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Stevens Pass Resort Reviews


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Visitor reviews for Stevens Pass Ski Resort

Stevens Pass Ratings

Overall: 3.1. Based on 43 votes and 41 reviews. Vote

Snowsure: 4.1

(1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Stevens Pass is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.

Variety of pistes: 4.1

(1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Stevens Pass has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.

Off-piste: 3.9

(1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.

Scenery: 3.8

(1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.

Access: 3.5

(1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Stevens Pass.

Public Transport: 2.7

(1) There are no buses or taxis to Stevens Pass, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.

Accommodation: 1.9

(1) No places to stay in/near Stevens Pass, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.

Cheap Rooms: 1.9

(1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.

Luxury Hotels: 1.6

(1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Stevens Pass.

Ski in/Ski out: 1.7

(1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.

Childcare: 2.2

(1) There are no child care facilities at Stevens Pass, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.

Snowmaking: 1.8

(1) Stevens Pass relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.

Snow Grooming: 3.8

(1) There are no snow groomers at Stevens Pass, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Stevens Pass are groomed daily.

Shelter: 3.9

(1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Stevens Pass is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.

Nearby options: 2.3

(1) If snow conditions are poor at Stevens Pass, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.

Regional rating: 3.9

(1) Stevens Pass usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.

Lift Staff: 4.1

(1) The staff at Stevens Pass are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Stevens Pass are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.

Crowds/Queues: 2.6

(1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.

Ski Schools: 3.4

(1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.

Hire and Repairs: 4.0

(1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.

Beginners: 3.3

(1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.

Intermediates: 4.1

(1) No intermediate terrain at Stevens Pass, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.

Advanced: 4.3

(1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.

Snow Park: 4.1

(1) Not even a kicker at Stevens Pass, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.

Cross-country: 3.9

(1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Stevens Pass, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.

Luge/Toboggan: 1.3

(1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Stevens Pass has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.

Mountain Dining: 2.9

(1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.

Eating: 3.2

(1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.

Apres-Ski: 2.7

(1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.

Other Sports: 1.4

(1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.

Entertainment: 1.6

(1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.

Winter Walks: 2.4

(1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.

Ski Pass Value: 3.4

(1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.

Value (National): 3.6

(1) Overall, Stevens Pass is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.

Value (Global): 3.5

(1) Overall, Stevens Pass is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

Show all 35 ratings

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December 26, 2021
Miles Erickson from Ski United States United States
I've been skiing at Stevens as a passholder since the 2013-2014 season. That was a legendary low snow year, but Stevens stayed open, groomed heroically, and kept almost the entire resort open. This year we have epic quantities of snow, but even during the peak holiday season, almost nothing is open: the backside is closed, Big Chief Mountain is closed, popular frontside trails were ungroomed, and only two intermediate lifts are open for night skiing (vs. five in all past seasons). It's a total disaster -- Stevens is so understaffed this season that ski patrollers and park crews are running the few lifts that are open at all. Someone needs to fire the corporate management and start over. Read More
December 02, 2021
Colin Connor from Ski United States United States
Mountain has a rich history and culture. Sadly, since Vail took over they have destroyed that culture. They killed off the independent ski schools going into this season which has been a source of the mountains pulse for generations. Last year the lifts consistently opened late or not at all as they didn't want to put the resources into staffing for patrol to get the fun terrain open in a timely fashion. They also frequently didn't have enough lift operators to run the mountain due to poor relations with employees. Vail needs to realize that NW skiing is a different beast and needs to be run differently than Colorado Mega Resorts. The potential is there for them to get with the program and get things back on track. For that to happen management needs to listen to the gripes of the locals and do the right thing. Also, bring the bike park back this summer! Read More
March 24, 2021
gideonsergei from Ski United States United States
Echo the Vail comments below. Been a pass holder for years, took my first lessons back in early 80's and it's been a great hill, love it. Unfortunately, whether earned or not, Vail has been the source of more complaints than I can ever remember. It's been baaaaad. When you've got 8 people running lifts and 2 lifts open on sunny days after a storm... well you're going to have a lot of unhappy people. I don't know all the details but I can tell you Vail is pretty much always the source of the problems. I hope they catch on quick or there will be scores more people on their way to Crystal (awesome hill). Read More
March 13, 2021
Mike Mc from Ski United States United States
Vail has purchased Stevens Pass. Their corporate 'culture' is so bad for Stevens that the lifties and operators keep quitting in groups. Vail classified them all as agricultural workers to avoid paying the traditional "over 40 hrs = 150% overtime" rate, and continues to pick on them and fire them for irrelevant corporate issues even though they are so short staffed they can't fully open the mountain. This year customers have seen the results, not enough staff to fully open after a decent winter storm, lifts not running on bluebird days, lack of grooming, lack of pro patrollers who can lead and keep terrain areas open. Over 80% turnover rate. At first it seemed like Vail was improving things, making improvements to a few chairs. Now it seems they are hell bent on managing this wonderful hill into the ground. They just don't seem to be able to adapt to the local culture in Washington State. Read More
March 03, 2021
Al durfy from Ski United States United States
Vail has failed to honor the great history and legacy here. COVID 19 has made it difficult to participate in Jim Jack Slayride Girls on the Slopes, 35YR telemark race. If you want to participate internet can't do it all
February 01, 2021
Erik L from Ski United States United States
Vail has done a great job making Stevens worse than it was before. They haven't really put anything into the hill and as other reviews have stated, the grooming here is absolutely terrible. I'm from MI originally and I can't believe how bad the grooming is here. They barely dig into the surface so it allows a firm hard layer to remain. If they just spent a bit more time and money on groomers (the individuals) they could probably take their time and dig down a bit deeper. So much potential in this resort but I've been waiting for 8 years for them to improve. Read More
February 13, 2020
JG from Ski United States United States
I've been skiing at Stevens for 20+ years. Unfortunately, I live farther away than a day trip will allow. For years we took advantage of the RV lot to make getting to Stevens worth it. I'm sad that Vail plans to do away with the RV lot next year because it means it won't be possible for us to realistically ski there. Will be looking at Crystal and Baker which have friendlier camping policies for those of us that have to travel. Read More
January 13, 2020
RWB from Ski United States United States
Vail bought our local resort, jacked up the lift ticket prices big time but they do not deliver service. They groom only four runs on Brooks, two on the bunny hill and one on Skyline. No grooming on back side, Tye, Hogsback and Kehr. Totally unacceptable. Only experts can ski Muggles. Not worse the money. Vail is great with taking the money but that is it. They fooled us this year but not for next season. We are going to Crystal from now on. I feel bad for the people who bought season passes and are stuck now with only 20% groomed runs. Not worth the money anymore. Read More
February 19, 2019
Seattle Pat from Ski United States United States
I'm a local and started skiing here in 1977. I ran the ski club at UW in the late 80s and currently run the Seattle Ski & Snowboard Meetup, the largest & most active ski group in the NW. I've skied most resorts in our state but Stevens has always been "home base". It's a mid-sized mountain that packs a punch. Lots of different terrain and unbelievably, I've not been bored and can always find something new in 42 years of skiing here! Management is exceptional and great to work with and for being so on top of their game, Stevens still has that "Family Owned " feel to it. Now that Vail has purchased it expect some improvements in parking, overflow and lifts. There is plenty of room to expand at this resort! Read More
April 21, 2017
Randy from Ski United States United States
I love Stevens Pass and have been skiing there for over 30 years. As other reviewers have pointed out, it's a day ski area in the NW, on forest service land. You get what you get with that. There is a huge variety of terrain for more advanced skiers, you just have to look around and try new runs. You won't get bored. I get that snow from other states is better, stays powdery longer and in the sun but here in the NW you have to be more strategic and get the powder while it's there. Folks that have learned to ski out here though I find can ski any conditions, anywhere and look good doing it. Read More

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