As I was driving into work this morning, I looked up at the skyline, I always have a nice view of Mission Ridge on my way to work, and I saw that the lights were on and that usually means that they are making snow. If you ski or ride a snowboard, you know how lucky you are to be living close to Mission Ridge. Living in Wenatchee or East Wenatchee places you within 20 minutes of what I consider to be one of the better ski resorts in Washington state. 

Some research was conducted by hometogo.com, and they compiled what they considered to be the list of the 100 best ski resorts for affordability in the country.  

Hometogo.com has created several lists for ski resorts in the United States. One list is for the 100 Top U.S. Ski Resorts for 2026/27, ranked according to daily costs, and the other list rates 100 Top U.S. Ski Resorts for 2026/27, ranked according to visitor value 

There are three metrics used for visitor value rankings, miles of terrain, lift ticket prices, and prices for accommodations. There were two metrics that were used for rankings according to daily cost. The median nightly accommodation cost per person, and cost of a standard adult single day lift ticket. 

The top three most affordable resorts listed. 

#3 Arizona Snowbowl, Arizona, with a cost per day per person of $157.16. 

#2 was Mount Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park, Washington, with a cost per day per person of $139.53. 

#1 Brian Head Resort, Utah, with a cost per day per person of $138.92. 

Other Washington state ski resort ratings. 

Crystal Mountain Resort came in at #78 with a visitor value rating of 24.43. 

Stevens Pass Mountain Resort came up with a ranking of 74 with a visitor value rating of 24.58. 

Mount Baker Ski area ranked #50 in the USA with a visitor value rating of 25.22. 

The Summit at Snoqualmie ranked #49 with a visitor value rating of 25.24. 

Mission Ridge Ski Resort ranked #39 in the United States with a visitor value rating of. 25.48. 

Mount Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park is the highest ranked Washington ski resort at 22 with a visitor value rating of 26.10. 

I don’t ski anymore, but over the years I’ve skied at Crystal Mountain, Stevens Pass, Mount Baker, the summit of Snoqualmie, and Mission Ridge, but I’ve never skied Mount Spokane. 

We have some very confusing weather coming to the Pacific Northwest this winter. Here’s hoping it brings lots of snow to the mountains.