Stevens Pass targets Dec. 4 opening date for winter season

SKYKOMISH — This 2026-2027 winter, Stevens Pass is hoping to open for its 90th season on Dec. 4.

The target date is on par with the previous year, which predicted a Dec. 5 opening. However, the 2025-2026 season was delayed until Dec. 29 after weeks of uncertainty amid floods, power outages and road closures.

Contrarily, the mountain resort opened a week earlier than its forecasted Dec. 6 date in 2024, according to previous Echo reporting, marking the first November start since 2018. The 2023-2024 season had less favorable conditions – minimal snow forced the mountain to open with limited capacity almost two weeks after the predicted Dec. 1 date.

Akin to previous years, both Stevens Pass and California’s Kirkwood are at the tail end of targeted opening dates on the Vail Resorts schedule. The company anticipates as early as a mid-October opening for Keystone; other resorts in Colorado, Utah and California are anticipating a November opening.