It might just be time to start tuning skis.

Here’s a picture from White Pass:

There was a dusting of snow at Mount Rainier National Park as well this morning. The parking lot and walkways at Paradise had a light layer of snow, according to webcam images.

Tucker Taffe, the skier who died Tuesday after falling into a crevasse on Mount Rainier, was a strong and experienced back country skier and the heart of Utah’s Alta Lodge, his former boss said this morning.

“He was the best of us,” said Cliff Curry, general manager of the lodge at Alta Ski Area. “He was a warm, kind, gentle spirit.”

Curry described Tucker as having a skinny but athletic 6-foot-4 build and an unfettered passion for backcountry skiing.

“We’re all here for the skiing,” Curry said. “But he was out there more than all of us. He was out there in the back country every day.”

Tucker was originally from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., but had made a new home in the Wasatch Mountains as a manager at the Alta Lodge, which is independent of the local ski area.

“It is shocking and devastating,” Curry said. “We are still in a state of disbelief. We had a lot of hope yesterday that he would survive.

“We knew that if anybody could survive something like that it would be Tucker.”

Details on how Taffe fell into the crevasse remain unclear. The rangers and mountain guides who assisted in the recovery remain on the mountain today.

We should have counted on this happening. The days after organized winter operations begin to shut down at Paradise, some of the heaviest snowfall occurs.

As of 7 this morning, 25 inches of snow have fallen at Paradise. That has pushed the snowpack total to 154 inches, one of the highest levels of the winter.

Grooming of the snowplay area and manning the area with rangers came to an end on Sunday. Ranger-led snowshoe trips also ended on Sunday.

It wasn’t because of a lack of snow, but because of budgetary issues.

That doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of this bounty of snow. Once the road to Paradise is open, you can still sled down the runs, take your own snowshoe walk, or grab your snowboard or skis and carve some turns in the fresh snow.

The Summit West base area will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days.

“We are ecstatic for this early season opening, especially with the promise of more snow predicted next week,” said Dan Brewster, general manager, in a news release.

Brewster said the area will be closed Monday and Tuesday, and the staff is planning to reopen Wednesday, if conditions permit.

Head to The Summit’s Web site for updates.

The 2009-2010 ski and snowboard season in the South Sound will officially open on Wednesday when Crystal Mountain begins operations, albeit on a limited basis.

The ski area announced this morning it will open the lower mountain by running the Discovery, Chinook Express, Quicksilver and Forest Queen lifts. The ski area will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The ski school, rental shop, plus food and beverages areas will be open as well.

There are two feet of snow on the ground now, and the area is expected to receive another six to eight inches today, said Tiana Enger, the area’s director of sales and marketing.

Enger said they hope to open the upper reaches of the mountain on Thursday via the Rainier Express lift.

Lift tickets will be reduced to $30 for adults, $25 for youths and seniors. Kids 10 and younger can ski for free and will be able to do so all season long, Enger said.

“This is definitely a blessing to be able to open this early,” Enger said. “Being able to open on the holiday is another bonus.”

Last year, the ski area did not open until Dec. 16.

Meanwhile, with 4o to 46 inches on the ground, Mount Baker has announced it will open Thursday. The area will be in normal midweek operation from the White Salmon base area, running from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Chairs 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 will be in operation. The area will be charging midweek rates, $39.50 for an adult ticket. Area managers said they hope to be in full operation by the weekend with all lifts running and both base areas open.

White Pass Ski Area plans to open on Friday. A final decision will be made on Wednesday. The ski area reported 27 inches of snow on the ground at the summit Monday morning, and it was still snowing. White Pass will be open from 8:45 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The staff at Stevens Pass is monitoring conditions there, with 28 inches of snow at the base.

There has been no announcement from the Summit at Snoqualmie.