Anders Ledell

Review of Stevens Pass Mountain Resort

I grew up at Stevens. I swear I know every inch of...

I grew up at Stevens. I swear I know every inch of that mountain (except for Wild Catz, which they added and I haven't looked for it yet). It's got some of the most diverse terrain in the area, from bunny hills to cliffs to everything else you could possibly want. Andre, one of the lead instructors at the ski school up there, said for years that if you can ski Stevens, you can ski anywhere else in the world. I've found that to be very true. Never have I met a slope that I can't attack. When I'm at Whislter, Big Sky, or Steamboat, I always end up thinking something like "oh, it's like the lift run on southern cross after the drop off, except with wimpier moguls" or "this field is just like Aquarius face, except without the cascade concrete and with a longer wait in line."

Stevens is the kind of place that reminds me that skiing is an extreme sport. If you want challenge, you can always find it on the mountain. Pick a superlative and apply it to Stevens. Steepest stuff I've seen, thickest powder I've encountered, biggest dumps of snow I've gotten stuck in (up to my waist!).

Past that, it still has something for everyone. Start off on Daisy and move to hogs. When those blues become too easy (which are diamonds in most of the rest of the country), go try stuff off of Barrier (now called Skyline, I guess) and Orion and Corona bowl on the backside. Do Rock Garden off of 7th (it's not a double diamond if you stick to the main face, you'll be fine). If double diamond and the lift line off of chief aren't enough for you, go jump off the cliffs on Tye Mill and 7th.

Spend enough time on the mountain, and you'll find the good spots. Even if they aren't spots that I think are good, they'll be good to you.

Happy skiing, folks. Stay warm.