This picture shows Monkey Valley in January 2009, after the biggest snow of the winter. There’s usually only one snow like this each year, and a few additional dustings of an inch or two as the winter goes on.
When I lived at Monkey Valley year-round, one or two winters I had to get the roads plowed twice. Other winters, only once. The region is quite dry, being on the dry side of the Cascade foothills. This is why the snow doesn’t get that deep here in the winter time. But it’s deep enough to be beautiful and to provide a base for all the favourite winter activities.