British Columbia ski resorts opening this weekend

While Washington ski and snowboard areas are waiting patiently for more snow, Whistler Mountain and Sun Peaks resorts in British Columbia are opening Saturday.

Whistler Mountain, located about five hours north of Seattle, is opening five days earlier than expected with daily operations from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Skiers and snowboarders can start from Whistler Village Gondola or Creekside Gondola. Emerald Express, Big Red Express and the Franz chairlifts provide access to 1,800 vertical feet of terrain.

Six ski runs will be open — Ego Bowl, Upper Whiskey Jack, Upper Franz, Papoose, Orange Peel and Pony Trail.

The jump start at Whistler was boosted by their 220 state-of-the-art snow guns that have converted more than 70 million gallons of water into snow the past few weeks.

Early season conditions exist at Whistler, so staying within the open runs is important. They are marked by "temporary boundary" signs.

Sun Peaks Resort will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sun Peaks will operate the Sunburst Express, Sundance Express and Crystal and Elevation chairlifts, and the Village Platter and Carpet Lift.

Blackcomb Mountain Resort, near Whistler, plans to open Nov. 22.

In Washington, more snow is expected this weekend.

Mission Ridge is hoping to open Nov. 23, and it could be earlier depending on conditions.

Mission Ridge started snow-making last week, and has 19 snow-making guns attached to 40 hydrants on Chairs 1 and 4, and covers 66 acres of terrain — the most of any ski area in the state.

Mount Spokane set a tentative opening of Dec. 1.

The Summit at Snoqualmie, Stevens Pass, Crystal Mountain Resort, White Pass, Ski Bluewood, Mount Spokane and 49 Degrees North plan to open as soon as enough snow covers their base, which could happen soon.

In Oregon, Timberline Resort is operating the Palmer Lift Fridays to Sundays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Operation is dependent on weather conditions, so check the resort's website (www.timberlineresort.com) before heading to the resort.

No Idaho areas have opened but Sun Valley and Lookout Pass set tentative opening dates of Nov. 22; Silver Mountain is planning for a Nov. 23 opener.

In California, Bear Mountain, Boreal, Mammoth, Mountain High and Snow Summit are operating daily under early season conditions. Heavenly and Northstar are planning on opening Friday, and China Peak and Sugar Bowl are expected to open Saturday.

In Utah, a massive snowstorm pounded more than 48 inches of new snow at Snowbird Resort, which opened Thursday with Chickadee, Gadzoom and Mid-Gad lifts operating daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Brighton and Solitude resorts are open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Alta and Brian Head resorts are opening Friday; Park City Resort will open Saturday.

In Montana, the Big Sky Resort is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. In Colorado, Arapahoe Basin, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Keystone and Loveland are open daily.

Warren Miller film

U.S. Olympic freestyle skiing gold medalist Jonny Moseley is the host for Warren Miller's film "Flow State."

Dates are Friday and Saturday at McCaw Hall in Seattle and Nov. 20-21 at Kirkland Performance Center. Details: www.warrenmiller.com.

Mark Yuasa: 206-464-8780 or myuasa@seattletimes.com

By Mark Yuasa Seattle Times staff reporter

By Mark Yuasa
Seattle Times staff reporter