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"I’ve got my love to keep me warm.” Recent blizzards and ice storms make the words to Irving Berlin’s song seem particularly appropriate — especially in February, which marks the height of ski season. Snow flurries create deep powder stashes while hearts flutter on Valentine’s Day in the middle of the month.
For snow lovers who want to share a little romance, here’s a guide to romantic escapes at five regional ski areas. After a day on the slopes, you and your honey can melt the ice with candlelight dinners, relaxing spa treatments and lodging specials ranging from luxurious inns to romantic B&Bs. Generate some heat and cuddle in with these great ski-for-two offers.
Mission Ridge Ski Resort
Treat your sweetheart to a trip to Mission Ridge, which is known for its dependable skiing conditions. Located just 13 miles from Wenatchee, Mission Ridge claims the state’s highest base area at 4,570 feet and the largest top-to-bottom snowmaking system. Start the day with a ride on the high-speed quad to the summit, where you both can enjoy panoramic views of Mount Rainier, Mount Stuart and the Columbia River.
On Saturdays through Feb. 18, Mission Ridge offers live music, night skiing, complimentary ski and snowboard introductory group lessons (except on Feb. 11 when the mountain will host a Rail Jam), and guided twilight snowshoe treks. The Sky Link shuttle bus provides round-trip service from Wenatchee to the ski area, but don’t plan your trip for Valentine’s Day: Mission Ridge is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
When the lifts shut down for the day, head over to Icicle Village Resort and take advantage of one of the honeymoon, anniversary, or Sweet Indulgence Romance Getaway packages. Experience a king suite with a fireplace and whirlpool bath. Champagne or your choice of a special beverages will be waiting in your room with memento glasses, a bouquet of a dozen red roses, an amenities gift pack, an aromatherapy candle, chocolate truffles, two plush Icicle Village Resort bathrobes (yours to take home), and two lift tickets to Mission Ridge or Stevens Pass. Other options include a three-hour wine tour or a couples massage relaxing by the fireplace in the private massage suite. Packages start at $399 (missionridge.com, iciclevillage.com).
Stevens Pass ski area
Located at the crest of its namesake pass through the Cascade Range, Stevens Pass is the only winter resort in the Pacific Northwest to offset 100 percent of its energy use with renewable energy credits from wind power. The ski area provides 10 lifts accessing 37 runs over 1,125 acres of terrain, and at the heart — an intimate base village surrounded by three day lodges. Stevens’ safety record is among the best in the country. By requiring all entrants to its terrain parks to watch a short video on safety and etiquette, and then pass a test, the ski area has reduced its accident rate by 80 percent in the past few years.
In conjunction with Stevens Pass, the Sleeping Lady Mountain Retreat in Leavenworth offers a Hearts and Flurry package available Feb. 10-18 that includes one-night accommodations, a box of local artisan chocolate from Schocolat, a gourmet dinner and hearty breakfast, a $200 credit for use at its Solstice Spa, two adult lift ticket vouchers, and use of the woodland rock hot pool and sauna. Also included is a $4 off coupon toward a youth lift ticket with each adult voucher, but then again, why would you want to bring any kids with you? Packages start at $550, based on double occupancy (stevenspass.com, sleepinglady.com).
White Pass ski area
Looking for a midweek getaway? While White Pass is known as a family area, weekday visits provide the perfect atmosphere for a romantic escape — no crowds, plenty of light powder on the sunny side of the Cascades, and beautiful winter scenery. Two high-speed quads assure you’ll spend max time on the slopes, not on the lifts. With White Pass’s new Paradise Basin expansion, the midweek experience makes you and your special one feel as if you have the resort all to yourselves, except for the staff that is waiting to serve you.
In the past two years, White Pass has completed one of the country’s biggest ski area expansions, doubling the skiable acreage with almost 800 acres of new terrain plus two new chairlifts, a mid-mountain lodge, and other upgrades. For cross-country skiers, the Nordic center offers 18 kilometers of groomed double-track trails and a 10-foot skating lane. For a quiet foray into the stillness of winter, wander along the three-kilometer snowshoeing trail that leads down by Leech Lake.
After the lifts close, stay slope side at the Village Inn and enjoy an après-ski dip in the heated outdoor pool the inn offers discounted midweek prices as well as a weekender special: Guests receive vouchers for reduced-priced lift tickets and a 50 percent discount for the third night during a three-night weekend stay. On midweek stays, be prepared for an intimate dinner-for-two at your place: All VI units have kitchens, and the restaurant operates only Saturdays and holidays (skiwhitepass.com,whitepassvillageinn.com).
Crystal Mountain Resort
Snuggle into Crystal’s eight-passenger Mount Rainier Gondola (if you’re lucky, you can get a gondola car to yourself) and ride in enclosed comfort up the mountain. On sunny days, you can practically reach out and touch Mount Rainier. At the top of the mountain, relax with a romantic lunch at the Summit House Bistro, Washington’s highest restaurant with incredible views of Rainier’s 14,410-foot summit. You’ll enjoy gourmet sit-down dining complete with a sommelier who will suggest the perfect wine to accompany your meal.
With the state’s largest ski acreage and greatest vertical drop at 3,100 feet, Crystal offers complimentary guided mountain tours that take you off the beaten track to discover the best snow. If you and your special ski buddy want to escape the groomed runs but don’t want the hassle of long hikes, no problem. The Northway lift accesses 1,000 acres of backcountry terrain.
At the end of the day, check into one of Crystal’s three lodging properties with Valentines Sweetheart packages Feb. 13 or 14. These packages include slope side lodging, two adult lift/gondola tickets, a breakfast buffet for two, and a $50 dinner voucher, plus a bonus bottle of wine or champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries in your hotel room. Stop by for après action at the Snorting Elk Cellar, and then dine by candlelight at the Bavarian-themed Alpine Inn restaurant. Specialties include Hungarian goulash and Wiener schnitzel. Prices range from $319-$379 (skicrystal.com, crystalhotels.com).
Summit at Snoqualmie
A more romantic drive it would be hard to find. You and your loved one start the morning heading east on Interstate 90 through the foothills and then into the glistening, snow-covered Cascades as the sun plays peek-a-boo at every bend in the road. Located an easy one-hour drive from Seattle, the four ski areas at Summit at Snoqualmie can be accessed with one lift ticket. You’ll find a choice of beginner, intermediate and advanced downhill terrain as well as groomed and cross-country skate trails. If you plan a midweek getaway on Feb. 14, you can buy one lift ticket and get your sweetheart’s free.
After a day on the slopes, return to Salish Lodge & Spa just off I-90, halfway between Seattle and the ski area. This ideal couples getaway offers cozy guestrooms with wood-burning fireplaces, goose-down comforters, feather beds and two-person whirlpool tubs. Soothe tired muscles in the spa’s soaking pools, eucalyptus steamer and sauna, and follow up with a massage.
Salish’s Ski & Stay package includes a one-night stay in a deluxe guestroom, a voucher for two Snoqualmie Coffees (Bailey’s Frangelico with rock candy swizzle sticks) in The Attic, and your choice of two all-day adult lift tickets or two beginner packages including equipment rental, lift ticket and lesson at Summit at Snoqualmie. Packages start at $339 per couple. Guests who show a Summit at Snoqualmie ski pass for the same day receive a Snoqualmie Falls Foot Revitalizer for $99.
For those who want to linger among alpine meadows and old-growth trees, check whether the lodge is offering the Snowshoe & Stay package, which includes a one-night stay for two people, guided four-hour snowshoe trip for two, and equipment rental. Also, check out the Lodge’s Month of Love packages for other romantic getaways (summitatsnoqualmie.com, salishlodge.com).
Other winter escapes
Heli-skiing. Cat skiing. Snowmobiling and cross-country ski trails. Washington winter fun extends beyond its downhill ski areas. Cross-country enthusiasts should check out Echo Ridge on the north side of Lake Chelan, where the Lake Chelan Nordic Club does an excellent job set-grooming 20 miles of cross-country trails for both classic and skate tracks (lakechelannordic.org).
Linking three charming villages (Winthrop, Twisp and Mazama), 120 miles of connected trails in the Methow Valley offer groomed terrain for every level. Since five out of every seven days are sunny on average, couples can also enjoy ice-skating, sledding, sleigh rides, gallery hopping and, in the evening, cozy accommodations that offer fine dining and great wines (mvsta.com).
If you and your special ski partner are up for something more adventurous, contact North Cascade Heli at the Wilson Ranch in Mazama and book a heli-ski charter. You’ll discover untouched open bowls, steep glades and great tree-skiing within its 300,000-acre permit area in the North Cascades, which currently has some of the deepest snow in the lower 48. With the most glaciated peaks in the U.S., this region is often called the “American Alps” (heli-ski.com).
Throughout February, couples can attend seasonal events and festivals such as Red Wine & Chocolate and the Lake Chelan TraX Festival. In Wenatchee wine country, the region’s tasting rooms will showcase award-winning red wines with chocolate treats during two Red Wine & Chocolate weekends, Feb. 10-12 and Feb. 17-19 (wenatcheevalley.org). The Lake Chelan TraX Event, scheduled for Feb. 17-19, kicks off the weekend with skiers and snowboarders shredding the rails in non-mountain settings on a two-story man-made setup covered with 25 tons of snow (lakechelantrax.com).
Wenatchee’s plentiful spring and summer hiking trails prove ideal for snowshoeing in winter. Popular trails include Clara Lake, a romantic route accessing two alpine lakes surrounded by Larch trees. Guided evening snowshoe treks take guests on a moderate excursion through starlit, snow-covered mountain terrain. The one-hour trips depart at 5 p.m. each Saturday through Feb. 18. Snowshoe rentals are $15 per day and the guided trek is $10 per person (wenatcheevalleysports.com).
Your heart will thank you
If you need additional prodding to get out and enjoy winter recreation with your loved one, remember that February is national Heart Health Month. To celebrate, get outdoor exercise for the physical benefits and go with your significant other for the emotional benefits. Your heart will thank you on both accounts.
Washington winter sports factoids
- • Westernmost ski area in U.S.: Hurricane Ridge on Olympic Peninsula.
- • Most snowfall on the planet: Mount Baker — 1,194 inches in 2003-04.
- • Birthplace of snowboarding: Mount Baker.
- • A “Ski-and-Ride Washington” license plate is available from the Department of Licensing.
- • In 1946, Mount Spokane Ski Club built the world’s first double chairlift, an ore carrier converted by Riblet Aerial Tramway Corporation.
- • In 1944, an Army Air Force B-24 crashed into Mission Ridge at what is now named Bomber Bowl.
- • The National Ski Areas Association voted Mount Baker’s Mountain Education Center the most comprehensive program available at any ski area in North America.
- • The longest-running snowboarding event in the world, the Mount Baker Legendary Banked Slalom, now in its 27th year, is scheduled for Feb. 10-11.
- • Mount Baker is home to two world champion snowboarders and many pro riders.
- • White Pass full-time employees average 25 years on the job.
- • White Pass is home to the Olympic and World Cup champion twins, Phil and Steve Mahre. Phil is considered the most successful skier of all time with three World Cup overall championships and Olympic silver in 1980 at Lake Placid and gold in 1984 at Sarajevo in the men’s slalom and Steve was the silver medalist in the slalom at Sarajevo.
- • Gretchen Fraser, born in Tacoma, was the first American, male or female, to win an Olympic gold medal in skiing when she took home both gold (slalom) and silver (combined) medals at the 1948 winter games at St. Moritz, Switzerland.
