Mild winter closes two more ski areas

WENATCHEE – Lack of snow continues to take its toll on winter recreation in Washington.

Monday was the final day of the season for the Mission Ridge ski area near Wenatchee.

The hill had been operating recently on man-made snow, but operators decided to call it quits.

While the hill had more than 100,000 skier visits last year, it had only about 23,000 in this warm and dry winter. The Mount Baker Ski Area also closed Monday, at least temporarily. It could reopen if it gets 15 to 18 inches of new snow, general manager Duncan Howat said.

At Mount Rainier National Park, lack of snow has prompted officials to cancel the remaining three weeks of public snowshoe walks in the park.