HYAK, Wash. -- The Summit at Snoqualmie got just enough new snow this weekend to give skiers and snowboarders their first taste of the slopes this season on Sunday. Summit West opened for limited operations at 9 a.m..
"Saw that they were opening today and I was like 'Yes. Going!'" said Jessica Harja with a laugh.
Four lifts, including the Magic Carpet, were up and running on Sunday thanks to 5-6 inches of new snow and a little overnight help from groomers, a spokesman for The Summit at Snoqualmie said.
"By 7 a.m. they said they were gonna open, so at 7:02am… I sent my friend a text and said 'Come get me. We're going skiing,' " said skier Bob Rinker.
Sunday's opening came two weeks earlier than last season. Employees said current conditions on the lower half of the mountain still aren't quite what they'd like to see, but the upper half looks pretty good.
"We didn't quite get the snow we were expecting. But we got just a little bit more and we thought, 'Let's go. Let's get started,'" said Guy Lawrence, spokesman for The Summit at Snoqualmie.
"Pretty excited," said 8-year-old skier Tate Macdonald.
Macdonald came up early Sunday with his dad so they could put in a few runs and have enough time to stop by the lodge to catch the end of the Seattle Seahawks game. It was the first time he got a chance to break in his new skis, he said.
"It was good, but it's still kinda icy and rocks. There are rocks. So, it's not super good, but it's better than nothing," said Macdonald.
"Last year was a late start, too, but the end of the season was awesome," said Rinker.
Lawrence said employees are doing the best they can with what Mother Nature has given.
It's still early in the season. But the season is finally underway.
"If this is all Mother Nature is gonna give us then I guess we'll make lemonade out of lemons," said Lawrence.
Summit West will be open again on Monday from 9 A.M. to 4 P.M. and for the foreseeable future, Lawrence said. The ski resort hopes to open other areas soon, he added.
Crystal Mountain, Stevens Pass, and White Pass ski resorts are also open in some capacity, according to the resorts' websites.
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