From dry January to March madness: Seattle's worst ski season in years

While the calendar says spring is near (the equinox is March 20), it’s finally the peak of snow season in Western Washington. Mercifully for skiers and snowboarders, Seattle’s nearest ski resorts are now running most of their lifts. But this milestone should have happened months ago.

The state’s snowpack was low all winter, and drooping along with it were the moods of skiers, boarders, and snowmobilers.

What can we learn from the brown runs and closed chairlifts of the 2025-2026 season? To find out, KUOW’s Kim Malcolm interviewed Paige Browning, KUOW reporter and lifelong skier.

Highlights

• Washington state snowpack is only 57% percent of normal as of March 12, according to the USDA SNOTEL report.
• The number is even bleaker when you zoom out. The central Puget Sound snowpack is at 45% and south Puget Sound areas are down to 41%.
• Resorts have had some of their fewest operating days this season in decades.
• In low snow years, operators lose money on ticket sales and spend more on human-made snow.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

Kim Malcolm: What happened this ski season?

Paige Browning: Up until this week, this was virtually the worst ski season since at least the 80s in Washington. We have had terrible snow seasons, including 2004-05 and a very challenging 2014-15, which ground some lifts to a halt. This year rivals those due to not just low snow, but a late and flooded start.

Let’s break down our problems this year.

1. The December deluge: We had the warmest December on record in Washington state, and that coincided with record-level rain and flooding. That washed away the chance for snow to accumulate.
2. Dry January: Sobering… in a different way. Snoqualmie Pass usually collects 222 inches of snow by the end of January, according to WSDOT measurements since 1999. This January, Snoqualmie had 112 inches, so about half that, at the end of January.
3. Finally, “meh-bruary,” which is what I’m calling the dry and warm month of February. By then, skiers were anxious and praying for snow to finally, maybe come! And it just didn’t.

KM: What has it actually looked like on the slopes?

PB: Dirt patches, rocks, and tree tops mountain-wide. Resorts haven’t had enough snow to safely open or groom all their runs. For example, Snoqualmie barely opened its Summit East and Hidden Valley chairs, which are favorites among regulars.

Cross country trails have been slushy or dirt riddled for the majority of the season, if they opened at all. Night skiing was cut back, a popular activity among teens and groups of friends who want to hit the lodge bar afterward, usually giving the resorts a nighttime financial boost.

It also means some people’s gear became rock skis. This is what we refer to as skis that are so used up you don’t care if they get scratches from tree tops and rocks.

Mt. Baker, famous as a deep-snow mountain, canceled their annual snowboarding race. And one mountain is not even going to open: the Badger Mountain Ski Hill outside of Wenatchee, a volunteer-run operation where people can ski for a mere $25.

What can skiers learn from this year?

If winters keep warming as the climate changes, skiing could be even less accessible. The cost is one thing, but I’m also talking about accessing terrain. Resorts have operated with only a fraction of their chairlifts running, and for weeks on end that meant only terrain for beginners or advanced or expert skiers.

In low-snow years, winter sports fans need to work harder, or pay more, for the sport. For the financially privileged, a trip out of state or a heli-skiing adventure might be in the cards. For regular ski bums and boarders, it’s a waiting game for snow. There’s also a trend of indoor skiing that’s trying to enter the market. An indoor, year-round ski school is open in Bellevue and requires no natural snow.

Last of all, resort skiing, a term popping up more in Europe, refers to the areas that are the last hold outs for snow and the highest elevations. Here in the U.S., one of those places is the North Cascades, with old-reliable Mount Baker.

What will this mean for resort finances?

The lines for chairlifts and food were really busy on weekends, but that was because the brave few who went out were funneled into the few open chairlifts. With such limited operations it’s hard to see them turning the same profit as last year.

This is where being in a conglomerate resort system pays off. Snoqualmie, Stevens, and Crystal are part of multi-resort systems, owned by giant companies Boyne, Vail, and Alterra. Those ski behemoths can better carry the burden, because their East Coast and/or European resorts did get snow this year and provide them revenue.

As for expenses, more Western resorts are turning to an artificial solution: snow-making machines. High Country News reports that the West has only historically covered 10% of skiable areas with human-made snow, compared to 80% in the Southwest.

A shift is happening, with all major resorts in Western Washington employing snowmakers. The Summit at Snoqualmie’s only operable area, for most of December to March, was fed by a row of snowmakers.

What about this March blizzard?

It’s great news! Ski lifts, nordic trails, and snowmobile areas will be packed this weekend. The Summit at Snoqualmie says, “there's never been a better time this season to get out and ride.”

But so far it’s almost too much of a good thing. As of Thursday afternoon, operations were on hold at Crystal Mountain and Snoqualmie due to power outages from the storm, and challenging road conditions for drivers.

Long term, the mid-March storm is not expected to make up for our dismal snowpack levels.

What does all this mean after ski season?

Powder-hounds are some of the first to notice when snowpack just isn’t right. Ski season is a crystal ball, saying: Here’s how dry our summer will be, here’s how much water irrigators will have access to, and here’s how much snow will melt to cool off rivers for salmon.

A warning sign is 2015, one of the worst fire years Washington has had. Two-thousand fires burned and three firefighters died. That came after the dismal 2014-15 ski season.

Listen to the interview by clicking the play button above.