Loup Loup Ski Bowl
‘Love starts at the top of the hill’ | Photo (+Cover): Loup Loup Ski Bowl

Tucked away from the major cities of the PNW, the small Loup Loup Ski Bowl in Washington’s Methow Valley is an example of how valuable a ski hill can be to a small, rural community.

Owned and operated as a non-profit, the motivation behind ‘The Loup’ is a sincere love of skiing and its unique locals. The trip to Okanogan country in Northern Washington is unlike any other mountainous region in the states.

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The blue collar population that occupies the slopes on any given winter weekend is an experience that is anything but Vail. If you’re in North Central Washington during its brief winter season, make sure to check out the Loup during one of their four operating days each week (*Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday).

Ski Terrain:

The Loup offers 1,240′ of vertical with 10 cut runs ranging in difficulty. The fittingly named ‘Volunteer’ run parallel to the lift line and allows for some hollywood bump skiing down a steep fall line with natural features left and right. Local favorite advanced runs include ‘Exterminator’ and ‘Terminator,’ which are both accessible skiers right off the top chairlift.

A powder day at ‘The Loup’ | Photo: Loup Loup Ski Bowl

Although it’s a small ski hill, the Loup does have a terrain park and the adjacent poma tow makes it easy to rack up the laps. Little Buck Mountain the high point of Loup Loup Ski Bowl tops out at 5260′ where the retired quad lift from nearby Crystal Mountain drops off skiers and riders.

History:

Started in 1958 by a group of local volunteers, the Loup has long been a product of passion and love. Wildfires threatened the ski area may times in its 60 year history but the community continues to support this unique ski area.

An immense local construction effort in 1998, brought the first chairlift to the mountain. The fixed grip quad chairlift helped speed up mountain access and reignited the stoke at this long-running community hill.

Mountain Stats:

  • Annual Average Snowfall: 150″
  • Vertical Drop: 1240′
  • Skiable Acres: 300
  • Trail Count: 10
  • Lifts: 3
  • Terrain Parks: 1
  • Rentals: Yes
  • Night Skiing: No
  • Adult Lift Ticket Price: $50 Full Day, $44 Half Day, Students $42, Lower Mountain $20.
Get your laps in at Loup Loup Ski Bowl | Photo: Loup Loup Ski Bowl

About The Ski Hill Shoutout

Few of us have had the luxury of learning to ski at mega-resorts like Jackson Hole, Heavenly, or Stowe. Many skiers fall in love with this wonderful winter sport at a local, family-run, ski hill. What these mountains lack in pure acreage and bowl skiing, they make up for with a fun, intimate, vibe with an emphasis of getting families out on the hill. 2018 is a difficult time to run a small ski area and many local mountains are being forced to shut down. Here at Unofficial Networks, we recognize the enormous importance of these ski areas to families. Our Ski Hill Shoutout feature is a way to drive some well-deserved attention to these core, grassroots, hills and hopefully send some traffic their way. Long live the local hill.

Find out more here: Loup Loup Ski Bowl

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