It snows in the winter, sometimes heavily, sometimes not at all... but it does get cold and there is usually ice in places. Its a excellent area if you are used to winter driving conditions. Mission Ridge Ski Resort is only minutes from Downtown Wenatchee, and Leavenworth (about 30 miles west) offers a wonderful tourist experience. Then you have the Levenworth Ski Hill, The Stevens Pass Nordic Center, the Icicle Creek Nordic Area, and the Stevens Pass Ski Resort (if you are into skiing). If you aren't the ski type, there are snowmobile rides (there is a package where you rent the snowmobiles, take a guided tour to a cabin where you are served a fillet mingon dinner and have private rooms for the evening), dogsled rides, ice fishing, and plenty of horse-drawn sleighs out of Leavenworth. If you check with the Leavenworth Chamber you can find out exactly when the Town Lighting festivities begins. Leavenworth is a fun stop, it has a store totally devoted to Christmas (year round!)... the whole county is wonderful year round!