The Summit at Snoqualmie and Stevens Pass will open Friday

This week’s snowfall has caused problems on the roads already, but will end up being a boon for winter sports enthusiasts. The Summit at Snoqualmie announced Wednesday that it will open for limited operations this Friday, Dec. 2, thanks in large part to the 18 inches of fresh snow that blanketed its slopes overnight.

Summit West will operate from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday; this first day of operations will be reserved for Summit and Ikon pass holders only, the ski area’s management announced on its website. Lift access for the public will begin Saturday.

White Pass Ski Area also announced this week that it will open for the season Friday, as will Stevens Pass Ski Area, which has set its sights on Dec. 2 as opening day for a few weeks now.

“We depend on Mother Nature for our snow, and we have been fortunate to have favorable conditions,” Stevens Pass General Manager Ellen Galbraith said in a news release Wednesday. The resort is celebrating its 85th anniversary this year.

With skiing at Mission Ridge, Mount Baker and Crystal Mountain already in full swing, this marks one of the earliest dates in recent memory that all of Western Washington’s ski resorts have been able to get up and running for the season.