Washington Ski Area Closes Indefinitely, but Snow Is On The Way

Faced with warmer-than-expected temperatures, a Pacific Northwest ski area, Bluewood, has opted to shut down.

“Assessing the weekend’s forecast and knowing we can no longer provide a fun and valuable experience, Ski Patrol, Mtn Operations, and I have made the difficult decision to suspend operations until we receive new snow,” the ski area’s general manager, Pete Korfiatis, wrote in a letter shared with guests last week.

The plan, the ski area noted, was to keep tabs on a storm expected to deliver up to seven inches of snow between Sunday and Monday. Per Ski Bluewood’s webcams, that storm brought snow—the slopes are caked in white. See below. Keep reading for more.

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Ski Bluewood expects to share more news Monday evening about a possible reopening on Thursday or Friday of this week. You can head to the ski area’s Facebook or Instagram page to stay updated.

“Bluewood’s continued commitment to providing value and a great experience is our guiding light,” Korfiatis wrote. “This is an unfortunate set back to the season, however, please remember, there’s still two more months of winter.”

“Let’s hope the polar vortex breaks it’s cycle and decides to head our way, not just for Bluewood, but for our farmers, our wildland fire fighters and all other industries that depend on winter snowpack,” Korfiatis added. “At the end of the day, we’re all in this together.”

Ski Bluewood could see 12-15 inches of snowfall between today and Wednesday, February 18, according to OpenSnow.

It’s been a challenging ski season for Washington, the Pacific Northwest, and the broader West.

Earlier this month, the National Integrated Drought Information System reported that 82% of the monitoring stations in Washington were experiencing snow drought. According to the agency, abnormally warm and dry conditions prevailed across the state throughout January, except in the far northern Cascades. 

A lack of snow, of course, stymies ski resort operations and means fewer fun days for powder hounds. 

As Korfiatis pointed out, it can be troubling for both wildland firefighters and farmers. Mountain snowpack is an essential source of water for many states, supplying rivers and communities as it melts during the warmer months.

But the snow that fell on Bluewood could be a hopeful sign of more, much-needed wintry weather this month across the West. The Climate Prediction Center’s six-to-ten-day outlook shows conditions from California to Washington leaning towards colder temperatures and more precipitation.

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