Ice shuts down two ski areas at Summit at Snoqualmie

At the Summit at Snoqualmie, the first weekend day of skiing this season was cut short because of ice.

There is a lot more snow than last week.  This time it is mixed with freezing rain, and it hasn’t stopped all afternoon.

That meant a shorter day on the slopes and chains for those without an all-wheel drive.

The chaining up on Interstate 90 began long before we made it to snowy Snoqualmie Pass.

“I’m a truck driver so I got a full load right now,” said Marcus Lindsey from Spokane. “I’m actually passing through. It’s a little rough sometimes. But with these particular ones, it makes it a little easier.”

“Yeah, pretty much,” said Eric Jurgens from Quincy, when asked whether chaining up is a feature of winter driving in the Northwest. “Oh, yeah, not my first rodeo.”

“We’re good,” said Adam Bird from Seattle, as he put chains on his family’s vehicle.

His feelings about the snow? “It’s good,” he said.

Good, because he was headed here to the Summit at Snoqualmie. And there was plenty of snow awaiting him and everyone else who made it up here.

Some skiers and snowboarders said they saw more snow than usual this early in the season. Others, however, disagree.

“I saw a few patches when I was on the chair lift,” said Allison DelSarto, a ski instructor. “I did see some patches. Some twigs, I saw some twigs, too. That was scary.”

But ice proved to be the biggest challenge on this snowy Saturday. It forced the resort to shut down Silver Fir and Central early, for fear that the ice would affect the ropes that move the lifts.

“I got down to the bottom of the hill and I didn’t see anybody on the lifts anymore,” said Tyler Laymon from Bremerton. “And I seen people just try to hike back up the hill.”

“End up coming back down and it was too much,” said Hunter Soffel from Bremerton. “So we had to unstrap and come down. I mean everything was iced out.”

Robert Blendea said the weather affected his day on the slopes.

“I mean I had to walk a bunch,” Blendea said. “But I still got to snowboard in the morning. So, it was still very fun. I definitely had a lot of fun. I was here with friends, yeah.”

The ice meant the day ended sooner than expected.

As for the roadways, anyone planning to come needs to check the DOT website to be prepared for whatever the weather brings.

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