Mission Ridge Ski Area

Mission Ridge Ski Area is a ski area in the western United States, located near Wenatchee, Washington. On the leeward east slope of the Cascade Range, its base elevation is at 4,570 feet (1,393 m) above sea level with the peak at 6,820 feet (2,079 m), yielding a vertical drop pf 2,250 feet (686 m). Mission Ridge receives an average snowfall of 200 inches (16.7 ft; 5.1 m) per year, with over 300 sunny days, and its slopes face primarily northeast.

This article is about the ski area near Wenatchee, Washington, United States. For other uses, see Mission Ridge (disambiguation).
Mission Ridge Ski Area
Chair 4 (left) in June 2012
Chair 4 (left) in June 2012
Mission Ridge is located in Washington (state)
Mission Ridge
Mission Ridge
Location in Washington
Mission Ridge is located in the United States
Mission Ridge
Mission Ridge
Location in the United States
LocationChelan County, Washington
Nearest major cityWenatchee: 12 miles (20 km)
Coordinates47.292°N 120.399°W / 47.292; -120.399
Vertical2,250 feet (686 m)
Top elevation6,820 feet (2,079 m)
Base elevation4,570 feet (1,393 m)
Skiable area2,000 acres (8.1 km2)
Runs36
10% easiest
60% more difficult
30% most difficult
Lift system4 chairlifts
2 tows - one for terrain park
Lift capacity4,910 / hr
Terrain parks1 main one but most of the time there are 3
Snowfall200 inches (16.7 ft; 5.1 m)
Snowmakingyes
Night skiing4 - 9 pm
WebsiteMission Ridge.com

Alpine skiing

Mission Ridge has six lifts providing access to 2,000 acres (8.1 km2) of terrain:

Mission Ridge has a relatively small terrain park, called the B-24 terrain park.

The ski area has had night skiing and snowmaking since 1978,[2] and expanded the snowmaking capacity in 2005.[1]

Base facilities

The Hampton Lodge at the base of the mountain includes a restaurant, bar, shop, and rental center. Additionally, facilities in the base area include lesson centers, a childcare center, and first aid operations.

History

The name "Mission Ridge" was selected in June 1964,[3] and it began operations 57 years ago in the fall of 1966 with two chairlifts[4] in the Squilchuck Basin, where a Walla Walla–based B-24 Liberator bomber crashed on September 30, 1944.[5][6] Two more lifts were constructed in 1970 and 1972. A wing section of the B-24 plane was removed from the mountain and taken down to the lodge in 1985; it was hauled back up the mountain in October 1992, and mounted on steel poles above "Bomber Bowl."[6]

Bill Johnson, the gold medalist in downhill at the 1984 Winter Olympics, trained at the Mission Ridge Ski Academy as a teenager.[7] In 2005, the new Liberator Express replaced Chair 2, and then in 2020, the Wenatchee Express bubble lift replaced Liberator Express.

References
  1. Pratt, Christine (July 11, 2005). "Quad lift at Mission Ridge is a go for this winter". Ellensburg Daily Record. (Wenatchee World). p. 2.
  2. "Mission Ridge to add lights, snowmaking". Ellensburg Daily Record. May 24, 1978. p. 14.
  3. "Promote Mission Ridge". Ellensburg Daily Record. June 12, 1964. p. 6.
  4. "Mission Ridge plans expansion". Spokane Daily Chronicle. UPI. March 14, 1967. p. 17.
  5. "Bomber crashes near Wenatchee". Ellensburg Daily Record. Associated Press. October 2, 1944. p. 1.
  6. "Snow comes". Ellensburg Daily Record. Associated Press. November 13, 1992. p. 13.
  7. Halstead, Jeff (February 6, 1987). "Ski Mission Ridge and have it all". Spokesman-Review. p. 12, Weekend.
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