Washington State ski areas & ski ticket discounts (greaterseattleonthecheap.com)

Washington Ski Season typically runs November-March. We usually update ski lift ticket discounts beginning in April when the current season ends, and operators announce their prices for the next season. 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.

Skiiers on a chair lift. Image: Depositphotos.com

Ski Lift Ticket Discounts General Information

Daily Ski Lift Ticket Discounts

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), 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. To get a discount on a season pass, buy it during the off-season. The earlier you buy, the more you save. Payment plans are available for some passes, especially for pre-season purchase. Here are the general guidelines for saving money on ski lift season passes:

Good discount: before the current season opens (November), 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 (April), some resorts offer a steep discount on season passes purchased for the next year.

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
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 but an adult ticket is around $79; available online only.
Snoqualmie/Alpental ski passes & discounts: Discount on passes include off-peak “remedy” pass, twilight (after 2PM), Nordic trails, and discounts for various ages groups.
Summer sale: The Summit at Snoqualmie season passes on sale thru 9/19. Adult: alpine $399-$699, Nordic only $159. More info: Season Passes (summitatsnoqualmie.com)

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 $86-$145. Advance purchase recommended as tickets sell out.
Stevens ski passes & discounts: choose a pass for Stevens only, or one that gives you access to partner resorts across the country and Canada. Age discounts vary by type of pass.

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. Elevation: 4400’-7002’, 57 trails, 11 lifts, 2300 skiable acres.

Crystal regular ski tickets: Daily tickets in 2021 were $89. Prices can vary based on day and time.
Crystal ski passes & discounts: Buy passes early online. Discounts: IKON Base Pass with date restrictions, “Roots” pass for Crystal only, age discounts.

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 the United States Forest Service. Elevation: 3500’- 5089’, 31 trails, 10 lifts, 1000 skiable acres.

Mt. Baker regular ski tickets: Adult daily $87.04
Mt. Baker ski passes & discounts: Advance purchase, mid-week pass, college students, age discounts.

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 jump hill, a tubing hill, and 26 kilometers of Nordic (cross-country) trails. Elevation: 1200’-1400’, 2 trails, 2 lifts.

LWSC regular ski tickets: Skiing and snowboarding adult daily $26, purchase onsite only.
LWSC ski passes & discounts: Age discounts. EARLY BIRD PRICES JULY 1 – OCTOBER 31ST.

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. Elevation: 4500’-6550’, 40 trails, 8 lifts.

White Pass regular ski tickets (2021 price): Adult daily $79. Discount on half-day, reload, nighttime, and military.
White Pass ski passes & discounts: Off-peak and Age discounts. Fall Season Pass Sale Begins September 12, 2022 at 8am for a limited number of Unrestricted and Off-Peak passes.
Fall Season Ski Pass Sale begins September 12th at 8am. Adult prices $629-$799. More info: Season Passes (skiwhitepass.com)

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. Elevation: 4570’-6820’, 36 trails, 6 lifts, 2000 skiable acres.

Mission Ridge regular ski tickets (2021 prices): Adult daily $77-$97.
Mission Ridge ski passes & discounts: age discounts, core value, midweek, twilight. Buy early (August) for best price.

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 a special use permit with the Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest. Elevation: 1220’-5280’, 10 trails, 3 lifts, 300 skiable acres.

Loup Loup regular ski tickets: Adult daily $60.
Loup Loup ski passes & discounts: Mid-week, half-day, age groups, couples, family, college, and corporate.
Ski Pass Spring/Summer Sale ends September 30, 2022. Adult: $470. More info: Passes & Tickets : Ski The Loup!

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. Elevation: 5300’-8200’.

North Cascade Heli regular ski tickets: Backcountry touring: $850pp, , discount on additional days. One-day Heli-Skiing: $1500pp, discount on additional days. 3/4 Night Yurt Trip: $1,600/$1,800pp.

Downhill skiing – iStockphoto.com

Olympic Mountain Ski Areas

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. Elevation: 4800’-5500’, 10 trails, 3 lifts.

Hurricane Ridge regular ski tickets: Daily adult $49.
Hurricane Ridge ski passes & discounts: family, Indy pass, half-days, intermediate lifts, bunny lifts, corporate.

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. Elevation: 3,923’-5,774’, 82 trails, 7 lifts

49 Degrees North regular ski tickets: Prices vary based on the day; adult $49-$82.
49 Degrees North ski passes & discounts: age, college, military, Nordic only.

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. Elevation: 4,200′-5,889′, 52 trails, 7 lifts

Mt. Spokane regular ski tickets: Adult daily $70.
Mt. Spokane ski passes & discounts: pre-season purchase, half-day, nighttime, mid-week, youth, child, student, military, family pack (20 tickets). Select days are free for children and youth.

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. Elevation: 4545′-5670′, 24 trails, 4 lifts

Bluewood regular ski tickets: Adult daily $60-$65.
Bluewood ski passes & discounts thru Oct 1: age groups, college, military, family. Season pass includes tickets or discounts at partner resorts, including Mission Ridge, 49° North, Loup Loup, White Pass, plus resorts in OR, CA, ID, and Canada.

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