.

That, of course, means you’re running out of time to check things off your skiing bucket list.

Skiing and snowboarding bucket lists are deeply personal things. Maybe your goal is vacationing in the Alps, spending a summer skiing in Chile or just bagging your first diamond run. But if you live in the Northwest, there are some things you really ought to have on your list. Some will challenge you physically, others might be scary and some are just pure fun.

We’ve amassed 99 items for you to consider for your list. Plenty to keep you busy all season, even if the lifts are still running on Dec. 22.

1. Ride the gondola at Crystal Mountain, either as an express trip to Green Valley and the Northway lift or as a scenic trip to the Summit House, Washington’s highest restaurant.

2. Surf and ski on the same day at Silver Mountain and its indoor water park in Kellogg, Idaho.

3. Spend a day cruising the blues and soaking in views of Mount Rainier in White Pass’ Paradise Basin.

4. Rent a snowbike and try to make your way from top to bottom at Central Oregon’s Hoodoo Ski Area.

5. Rub the B-24 Liberator bomber wing on display at Mission Ridge near Wenatchee. The bomber crashed there in 1944. Locals say rubbing the wing brings a good snow year.

6. Take a zipline tour at a Northwest mega resort , such as British Columbia’s Whistler Blackcomb or Montana’s Whitefish Mountain Resort.

7. Find out just how strong your legs are by attempting a non-stop run on Whistler’s Peak to Creek run. The run drops almost a vertical mile. Can’t make it? Don’t worry. Benches are positioned along the trail for breaks.

8. Fling your unmentionables into a bra tree, a tradition that seems more popular at Idaho ski areas like Brundage and Schweitzer.

9. Go tubing with the kids under the strobe and laser lights at Mount Hood Ski Bowl in Government Camp.

10. Muster up the courage to take on a few of the obstacles in the Summit at Snoqualmie’s Central Park, Washington’s largest terrain park.

11. Lug your gear above Paradise to ski the terrain that was used for the trials for the 1936 Olympic team.

12. Belly up to the midweek waffle bar at White Pass’ mid-mountain lodge. “We’ve got healthy toppings and toppings that are bad for you,” resort marketing director Kathleen Goyette said.

13. Test your skills at Apex Mountain near Penticton, B.C., where more than half of the runs are classified as advanced or expert. Don’t leave without trying Make My Day, a dirty, hairy double-diamond run.

14. Give your kids a head start on the season with indoor lessons at Bellevue’s Mini Mountain. Lessons are 20 minutes, $45, include gear and take place on what’s essentially a downhill skiing treadmill.

15. Grab three friends and enter 49 Degrees North’s annual Bavarian Race. Winner is the team to put away a pitcher of beer, make a run down Silver Ridge and then finish a second pitcher.

16. Try to qualify for Mount Baker’s Feb. 8-10 Legendary Banked Slalom snowboarding race.

17. Ski under the lights at Snoqualmie Pass and Stevens Pass.

18. Visit Tamarack Resort near McCall, Idaho, to ski Bliss, one of the Northwest’s best cruisers.

19. Watch this: bit.ly/sqWliP

20. Land a spot on Cash Quad, White Pass’ version of Cash Cab. Participants answer skiing trivia questions for prizes while riding the Great White Express. Get too many wrong and the lift stops and you’re lowered to the slopes to ski off in shame.

21. Stop putting off those plans to go heli-skiing.

22. Take flight at the Leavenworth Ski Hill, home of Washington’s only Nordic ski jump.

23. Road trip.

24. Take advantage of being 73 or older and ski for free at White Pass, the last ski area in Washington’s Cascades offering free senior skiing.

25. Shed a few layers and enter the Bikini and Board Shorts Downhill April 13 at Crystal Mountain.

26. Take the short hike from the top of the Summit Express lift to ski or snowboard off the top of 9,065-foot Mount Bachelor near Bend, Ore. Bonus points for skiing the backside.

27. Link Rollercoaster and Little Dipper at Panorama for a 3,000-foot run, one of British Columbia’s top cruisers.

28. Take a lesson.

29. Challenge yourself with some of the region’s best tree skiing at Whitewater Resort near Nelson, B.C.

30. Make the 4,540-vertical-foot run from the top of Mount Hood’s Palmer Snowfield through the Timberline Lodge ski area, National Forest trails to Government Camp’s Summit Ski Area.

31. Ski with a celebrity at Idaho’s Sun Valley Resort.

32. See if you can ski 24 hours in a row at Hope on the Slopes at White Pass on March 16-17. The event raises money for the American Cancer Society.

33. Ride one of the glass-bottom Peak-to-Peak Gondolas that run 1.9 miles between Whistler and Blackcomb mountains and 1,400 feet off the ground.

34. Try to win prizes by skiing all of Big White’s blue runs in a weekend during Cruz the Blues. This season’s event weekends are Dec. 27-28, Jan. 12-13, Feb. 16-17 and March 16-17.

35. Ski Seventh Heaven and Mill Valley at Stevens Pass.

36. Enter Alpental’s Vertfest on President’s Day Weekend and try finishing one of the Northwest’s toughest races by climbing 2,400 feet then skiing back to the lodge.

37. Spend some quality time in Nelson, B.C., exploring the tree skiing wonderland that is Whitewater Ski Resort’s Glory Ridge.

38. Enter a race on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday nights at Alpental. Get more info at pnsamasters.org.

39. Form an eight-person team for Bellingham’s Ski to Sea relay race May 26. The 93.5-mile race includes cross-country skiing, downhill skiing or snowboarding, running, road biking, canoeing and mountain biking legs before a sea kayak finish. skitosea.com

40. Splurge on some really good gear.

41. Spend a Saturday or Sunday in Summit East’s Hidden Valley.

APRES-SKI

Almost as important as skiing is properly recovering afterword. There are plenty of great options around the Northwest.

42. Eat like ski movie star Tyler Ceccanti at Crystal Mountain’s Snorting Elk Cellar. His favorite: pepperoni pizza, chocolate chip cookies and an India pale ale (like the Elysian Elk Frost). “I would eat that every day, but I’d get fat.”

43. Milano’s Restaurant has become a tradition for many Mount Baker visitors since the Italian eatery opened in 1990. Grab a hot sandwich, pasta or ravioli and, if you burned some serious calories, cap it off with a Mount Baker apple pie.

44. Eichardt’s Pub in Sandpoint, Idaho, is a popular destination after a day at Schweitzer. Some favorite menu items are the garlic fries, and the blackened and wild salmon Caesar salad.

45. The name alone warrants stopping at The Flying Steamshovel saloon in Rossland, B.C. Try the Shovel Burger, a half-pound patty topped with aged white cheddar and red onions.

46. Stop at North Bend’s famous Twede’s Café. Pick any of the 50 styles of burgers, but save room for a slice of “Twin Peaks” cherry pie a la mode.

47. After a day on Mount Bachelor, stop at the Bend Public House for a burger, one of the Deschutes Brewery’s trademark ales and the chance to sample a new brew.

48. Government Camp at the base of Mount Hood has plenty of après options, including huckleberry pie ala mode at Huckleberry’s Inn.

49. Cruisers Pizza in Packwood is a popular stop for westbound skiers and boarders. The three-meat Cruiser Special has the protein you need to recover after a hard day at White Pass.

50. Visit Dusty’s Bar and BBQ in Whistler at least once. Named after a stuffed horse, this creekside bar is a great place to enjoy a pulled pork sandwich and live music.

51. The Bierstube in Whitefish, Mont., has a live music and, on Wednesdays, the ski patrol presents its “Frabert, clod of the week” award while, most importantly, guests sip free beer.

52. Family style après ski is the nightly theme at Big White’s Happy Valley Lodge. Here you can score free popcorn, coloring books and alcohol-free beverages. Happy Valley has a skating rink, a bonfire and free hot chocolate on Friday and Saturday nights.

53. Have a burger and beer at Apple’s Bar and Grill in Sun Valley and check out World Cup ski racing medals and autographed memorabilia from Olympic legends, such as Picabo Street and Lindsey Vonn. Maybe even meet Apple’s regulars and X Games Ski Cross stars Reggie and Zach Crist.

OTHER OPTIONS

54. Attend the New Year’s Eve fireworks show at Crystal Mountain.

55. Ski in shorts.

56. Ski in jeans.

57. Take a flying leap (and maybe throw in a back flip) into Crystal Mountain’s giant air bag.

58. Take a ride in a grooming machine at Sun Peaks Resort.

59. Ski Mount Baker on a powder day. “We get plenty of days with 20 inches of new snow,” said general manager Duncan Howat.

60. Enter the Feb. 10 Over the Hill Downhill at Silver Star where teams compete in classifications based on their combined age. Minimum age is 11 and every team must have at least one female.

61. Dare to wear a “Happy Humper,” the iconic wool and fleece hat made by Greenwater’s Wapiti Woolies.

62. Take an overnight hut-to-hut cross country skiing trip on the Mount Tahoma Trail Association system near Ashford. skimtta.com.

63. Spend a night at Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood or at least swing by for a free weekend tour of the 75-year-old hotel.

64. Toughen up your kids and wear out your gloves on the rope tows at Hurricane Ridge.

65. Marvel at the insane tricks at Summit at Snoqualmie freestyle events like the Red Bull Third Shift or Gnu Tube City.

66. Cruise Sun Valley’s legendary Warm Springs run.

67. Ski the Bomber Cliffs and Microwave Bowl at Mission Ridge.

68. Make at least one run through Stevens Pass’ renowned terrain park.

SCARE YOURSELF

There are great runs and then there are runs that make you a little nervous. If you haven’t skied these, add them to your bucket list and maybe take a lesson to improve your chances of getting down in one piece.

69. Couloir Extreme on Blackcomb Mountain at Whistler Blackcomb.

70. Silver King at Crystal Mountain.

71. Upper International at Alpental.

72. Big Couloir at Big Sky Resort.

GET IN THE MOOD

73. Move your Super Bowl party to the slopes.

74. Travel British Columbia’s legendary Powder Highway by car, but ski via helicopter or snow cat. Get more info on guide services at PowderHighway.com.

75. Take a guided snowshoe trip complete with fondue dinner at Crystal Mountain.

76. Celebrate the end of Southeastern Washington’s ski season at Ski Bluewood’s Bluewood Bash.

77. Put on your best dress (guys, you might need to borrow one) on Mother’s Day, May 12, and hoof your skis to the top of Mount St. Helens for one long run in honor of mom.

78. Attempt a triple Salchow on Sun Valley’s famous ice rink.

79. Ride a T-bar on a snowboard.

80. Ski by moonlight.

81. Tour Eastern Washington’s tiny skill hills like Sitzmark, Badger Mountain and Leavenworth Ski Bowl.

82. Take a few laps on the outdoor ice skating trail at Apex Mountain Resort.

83. Ski The Canyon at Mount Baker.

84. Try telemark skiing.

85. Take a run down Sky Dive at Fernie Alpine Resort.

86. Get way off the beaten path via a nine-minute T-bar ride for some night skiing at Salmo (B.C.) Ski Hill.

87. Root for your favorite northwest college at 49 Degrees North’s annual college races Jan. 19-21.

88. Take part in Mt. Baker’s annual all-ages, all-mountain Easter egg hunt on March 30.

89. Attempt to eat the 3-pound stuffed Outback Potato for lunch at the mid-mountain hut at Schweitzer Mountain Resort.

90. Ski the 2010 Olympic runs at Whistler Blackcomb and Whistler Olympic Park then plunk down $159 to ride the bobsleigh at the Whistler Sliding Centre.

91. Spend a weekend Nordic skiing at the Methow Valley’s Sun Mountain Lodge.

92. Make every run last an hour by skiing in Montana and Idaho (and between the Pacific and Mountain time zones) at Lookout Pass.

93. Head to Revelstoke, B.C., for the most vertical of any North American ski area, a staggering 5,620 feet.

94. Make a donation to the Ski Hill Memorial Project at Razoo.com. The 24-month fundraising project by the Leavenworth Winter Sports Club is designed to upgrade the community’s historic Ski Hill while paying tribute to former Lakewood resident Jim Jack, University of Puget Sound grad Chris Rudolph and former Leavenworth residents Johnny Brenan and Daniel Zimmerman. All four men died in avalanches.

95. Take in the stunning views from the top of Cypress Mountain in North Vancouver.

96. Sleep in the parking lot to make sure you get first tracks.

97. Take a backcountry safety course.

98. Go pond skimming. Winner of the Mount Hood Meadows pond skim gets a trip to Hawaii.

FINALLY

99. Become a year-rounder.

Once upon a time, only hard-core ski bums bothered attempting to ski at least once per month for an entire year. But that feat is now relatively easy for South Sound skiers and snowboarders. With the Mount Rainier Gondola extending the season at Crystal Mountain into July the last two seasons, you really only need to figure out how to get in runs in August, September and October.

Hiking or skinning up the Muir Snowfield allows you to become a year-rounder without ever leaving Pierce County. And turns-all-year.com is a great resource for backcountry skiers. But if you’d rather ride a lift, a few trips to Mount Hood will do the trick. The lift on the Palmer Snowfield at Timberline Lodge runs all year.

Craig Hill: 253-597-8497
craig.hill@thenewstribune.com
blog.thenewstribune.com/adventure
@AdventureGuys