Words by: Matt Vanatta / Photos by Jeff Baker

Stevens Pass...pow and a lot of it.

I’m just going to go ahead and say it; there are heroin addicts with beefier legs then me. I’ve tried protein drinks, leg workouts, biking, all that crap. Nothing works though, somehow my little hockey sticks just don’t grow, and I end up with back leg fatigue for the first month of the season. My new theory is that I need to hit the juice, so next summer I will load a saddle onto a donkey and forge my way into old Mexico in search of some illegal steroids.

Stevens Pass was, well how do I say this without hurting your feelings; freaking amazing! Thursday was the official opening day, and the snow was fresh and everybody was going crazy hooting and hollering. There is something deeply refreshing about looking down from the lift and seeing skiers peppered through out a powder field looking for their lost skis. I always just shake my head and think when will these freaks learn that skiing is retarded.

The weekend didn’t slow down a bit, and the fine folks at Stevens decided Saturday would be a good day to open up the backside of the mountain. The snow back there was what powder dreams are made of and we found ourselves giddy like schoolgirls on a candy high. By run three my back leg burned like a hookers snatch on a Saturday night and I was wondering if I was going to make it back to the lift. We somehow powered through and got fresh slashes all day long.

Stevens Pass is truly a gem, Chris Rudolph and Nate in the marketing department are some real world-class gents, and I would like to thank them for their ongoing generosity. The mountain itself is a paradise for any free riding powder lovers, and continues to reveal new possibilities. Stevens treats you like family, so it’s understandable if you call this place home.