This Morning in Seattle: A Winter Wonderland of Chaos
Here is my advice:
When it snows in Seattle and the Seattle Metro buses all pass you by at your bus stop because the few buses that are running are already packed full with people, skip work and go skiing.
Seriously, you will be a much happier person if you just leave Seattle instead of trying to comprehend how an entire city can freak out and almost completely shut down every time it snows within the city limits.
I snapped the above photo at Stevens Pass this weekend, and I can attest, there is a ton of snow. Camille (pictured above) works in the T-Bar at Stevens on Friday nights and makes a great latte.
New Years Eve
I must admit, I am not an expert on New Years Eve activities in Seattle proper because I have been celebrating New Years Eve and New Years Day at Crystal Mountain for the past 5 years. Personally, I like to get out of the city on New Years because people go nuts on New Years and I'm afraid of crazy people. At Crystal Mountain, the resort provides fireworks and a free champagne toast at midnight, live music and, of course, the Shot-Ski. Also, my favorite thing to do on New Years Day is get up early and go snowboarding while everyone else is sleeping off their hangovers.
If I were celebrating New Years Eve in Seattle, I would probably go to Science Friction at Youngstown in West Seattle. A lot of the deejays are part of the Decibel Festival crew and one of my favorite local deejays, Recess, will be playing. 4 rooms of good electronic music, not just any ol' techno crap.
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There are also some other big parties happening, but, really, anywhere you go on New Years Eve is going to be rockin'. Seattle might shut down at midnight on non-holiday weeknights, but this town knows how to party on holidays and weekends.
Great Skiing Conditions This Weekend, Today Conditions Suck
The weather sucks today. I'm not even going to bother making Seattle rain jokes, it's just too depressing.
I was fortunate enough to go snowboarding this weekend at Crystal Mountain before the Pineapple Express warmed up the weather and turned the beautiful, fluffy white snow in the mountains into heavy rain. Saturday was opening day at Crystal, and I was there. The conditions were much better than I expected. In fact, the snow was fantastic, despite a few bare spots. I was well aware there would be early season conditions and rocks poking through the snow which would mess up my board, which is why I opted to ride my nearly 10 year old snowboard (pictured left) instead of my new board. I heard Sunday was even better than Saturday, when 17 inches of new snow fell over night. Sorry I didn't mention in this blog that Crystal opened this weekend, but I can't give away all of my secrets, now can I? Like they say, no friends on a powder day.
All of the ski resorts in Western Washington are closed today due to rain in the mountains. But, the good news is most are scheduled to re-open this week after the rain storm passes through. For more information about the weather, visit Northwest Weather & Avalanche Center for a detailed forecast.
Pyramid Snowed In Party
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In the time that I have lived in Washington state, it has been a rare occasion that I have missed Pyramid Brewery's Get Snowed In Party. I love this event and I go every year because, aside from being just plain fun, it's a great way to rub elbows with people in the local ski industry. Patrons of this event include everyone from pro skiers and snowboarders, to reps from ski companies including local darlings K2, LibTech and Gnu, and across-the-boarder semi-local Option, just to name a few. You will see reps from local ski areas including my favorite, Crystal Mountain. Best of all, you will see your ski/snowboard buddies you love to ride with, and you can meet new friends to ride with this winter.
Oh yeah, and you will see bands.
This year's headliners are Presidents of the United States of America on November 9 and The Dandy Warhols on November 10, with DJ RAD'EM playing both nights. I have seen the Dandy Warhols too many times to count, so I'm going on Friday night to see the Presidents of the US of A.
This year there are over $10,000 in prizes from the sponsors, and these sponsors do not mess around with cheesy prizes, so you actually have a chance to win some really great gear.
The Get Snowed In party is happening next weekend, Friday - Saturday Nov. 9-10, at the Pyramid Alehouse. You can order tickets for Friday or Saturday's show now, and this event can sell-out, so I suggest getting your ticket early.
Seattle Ski Show
There is so much going on this weekend that I feel like I just cannot possibly write about all of it, but, as a ski bum, I simply cannot overlook the fact that this weekend is the Seattle Ski Show. There are tons of retailers represented, and it is a good place to stock up on your winter gear for this year. They say you can get a great deal on gear at this ski show, but I worked at this ski show 3 years in a row and I did not see any super fantastic discounts. However, the great thing about this ski show is you have representatives from the companies who make the gear who are experts. Talk to one or several of those folks and they will set you up with exactly what you need. I found my perfect snowboard at this event by talking to different reps and getting the scoop on what would be the best board for me.
Also, this is a great opportunity to speak to representatives from different ski areas. You can find out information about the resorts, and several ski resorts are giving out 2-for-1 lift tickets for this winter. That's pretty good swag.
The ski show takes place starting today, Friday:
October 26, 27, 28, 2007
at the
QWEST FIELD EVENT CENTER
