Highway 2 is currently closed for 64 miles from Index to Leavenworth due to flooding and landslides — and Stevens Pass is caught in the middle. While the ski area has not yet opened for the season due to insufficient snow, a condition the ongoing parade of atmospheric rivers has only worsened, approximately 100 staff on site Wednesday for training were evacuated, according to Director of Mountain Operations John Meriwether.

As lift operations and ski patrol went through practice drills to keep their skills sharp once the ski season does arrive, Stevens Pass leadership concluded around 11 a.m. that there was a high risk of Highway 2 closing, especially in the wake of recent fires on both sides of the pass that made the highway more prone to landslides.

“For lack of a better word, we decid

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