We heard SNOQUALMIE Pass got pounded with 20 inches-plus from a massive coastal storm, so we decided to pull off I-90 and check it out, breaking up our trip to Whistler for the K2 Back Nine. Atop the pass, snowbanks were piled so high that streetlamps no longer served a purpose.

Once we rolled into the Alpental parking lot and geared up to shred some new snow, we found out Chair 2, the chair that accesses the higher part of the mountain, derailed and was out of operation.

Nevertheless, we teamed up with Todd and Ben of K2 Skis and found some sweet, deep pillow lines on the lower mountain. Alpental dished it out and solidified its status as one of the best gems on the West Coast.

After we exhausted ourselves from skiing deep, untouched lines, we cruised over to the Summit-at-Snoqualmie Summit Central and made a few laps through the expansive terrain park. Summit Central’s park included numerous rails and boxes, a super fun wall ride, a legit Superpipe, and four tables.

Back on I-90, we were completely satisfied with our first stop on this West Coast journey. -John Stifter