Tuesday Night Skiing

I recently recovered some old backups and found this Web page that I made in the 1990's before marriage and children. I have edited this original page to fix broken links and remove old email addresses. Weirdly, the only Web address that was still valid is the one for SETI, and they are nearly out of funding. The snow line telephone number, however, is still the same. I don't do Tuesday night skiing any more, but I hope that some people do. It really is a lot of fun. Please note: the lift ticket price listed is from 1994. Expect to pay more, now.

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Tuesday Night Ski Expeditions FAQ

Background: The Tuesday Night Ski Trips started in 1994 on the premise that night skiing is cheaper and less crowded than weekend skiing. A small group of hardy adventurers (some might say "fools") set off into the mountains in winter, at night, in a storm in search of killer slopes. While this may seem to run contrary to the rules of common sense and good personal safety, the expedition was a huge success, and the Tuesday Night Skiing Expeditionary Group has been going strong ever since. With no car wrecks, no major injuries, no avalanche kills, and no one killed by yeti or sasquach, the Expeditionary Group has undertaken many a fantastic evening of skiing.

Where do we go? Steven's Pass. Steven's Pass has cheap lift tickets at night ($12)[1994 price], very small crowds (almost never a line), great snow nearly every time, and a very large area that is lit for night runs.

Under what conditions do we go? Every Monday in winter and early spring, the official Tuesday Night Meteorologists, Richard McMichael and Tod Bookless consult the ski line (206-634-1645), the Northwest Weather Center, the DOT Mountain Pass Report, the online Ski Report, and the SETI Institute. If the conditions look good we send out the notice that there will be a ski trip the next day.

What time do we go? We come in to work at 6am, get off work at 3pm, change clothes, meet in the lobby, load the 4x4's, and pull out of the DSI parking lot by 3:30pm. With a quick stop in Monroe for some eat-on-the-way food, we can be getting off of the lift at the top of the first run by 5:30 or 6.

How late do we stay? The lifts are open until 10pm and we usually stay until they close. The exception would be on really cold nights or if we are just too tired from all out, full gonzo skiing to go on any longer.

What time do you get back to DSI? [DSI was the tech company where we all worked] If there are no stops along the way, we can be back to DSI before midnight.

Gosh, isn't that kind of late? Yes. Three of the guiding principles of Tuesday Night Skiing are: Life is short. There is time enough to sleep when you are dead. Better living through chemistry (coffee).

What should I bring for night skiing? Skiing at night tends to be colder than skiing in the day and, it goes without saying, darker, too. In addition to water proof everything, here are some things that we have found that are helpful to bring along: Goggles with clear lenses. At night, yellow or amber lenses in goggles tend to make all of the moguls look smooth for some people. As you can imagine, this can make life a little more exciting than one might want because bumps appear out of nowhere. More layers than daytime. The temperatures dip and the wind can be brisk. There is a lodge where you can duck in to warm up, but if you want to stay out and ski, be prepared. Scarves or Masques(tm)are nice because they cut down or eliminate the wind chill, allowing more time on the slopes.

Can beginners go? Certainly. Steven's does not offer classes at night, but the bunny slope is a good one, and there are usually very few people on it. That means that beginners can take all of the time that they need to get down the slope. Most of the Tuesday Night skiers are intermediate to advanced intermediate skiers, and beginners and people who have not skied in a while come with us quite often.

How do I join? Just drop me a note at [old email address] and I will put you on the list. Each Monday you will receive the go/no go email from Richard and myself.