SEATTLE — Winter is right around the corner, and ski areas have their eyes on the forecast as they plan opening dates.
Several ski areas plan to open the weekend of Dec. 2, and they are expecting dry, powdery snow, according to KING 5 Meteorologist Rich Marriott.
"They should all have great ski conditions this weekend," Marriott said. "The only other problem is there might be a lot of people wanting to ski when you do."
Here’s when you can expect Washington’s biggest ski areas to open to skiers and snowboarders.
Crystal Mountain Resort
Crystal Mountain Resort opened the lower mountain early for season pass holders Nov. 18-20. On Nov. 21, there will be a limited number of lift tickets available to non-pass holders.
Night skiing is expected to begin Dec. 26.
The mountain was reporting a season total of 61 inches of snow as of Nov. 30.
Mission Ridge Ski & Board Resort
Mission Ridge Ski & Board Resort opened for the season Nov. 19, which was its earliest opening date in five years.
As of Nov. 30, Mission Ridge’s summit had a base snow depth of about 30 inches.
Mount Baker Ski Area
Mount Baker Ski Area opened Nov. 17 for All Passholder Day with the official opening day taking place on Nov. 18.
With early season variable snow base conditions, operations are still limited with some runs closed.
Stevens Pass
Stevens Pass set its opening date for Dec. 2, which is weather dependent. Hours are expected to be 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through mid-December, and the resort expects to add night skiing from Dec. 14 to mid-March.
As of Nov. 30, Stevens Pass’ base depth was 41 inches.
Reservations for the RV lot opened Nov. 18.
The Summit at Snoqualmie
The Summit at Snoqualmie is expected to open for limited operations for Summit and Ikon pass holders Dec. 2. Lift ticket access begins Dec. 3.
Summit West will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
After opening weekend, the resort will be closed Dec. 5-6 and will reopen Dec. 7-11.
As of Nov. 30, Summit West had a base depth of 34 inches, and Alpental had a base depth of 33 inches, according to Snoqualmie’s snow report.
White Pass Ski Area
White Pass Ski Area is expected to open Dec. 2.
On Nov. 30, White Pass was reporting around 46 inches of snow at 5,800 feet.