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48-536: The pass is near Stevens Pass Ski Area , which is on Cowboy Mountain and Big Chief Mountain. Stevens Pass is named after John Frank Stevens , the first non-indigenous person to discover it. Native Americans familiar with the area knew of the pass, although very little is known about Native American routes through the mountains. Hubert C. Ward, exploring the area for the Northern Pacific Railway in 1872, heard from some Native Americans that there

96-494: A datum . For example, hourly measurements may be averaged over a full Metonic 19-year lunar cycle to determine the mean sea level at an official tide gauge . Still-water level or still-water sea level (SWL) is the level of the sea with motions such as wind waves averaged out. Then MSL implies the SWL further averaged over a period of time such that changes due to, e.g., the tides , also have zero mean. Global MSL refers to

144-495: A topographic map variations in elevation are shown by contour lines . A mountain's highest point or summit is typically illustrated with the AMSL height in metres, feet or both. In unusual cases where a land location is below sea level, such as Death Valley, California , the elevation AMSL is negative. It is often necessary to compare the local height of the mean sea surface with a "level" reference surface, or geodetic datum, called

192-440: A "mean sea level" is difficult because of the many factors that affect sea level. Instantaneous sea level varies substantially on several scales of time and space. This is because the sea is in constant motion, affected by the tides, wind , atmospheric pressure, local gravitational differences, temperature, salinity , and so forth. The mean sea level at a particular location may be calculated over an extended time period and used as

240-412: A Northern Exposure detachable quad providing access to runs and glade skiing. This expansion would add 115 acres (0.47 km ) of total terrain. Brooks has been upgraded from a double to a high speed quad, opening fall of 2019. Daisy has been upgraded from a triple to a fixed grip quad, also opening fall of 2019. A Grace Lakes area is planned to the right of the top of Brooks, heading off downhill to

288-409: A defined barometric pressure . Generally, the pressure used to set the altimeter is the barometric pressure that would exist at MSL in the region being flown over. This pressure is referred to as either QNH or "altimeter" and is transmitted to the pilot by radio from air traffic control (ATC) or an automatic terminal information service (ATIS). Since the terrain elevation is also referenced to MSL,

336-432: A few metres, in timeframes ranging from minutes to months: Between 1901 and 2018, the average sea level rose by 15–25 cm (6–10 in), with an increase of 2.3 mm (0.091 in) per year since the 1970s. This was faster than the sea level had ever risen over at least the past 3,000 years. The rate accelerated to 4.62 mm (0.182 in)/yr for the decade 2013–2022. Climate change due to human activities

384-503: A maritime-influenced alpine subarctic climate ( Köppen Dsc ), with short, mild, dry summers and extremely heavy winter snowfall. The following chart includes climate data for the Stevens Pass ( SNOTEL ) weather station from January 1, 1991, to December 31, 2020. 47°44.7′N 121°5.6′W  /  47.7450°N 121.0933°W  / 47.7450; -121.0933 Stevens Pass Ski Area The Stevens Pass Ski Area

432-416: A pre-reservation requirement to control crowds at Stevens Pass and mandated the use of face coverings and social distancing for the 2020–21 season. The ski area's employee accommodations were also reduced in half to a capacity of 65 people. Several lifts were inoperable for part of the season, which drew criticism from patrons alongside the shortened hours and overcrowding. The restrictions were lifted for

480-470: A sharp reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, this may increase to hundreds of millions in the latter decades of the century. Local factors like tidal range or land subsidence will greatly affect the severity of impacts. For instance, sea level rise in the United States is likely to be two to three times greater than the global average by the end of the century. Yet, of the 20 countries with

528-667: A ski resort. The original lodge was constructed in 1937, burned down in 1939, and was rebuilt the next year by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a federal New Deal jobs program. By 1963, the Stevens Pass Ski Area had expanded to three chairlifts and twelve rope tows with a ski lodge and ski shop. The Big Chief chairlift was renamed for Kehr in 2009, a year after his death. In 2011, Harbor Resorts after 35 years of ownership sold Stevens Pass to CNL Lifestyle ; operations were turned over to

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576-486: A spatial average over the entire ocean area, typically using large sets of tide gauges and/or satellite measurements. One often measures the values of MSL with respect to the land; hence a change in relative MSL or ( relative sea level ) can result from a real change in sea level, or from a change in the height of the land on which the tide gauge operates, or both. In the UK, the ordnance datum (the 0 metres height on UK maps)

624-600: A thorough survey for the Great Northern, located the pass, and determined it to be the best suited for a railway crossing of the North Cascades . He wrote that there was no indication that the pass was used — there was no sign of any trails, blazes , campsites, or old campfires, for at least ten miles (16 km) in either direction and that the area was thickly forested and covered with almost impenetrable brush. Stevens wrote, "the region promised nothing to

672-498: Is a ski area in the Cascade Range of Washington in the United States. It is located at the crest of Stevens Pass at a base elevation of 4,061 feet (1,238 m) above sea level and peak elevation at 5,845 feet (1,782 m). The Mill Valley "backside" of the resort drops to a minimum elevation of 3,821 feet (1,165 m). Total skiable terrain includes 37 major runs covering 1,125 acres (4.55 km ). The ski area

720-458: Is accessed via U.S. Route 2 , which connects to nearby Leavenworth . Stevens Pass offers a variety of alpine ski runs ranging from beginner to advanced. Without lodging at its base, Stevens is a day resort, drawing heavily from the Seattle - Everett metropolitan area, via U.S. Route 2 . Night skiing is offered until 10 pm most days (except Mondays and Tuesdays) during mid-season. The area

768-610: Is calibrated to the Amsterdam Peil elevation, which dates back to the 1690s. Satellite altimeters have been making precise measurements of sea level since the launch of TOPEX/Poseidon in 1992. A joint mission of NASA and CNES , TOPEX/Poseidon was followed by Jason-1 in 2001 and the Ocean Surface Topography Mission on the Jason-2 satellite in 2008. Height above mean sea level ( AMSL )

816-554: Is divided into front (north and east facing) and back (south facing) sides. From the base area, there is direct access to the chairlifts Daisy, Hogsback, Brooks, Skyline, and Kehr's: There are also 3 higher chairlifts on the front side: The backside (named Mill Valley ) provides a more natural environment with many sparsely treed runs. The backside features two lifts loading from the same immediate area: The Stevens Pass Nordic Center provides access to 28 km of groomed cross-country ski trails of varying difficulty. The ski resort

864-427: Is due to change in either the volume of water in the world's oceans or the volume of the oceanic basins . Two major mechanisms are currently causing eustatic sea level rise. First, shrinking land ice, such as mountain glaciers and polar ice sheets, is releasing water into the oceans. Second, as ocean temperatures rise, the warmer water expands. Many factors can produce short-term changes in sea level, typically within

912-451: Is mainly caused by human-induced climate change . When temperatures rise, mountain glaciers and polar ice sheets melt, increasing the amount of water in the oceans, while the existing seawater also expands with heat. Because most of human settlement and infrastructure was built in response to a more-normalized sea level with limited expected change, populations affected by sea level rise will need to invest in climate adaptation to mitigate

960-411: Is the elevation (on the ground) or altitude (in the air) of an object, relative to a reference datum for mean sea level (MSL). It is also used in aviation, where some heights are recorded and reported with respect to mean sea level (contrast with flight level ), and in the atmospheric sciences , and in land surveying . An alternative is to base height measurements on a reference ellipsoid approximating

1008-727: Is the main cause. Between 1993 and 2018, melting ice sheets and glaciers accounted for 44% of sea level rise , with another 42% resulting from thermal expansion of water . Sea level rise lags behind changes in the Earth 's temperature by many decades, and sea level rise will therefore continue to accelerate between now and 2050 in response to warming that has already happened. What happens after that depends on human greenhouse gas emissions . If there are very deep cuts in emissions, sea level rise would slow between 2050 and 2100. It could then reach by 2100 slightly over 30 cm (1 ft) from now and approximately 60 cm (2 ft) from

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1056-764: Is the mean sea level measured at Newlyn in Cornwall between 1915 and 1921. Before 1921, the vertical datum was MSL at the Victoria Dock, Liverpool . Since the times of the Russian Empire , in Russia and its other former parts, now independent states, the sea level is measured from the zero level of Kronstadt Sea-Gauge. In Hong Kong, "mPD" is a surveying term meaning "metres above Principal Datum" and refers to height of 0.146 m (5.7 in) above chart datum and 1.304 m (4 ft 3.3 in) below

1104-534: Is used, for example, as a chart datum in cartography and marine navigation , or, in aviation, as the standard sea level at which atmospheric pressure is measured to calibrate altitude and, consequently, aircraft flight levels . A common and relatively straightforward mean sea-level standard is instead a long-term average of tide gauge readings at a particular reference location. Sea levels can be affected by many factors and are known to have varied greatly over geological time scales . Current sea level rise

1152-647: The geoid . In the absence of external forces, the local mean sea level would coincide with this geoid surface, being an equipotential surface of the Earth's gravitational field which, in itself, does not conform to a simple sphere or ellipsoid and exhibits gravity anomalies such as those measured by NASA's GRACE satellites . In reality, the geoid surface is not directly observed, even as a long-term average, due to ocean currents, air pressure variations, temperature and salinity variations, etc. The location-dependent but time-persistent separation between local mean sea level and

1200-973: The 19th century. With high emissions it would instead accelerate further, and could rise by 1.0 m ( 3 + 1 ⁄ 3  ft) or even 1.6 m ( 5 + 1 ⁄ 3  ft) by 2100. In the long run, sea level rise would amount to 2–3 m (7–10 ft) over the next 2000 years if warming stays to its current 1.5 °C (2.7 °F) over the pre-industrial past. It would be 19–22 metres (62–72 ft) if warming peaks at 5 °C (9.0 °F). Rising seas affect every coastal and island population on Earth. This can be through flooding, higher storm surges , king tides , and tsunamis . There are many knock-on effects. They lead to loss of coastal ecosystems like mangroves . Crop yields may reduce because of increasing salt levels in irrigation water. Damage to ports disrupts sea trade. The sea level rise projected by 2050 will expose places currently inhabited by tens of millions of people to annual flooding. Without

1248-644: The Seattle area has led to increased use at all the Cascades ski areas in Washington, and Stevens pass frequently reaches capacity on weekends during January and February. In June 2007, a master plan was submitted to the Forest Service describing proposed future expansions and upgrades over the following ten years. A northern exposure area is planned to the left (east) of the current Big Chief lift, with

1296-606: The average sea level. In France, the Marégraphe in Marseilles measures continuously the sea level since 1883 and offers the longest collated data about the sea level. It is used for a part of continental Europe and the main part of Africa as the official sea level. Spain uses the reference to measure heights below or above sea level at Alicante , while the European Vertical Reference System

1344-482: The backside, other than the installation of the Jupiter Express which was carried out in 2013. A "Solitude lodge" would be constructed near the top end of Skyline. Smaller yurts would be constructed at the top of Tye mill, at the top of the terrain park, and at the base of the lifts in the back. The base lodges would be expanded and reconfigured, while a new mini-lodge and ticket area would be constructed at

1392-480: The base of the Northern exposure lift. 470 new parking places would also be added. Sea level Mean sea level ( MSL , often shortened to sea level ) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth 's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datum  – a standardised geodetic datum  – that

1440-622: The criticism and the ski area later opened more backside terrain areas. A new general manager was hired from the Heavenly Mountain Resort in California ahead of the 2022–23 season, which opened with full staffing and additional capacity in employee housing, as well as pay raises. The area around Stevens Pass is known to be avalanche prone, having experienced the deadliest avalanche in U.S. history in 1910, when two trains, stationary due to heavy snowfall, were swept off

1488-484: The entire Earth, which is what systems such as GPS do. In aviation, the reference ellipsoid known as WGS84 is increasingly used to define heights; however, differences up to 100 metres (328 feet) exist between this ellipsoid height and local mean sea level. Another alternative is to use a geoid -based vertical datum such as NAVD88 and the global EGM96 (part of WGS84). Details vary in different countries. When referring to geographic features such as mountains, on

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1536-502: The following season, but staffing shortages and high avalanche risk caused only five lifts and 40 percent of terrain to be open, leading to longer lines. An online petition was started on Change.org , which garnered nearly 40,000 signatures in two weeks, and over 80 consumer complaints were submitted to the Washington Attorney General 's office. Vail announced discounts for renewing passholders in response to

1584-482: The geoid is referred to as (mean) ocean surface topography . It varies globally in a typical range of ±1 m (3 ft). Several terms are used to describe the changing relationships between sea level and dry land. The melting of glaciers at the end of ice ages results in isostatic post-glacial rebound , when land rises after the weight of ice is removed. Conversely, older volcanic islands experience relative sea level rise, due to isostatic subsidence from

1632-634: The greatest exposure to sea level rise, twelve are in Asia , including Indonesia , Bangladesh and the Philippines. The resilience and adaptive capacity of ecosystems and countries also varies, which will result in more or less pronounced impacts. The greatest impact on human populations in the near term will occur in the low-lying Caribbean and Pacific islands . Sea level rise will make many of them uninhabitable later this century. Pilots can estimate height above sea level with an altimeter set to

1680-555: The height of planetary features. Local mean sea level (LMSL) is defined as the height of the sea with respect to a land benchmark, averaged over a period of time long enough that fluctuations caused by waves and tides are smoothed out, typically a year or more. One must adjust perceived changes in LMSL to account for vertical movements of the land, which can occur at rates similar to sea level changes (millimetres per year). Some land movements occur because of isostatic adjustment to

1728-481: The melting of ice sheets at the end of the last ice age . The weight of the ice sheet depresses the underlying land, and when the ice melts away the land slowly rebounds . Changes in ground-based ice volume also affect local and regional sea levels by the readjustment of the geoid and true polar wander . Atmospheric pressure , ocean currents and local ocean temperature changes can affect LMSL as well. Eustatic sea level change (global as opposed to local change)

1776-541: The operator of Mountain High in California. In 2016, CNL sold Stevens Pass to Och-Ziff Capital Management . On August 15, 2018, Vail Resorts completed its acquisition of Stevens Pass. The acquisition had been announced two months prior; Vail planned to include Stevens Pass in its Epic Pass program as well as opening access to Whistler Blackcomb Edge Card holders. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic , Vail Resorts implemented

1824-540: The poles and 6,371.001 km (3,958.756 mi) on average. This flattened spheroid , combined with local gravity anomalies , defines the geoid of the Earth, which approximates the local mean sea level for locations in the open ocean. The geoid includes a significant depression in the Indian Ocean , whose surface dips as much as 106 m (348 ft) below the global mean sea level (excluding minor effects such as tides and currents). Precise determination of

1872-602: The prospector, while Indians and Whites crossing the mountains used either Snoqualmie on the south or the Indian Pass on the north." Stevens had also charted Marias Pass in northwestern Montana , on the Continental Divide near Glacier National Park . On February 23, 1910, the two Great Northern Railway trains, the " Seattle Express " local passenger train No. 25 and Fast Mail train No. 27, were stalled on

1920-523: The right (north), consisting of groomed cruisers and gladed runs. The area would be served by a fixed quad lift, and add 80 acres (320,000 m ) of total terrain. Additionally, there would be new adventure runs from the top of skyline down into the Grace Lakes area. Big Chief was upgraded to a fixed quad, and the loading area was moved slightly down the mountain to improve access for the 2023–2024 season. A new fixed quad "The Katz" would be added to

1968-510: The right of Big Chief, extending up and to the right. Backside improvements happen at the right (east) side. To the immediate right of Southern Cross, new trails and glades provide expanded area, and a proposed permit expansion into Highlands Bowl to the right of that would provide a backcountry experience for those willing to do some hiking. A catch trail at the bottom would return to Southern Cross. This expansion would add 75 acres (300,000 m ) of terrain. There are no lift changes planned on

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2016-501: The tracks and buried, killing 96 people. More than a century later in 2012, another notable avalanche occurred. Out of a group of 16 experienced skiers, three men, Chris Rudolph, age 30; Johnny Brenan, 41, and Jim Jack, age 46; were killed in an avalanche at Stevens Pass on February 19. The avalanche occurred in an unmaintained back-country area known as Tunnel Creek, which was described as "ski at your own risk," after three feet (0.9 m) of fresh snowfall. The growth of population in

2064-629: The tracks at the Cascade Tunnel Station on Stevens Pass because of a heavy snow storm and avalanches. Then on March 1, six days later, another avalanche pushed both trains 150 feet (46 m) down into the Tye River Valley, thus burying the train cars in snow and debris. The Wellington Disaster killed ninety-six people – thirty-five passengers and sixty-one railroad employees – which made the Wellington avalanche one of

2112-411: The weight of cooling volcanos. The subsidence of land due to the withdrawal of groundwater is another isostatic cause of relative sea level rise. On planets that lack a liquid ocean, planetologists can calculate a "mean altitude" by averaging the heights of all points on the surface. This altitude, sometimes referred to as a "sea level" or zero-level elevation , serves equivalently as a reference for

2160-512: The worst train disasters in United States history . Over a century later, an avalanche occurred on February 19, 2012 near Tunnel Creek Canyon Road, killing three of four experienced backcountry skiers, including the Stevens Pass Ski Area 's marketing director; professional skier Elyse Saugstad , who was wearing an avalanche airbag backpack , survived after tumbling down for more than 2,000 feet (600 m). Stevens Pass experiences

2208-419: The worst effects or, when populations are at extreme risk, a process of managed retreat . The term above sea level generally refers to the height above mean sea level (AMSL). The term APSL means above present sea level, comparing sea levels in the past with the level today. Earth's radius at sea level is 6,378.137 km (3,963.191 mi) at the equator. It is 6,356.752 km (3,949.903 mi) at

2256-724: Was a low pass at the head of Nason Creek, a tributary of the Wenatchee River, which led to one of the sources of the Skykomish River. Albert Bowman Rogers of the Great Northern Railway , learned from Native Americans in 1887 that the Skykomish River and Nason Creek had sources close to one another but that neither natives nor whites visited the Nason Creek area. Neither Ward nor Rogers had time to fully explore the area. In 1890, Stevens conducted

2304-558: Was started in the winter of 1937–38 by Don Adams and Bruce Kehr, both passionate skiers who had acquired rights to develop a ski area on Big Chief Mountain. The chambers of commerce for Everett and Wenatchee , who sought to promote the use of the Stevens Pass Highway , also purchased land owned by the Northern Pacific Railroad near the pass and transferred it to the U.S. Forest Service for use by

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