Let it snow, my friends!

Yes, the weather down here below the foothills is a painfully typical Washington state winter: 40 degrees and rain, with a side of artic wind.

Ah, but up in the Cascades? It’s dumping the beautiful white slush that makes our skis and snowboards oh so happy.

Steven’s Pass, where I spent most of my youth trying to figure out how to make it down the hill without smashing my carotid artery into a ski lift post, opens today (Nov. 19).

As of Monday afternoon 36 inches of snow was reported at the base of Steven’s Pass, with 38 inches at reported at the upper mountain weather station.

The Pass will be open today from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. with operations on the Hogsback, Skyline, Daisy and Brooks chair lifts. Check out www.stevenspass.com or call (206) 634-1645 for update pass info.

Stevens is located 78 miles east of Seattle on U.S. Highway 2. Normal hours of operations run from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Monday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, conditions permitting.

What about Hurricane Ridge? you ask. Yes, well, there’s never quite enough snow until there’s too much. Check out the real-time (or pretty close, anyway) web cam of Hurricane Ridge at: www.nps.gov/olym/photosmultimedia/hurricane-ridge-webcam.htm.

The earliest the Ridge opens is likely Dec. 12, a Saturday. Sorry. But take heart with the Winterfest stuff that’s going on Friday and Saturday.

On Friday, a prime rib dinner is set for 5 p.m. with showing of Warren Miller’s new film “Dynasty” to follow; tickets are $40. The Ski Swap is the next day from noon-4 p.m. with a showing of ‘Dynasty” at 7 p.m. Ticket for the Ski Swap are $3 per person (or $7 per family) and $10 for the movie.

“Dynasty” features skiing across the globe including China, Alaska, Norway, Colorado, British Columbia and even Crystal Mountain… which is my segue into what’s up at all the other ski resorts across Western Washington:

• Crystal Mountain got nine inches of new snow overnight and has nearly all of its lifts (Chinook Express, Forest Queen, Rainier Express and Green Valley, weather permitting) up and running. Discovery, Crystal’s beginner chairlift, is closed until further notice. Normally tickets are $60 for an adult full-day pass but right now, they’re just $30 today (Nov. 18). Probably my favorite place in the state to ski. Check out skicrystal.com.

• Just one of the Snoqualmie ski areas — Summit West — is open right now, but that area is up and running with 18 inches of new snow reported in the last couple of days. Sweet! No word yet on when the other areas (Summit East, Summit Central and Alpental) will get going. The ski destination just east of Seattle on I-90 also has a tubing are and Nordic center. The area isn’t bad. I learned to ski at what they called “Ski Acres” (it’s one of the summits now). It’s the quickest way to hit the slopes and give the greatest variety if you include all three summits and Alpental. But you don’t get very long runs and the beauty you get at a Crystal or Stevens. Check out www.summitatsnoqualmie.com.

• Less than an hour east of Bellingham, Mount Baker is open with eight inches new snow from Wednesday night/Thursday morning. Temperatures aren’t too chilly (31 degrees) and workers there say they may not open the Pan Dome. Things are looking up for Friday and the weekend, the ski area’s Web site reports, with freezing levels expected to drop Friday and remain cold through the weekend, and more snow expected Friday through Sunday. Hours of operation are 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. I used to live in Bellingham and loved going to Baker for the day. I just wished my professors at the time were a little more understanding of my skiing affliction… Check out www.mtbaker.us.

• The Mission Ridge ski area, about 160 miles east of Seattle on I-90 and US Highway 97, is aiming for a Thanksgiving weekend opening. The state’s other ‘Ridge’ has a new snowmaking system that can make up for any lack of new white stuff. Though they got two inches of new snow last night, the base has just 11 inches of snow. We’ll see if they can get open in a few days. Last time I skied there, I forgot snow pants and skied in my jeans. I don’t advise doing this. See www.missionridge.com for update and weather reports.

• White Pass, located about 2-2.5 hours from Seattle, opens tomorrow (Friday, Nov. 20). Workers there say the snow is falling rapidly and it’s looking great. I’ve skied there a couple of times and it’s a nice break from the traditional Snoqualmie/Crystal/Stevens loop. It’s about 50 miles west of Yakima on US Highway 12. From Seattle, take I-5 south to US Highway 7, then east on US Highway 12. Check out www.skiwhitepass.com.