Mountains of snow, miles of delays: Unprepared drivers cause chaos

STEVENS PASS, Wash. - As temperatures plummeted Thursday, frustration grew amongst drivers heading up Stevens Pass. 

Instagram account Kooks of Stevens Pass shared some startling video with FOX 13 that highlights what travelers were up against. Footage shows jackknifed semis, cars ditched in snowbanks, and truck drivers chaining up on the ascent.   

Traffic Snarls and Powder Dreams: A Skier's Tale of the Road to Crystal Mountain

This past weekend’s fresh powder drew eager skiers and riders to Crystal Mountain, Jaki Portolese among them.

"El Niño has brought us a rough start to the season for snowpack," said Portolese. "January 6, brought the first significant powder dump of the year in this region. Everyone who takes skiing and snowboarding seriously, no matter what the experience level, was going to the mountains that day."

With her phone, Jaki documented a grueling two-and-a-half hours spent Saturday morning driving the roughly 10-mile ascent to the ski area’s parking lot. Jaki does not blame the resort for the backup, but she’s pointing the finger at woefully unprepared drivers. 

"One stuck car or person waiting to put chains on until they are in the middle of the road will block the entire pathway to the resort," said Jaki. "It also prevents snowplows from safely passing through and clearing the roadway."

Navigating Winter Demands: Insights from Crystal Mountain Leadership

Peter Dale, Director of Mountain Operations at Crystal, shared several factors that were in play that day. 

"There’s a bunch of pent-up demand because we haven’t had winter yet," said Dale. "Us skiers, we all thought this might not happen this winter but hey, it just happened a little bit late."

Beyond, the insatiable appetite for snow, Dale noted not everyone played by the rules. Crystal Mountain mandates parking passes for weekends and holidays. Many showed up without a reservation. The parking lot filled up and they had to turn some cars away.

"It’s pretty simple math, when there’s nowhere left to park, there’s nowhere left to park you’ve got to turn around and head back downhill," Dale said.

The plan moving into this weekend is to increase messaging and signage, both online and at Crystal Mountain.