Mission Ridge Ski Area

Ski area in Washington, United States

This article is about the ski area near Wenatchee, Washington, United States. For other uses, see Mission Ridge (disambiguation).

Mission Ridge Ski Area

Varied inbounds terrain visible from the Wenatchee Express chairlift

Mission Ridge

Location in Washington

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Mission Ridge

Location in the United States

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Location| Chelan County, Washington
Nearest major city| Wenatchee: 12 miles (20 km)
Coordinates| 47°17′31″N 120°23′56″W﻿ / ﻿47.292°N 120.399°W﻿ / 47.292; -120.399
Vertical| 2,250 feet (686 m)
Top elevation| 6,820 feet (2,079 m)
Base elevation| 4,570 feet (1,393 m)
Skiable area| 2,000 acres (8.1 km2)
Trails| 36
10% easiest
60% more difficult
30% most difficult
Lift system| 4 chairlifts
2 tows \- one for terrain park
Lift capacity| 4,910 / hr
Terrain parks| 1 main one but most of the time there are 3
Snowfall| 200 inches (16.7 ft; 5.1 m)
Snowmaking| yes
Night skiing| 4 - 9 pm
Website| Mission Ridge.com

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 of 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.

## Alpine skiing

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

* One High speed detachable quad, with bubbles[1]
* Three fixed grip double chairlifts
* Two rope tows

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

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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 and first aid operations.

## History

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The name "Mission Ridge" was selected in June 1964,[3] and it began operations 59 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

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1. ^ a b 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. ^ a b "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.

## External links

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* Official website
* Ski Map.org – trail maps – Mission Ridge ski area

* v
* t
* e

Ski areas in Washington

Alpine areas|

* 49 Degrees North
* Badger Mountain
* Bluewood
* Crystal Mountain
* Echo Valley
* Hurricane Ridge
* Leavenworth
* Loup Loup
* Meany Lodge
* Mission Ridge
* Mount Baker
* Mount Spokane
* Sahalie Ski Club
* Sitzmark
* Stevens Pass
* Summit at Snoqualmie (Alpental, Summit West, Summit Central, Summit East)
* White Pass

Cross country areas|

* 49 Degrees North
* Leavenworth
* Loup Loup
* Meany Lodge
* Methow Valley
* Stevens Pass
* Summit at Snoqualmie
* John Wayne Pioneer Trail (Near Hyak)
* White Pass

Heli skiing|

* North Cascade Heli Skiing

Defunct ski areas|

* American River Ski Bowl
* Big Four Ski Area
* Blewett Pass Ski Area
* Cayuse Pass
* Chewelah Peak Ski Area
* Chinook Pass
* City Ski Acres
* Cle Elum Ski Hill
* Holiday Hills
* Martin Ski Dome
* Milwaukee Ski Bowl
* Mount Pilchuck
* Paradise Ski Area
* Squilchuck Ski Bowl

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* United States

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