LATEST

Where We’d Go: Last-Ditch Spring Ski Trips

Don't take our puffy coats away yet.

Winter’s not over while your ski boots are still sitting in the front hallway and there’s still snow to be found. Here are five ways to get one last bluebird day.

 

• Whistler. The World Ski & Snowboard Festival starts April 12, and it includes free concerts every day at 2:30pm at the Skier’s Plaza; Nas is the headliner. The event also includes dog shows, a roller derby bout, ski competitions, and film events. There will be two new lifts at Whistler Blackcomb next season, but why wait? This year’s ski season has been extended through May 27.

• Crystal Mountain. The Alpine Inn at Crystal Mountain is a Bavarian base near the foot of the ski area’s gondola. Plus, they have Weiner schnitzel! Skiing is open daily through April 21 and on weekends through June 16.

 

• Mount Baker. The world record for snowfall is here—and some of the prettiest remote ski lifts in the state. It took the ski area only a week to get April’s total expected snow, so the last two ski weekends will be glorious.

 

• Essex, Montana. Forget downhill; Nordic skiing in Big Sky Country is only a sleeper-car ride away. Tours are available through mid-April.

 

• Teacup Lake. This cross-country area in Mount Hood’s snowy forests has groomed trails and a day lodge. Paying the voluntary fee helps with grooming costs.











Allison Williams
Allison Williams
Since joining Seattle Met in 2011, Allison Williams has overseen the magazine’s travel and outdoor coverage, including deep dives into Olympic National Park, the Columbia River, and a Burger King drive-thru in Canada. She edits the travel-focused blog Tripster and contributes service, news, interview, and narrative pieces to the magazine, including long-form features about mountain mysteries and puppies in prison. She’s earned awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and been nominated for a City and Regional Magazine award.  Allison was raised here in Olympia and studied writing at Duke University, Oxford University, Columbia Journalism School, and University of Alaska. She began her career in New York City in the newsrooms of Metro newspaper and Time Out New York, then hightailed it back to her native habitat so she could write guidebooks and climb mountains.