Washington -- White Pass -- An easygoing, snowy getaway for families and friends

It took me a long time to get back to White Pass, the ski area in Washington's South Cascades.

When I was a child on a multi-family ski vacation there, I shattered my ankle in a fall and my best friend was so badly sunburned that her eyes swelled shut.

That was the end of skiing for the two of us on that trip. We hobbled and groped around the lodge at the base of the lifts while our siblings and parents (who included a doctor who pronounced us medically OK) skied for two more days, reluctant to abandon their long-planned vacation.

Decades later, after skiing around Europe and the Pacific Northwest, I finally returned to White Pass. Now a parent myself, I found it a good ski destination for families and friends - as long as no one breaks a leg.

White Pass has good, dry snow thanks to its 4,500-foot base elevation; smooth, open runs that are fun for cruisers of any age; and accommodations just 100 yards from the base of the lifts. And on a clear day the views from the top of the lifts are stunning: Mount Rainier's majestic white bulk rising about 20 miles (as the crow flies) to the northwest.

A high-speed quad chair whisks skiers and boarders to the 6,000-foot summit of White Pass. I liked the lift's speed and its safety bars that swing down to keep skiers in their seats. After some nerve-wracking rides with kids on older chairs without safety devices, it was a relief to have everyone safely behind bars.

White Pass is a user-friendly size, too. Its runs are longer and more varied than most at Snoqualmie Pass. Yet it's not vast like British Columbia's Whistler/Blackcomb where if you take off on separate runs from kids or friends you might not find them again for hours.

At White Pass, all but a few runs lead to the base of the quad chair. And while it's a compact area, there's enough to keep most skiers happy for a weekend or more. After all, White Pass was the home slope of the Mahre brothers, international ski champions of the 1970s and 1980s.

For cross-country skiers, there are 10 miles of well-groomed trails, pleasant routes that wind through the woods and around a frozen lake.

There's snow play, too. Each year a Winter Carnival - this winter Feb. 27-28, 1999 - offers ski clinics plus races for kids while raising money for charity. And staff build a 10-foot-tall snow castle by the day-lodge that kids of all ages climb upon.

Close comfort

What makes an overnight ski trip easiest on everyone is staying by the lifts so you don't have to haul people and gear in and out of the car and drive snowy roads.

White Pass fits the bill, thanks to its Village Inn. The slope-side condominiums are the only place to stay at White Pass, which is surrounded by national forest. (The small town of Packwood, a half-hour drive west, has motels, but skiers need to drive the winding road to and from the pass.)

The Village Inn condos aren't true ski-in, ski-out, accommodations since Highway 12, which leads to Yakima (but is sparsely traveled in winter) passes between it and the lifts. But it takes just a few minutes to walk from the condos to the lifts.

Don't expect luxury at the Village Inn, however. The aging three-story wood buildings are small and simple. Some are architecturally goofy, with tiny hallways and steep, narrow ladders to sleeping lofts where the ceilings are so low that even little kids bump their heads.

Since the units are privately owned, the decor varies. On several visits to White Pass with family and friends, we've had comfortably furnished and cozy condos and others that look like worn-out, cheap motel rooms.

The trick to getting a nice place is to ask lots of questions when you make a reservation. And be aware that ground-level units look out onto the parking lot or into high snowbanks.

If you're looking for night life after a day on the slopes, White Pass is not the place to go. There is a restaurant by the condos which serves hearty meals. The only other entertainment is the Village Inn's swimming pool, a year-round outdoor pool so warm that it's like being in a 50-foot-long hot tub.

But after a day on the slopes, sinking into the steamy heat of the pool and gazing up at the stars is about all the entertainment many skiers will want.

If you go

White Pass is about a 3 1/2-hour drive from Seattle. Take Interstate 5 south and exit to Highway 12 eastbound to the pass. Those who like to avoid I-5 can cut off onto Highway 167 south of Seattle and then follow Highway 7 to Highway 12.

-- For information on mountain road conditions, including White Pass, phone the Department of Transportation, 206-368-4499 or toll-free 888-766-4636.

-- For information on White Pass, including snow conditions and the ski school, phone 509-672-3100. Or check the Web site: http://www.skiwhitepass.com

-- Winter rates at the Village Inn condominiums (all with fully equipped kitchens and some with VCRs) range from $80 for a studio to $172 a night for a unit that can sleep 6 or more. Phone 509-672-3131.