1About 50 skiers and snowboarders took advantage of powder left untouched on the 5,240-foot ridge in Olympic National Park since the slipout a half-mile north of Heart O’ the Hills campground and entrance station closed the only paved road to the popular snowplay area 17 miles south of Port Angeles.
“It’s awesome to be back,” said snowboarder Zack Zenobi while at the bottom of one of Hurricane Ridge’s two rope tows.
The 20-year-old Joyce resident said he was “crushed” when he heard of the closure.
The road was reopened at about 1 p.m. Friday. It was closed at dusk, and was reopened Saturday at 9 a.m., when about a dozen cars were waiting to travel up the road, said Barb Maynes, park spokeswoman.
In celebration of the reopening, the park is waiving entrance fees to Hurricane Ridge through today.
Those at Hurricane Ridge on Saturday enjoyed the 67 inches of snow.
“It’s awesome, dude,” said snowboarder Jordan Davis while waiting to use the rope tow.
“I’ve been waiting all year,” the 14-year-old Port Angeles resident added.
Over in the ticket sales trailer, manned by members of the Hurricane Ridge Winter Sports Club, there wasn’t a face not smiling despite sales 50 percent less than usual on a winter weekend.
“We’re up and running and excited to be here,” said board member Ken Simpson.
He attributed the slump in ticket sales to insufficient time to get the word out about the reopening, which was earlier than originally expected.
“We’ve given out more brownies than ski tickets,” Simpson joked.
Bruch & Bruch Construction Inc., of Port Angeles finished the $2.17 million repair project last week. Repairs were expected take until the first week of March.
A 100-foot section of road had slipped down the slope. Before building the new road, crews first removed about 2,000 truckloads of muddy soil that was part of the original 1958 road bed.
After digging a 65-foot-deep hole, crews replaced a small culvert with a larger culvert and filled the pit with more than 1,300 truckloads of rock and gravel for a stronger foundation. Crews paved and striped the road Thursday.
The Intermediate and bunny rope tows at Hurricane Ridge are open.
Sports club board member Roger Oakes said the poma lift will likely remain closed for the rest of the month. A gully needs to be filled in with enough snow for that run to open, he said.
Simpson said the ski area will be open through March and likely April as well to make up for the closure.
Another board member, Lori Gray, said the reopening of the ski area almost didn’t happen.
Members of the organization, she said, were considering cutting its losses by staying closed until next season.
Simpson said the group would have received a large rebate from its insurance provider but decided almost unanimously to reopen.
“We felt like we needed to open for the skiing community,” he said.
About $20,000 in ticket sales will be lost this season due to the closure, Simpson said.
With the rebate, about $7,500 would have been lost, he said.
Simpson said 175 season passes were sold this year. Holders were able to use them at Crystal Mountain and the Summit at Snoqualmie during the closure.
Simpson said Hurricane Ridge still has plenty of snow to last it through April and encourages snow lovers to make the trip.
“Spring skiing is the best,” he said.
Ranger-led snowshoe walks also resumed this weekend. The free treks begin at 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. A $5 donation is requested.
Space is limited for the 90-minute walks, so participants should register at the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center information desk, which will be staffed, 30 minutes beforehand.
The visitors center is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. when the road is open.
Cross-country skiing trails are also available.
The snack bar and ski rental shop will be closed until Saturday.
Barring heavy snows or winter storms, the road is scheduled to be open 9 a.m. to dusk, Friday through Sunday through March 28. All vehicles are required to carry chains when traveling above the Heart O’ the Hills entrance station during the winter season.
During the summer months the road is open every day.
Entrance fees to the park are $15 per vehicle for a pass for seven consecutive days or a $30 year-long pass.
For more information, visit www.hurricaneridge.com.
For weather updates, check the park’s 24-hour road hot line at 360-565-3131.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
