SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. — Hundreds of people strapped on their snow boots and skis to spend the day on the slopes of Mt. Spokane.
Staff at the park said the crowd brought a busy day to the mountain.
“I was even flipping burgers for a couple hours,” said the park’s general manager, Brad McQuarrie.
Many people said spending time ripping through the snowy hills was a great way to start the new year,
“We thought we’d start the beginning of the year rather than recovering from a late night, we’d go to bed early, wake up healthy, ski strong and come to the hill first thing in the morning,” said Hal Ebel, a skier.
Wednesday’s weather was clear, and snow from earlier in the week helped the skiing conditions.
“We just got about a foot yesterday, and that was super helpful,” McQuarrie said. “Unfortunately, it warmed up a bit last night, and the conditions aren’t as nice as we’d like them. But people are still having a good time.”
“This is my first time, ever. So I figured out, ‘Why not tart something new on the year?” said Ebel’s son. “Lots of falling and lots of growth and learning.”