PORT ANGELES — A coalition of winter sports business owners and enthusiasts seeks to raise nearly $50,000 to open the road to Hurricane Ridge one extra day weekly.
They want to see four days of winter access each week.
Currently, Olympic National Park’s winter policy is to close Hurricane Ridge, which is at 5,242 feet above sea level, on Sunday evenings and then plow Hurricane Ridge Road on Thursdays for a Friday morning opening.
The Hurricane Ridge Winter Access Coalition — which hopes eventually to have year-round, seven-day access to snow sports at the ridge 17 miles south of Port Angeles — is working to see the road open each Thursday this winter season.
That “would provide a longer weekend, which would be more appealing for visitors,” said Tyler Reid, a member of the coalition and a mountain guide with Pacific Alpine Guides of Port Angeles.
On Monday holiday weekends, the Ridge could potentially be open for five-day weekends, he added.
The coalition is asking for donations in its bid to raise $48,860 by Nov. 23.
An online fundraiser had raised $2,310 as of Thursday.
To make a donation to open the Ridge for another day, visit www.accesstheridge.org and click on “4 Day Access.”
Park spokeswoman Barb Maynes said this week that park officials are awaiting results of the fundraiser to determine whether the road will be open Thursdays.
For the time being, “we are gearing up to open Fridays through Sundays beginning on Nov. 28, the day after Thanksgiving,” Maynes said.
If the coalition fails to meet its goal for the 2014-15 winter season, all funds raised will go toward adding Thursdays during the winter of 2015-16, Reid said.
Community funding would have to be done each year, Reid said.
Park leadership has been willing to work with the coalition, which includes business owners who rely on park visitors, to analyze the cost of opening the road a day earlier, Reid said.
The park does not have the money to open the road for an additional day, but park officials have told coalition members they are willing to hire staff to open Hurricane Ridge on Thursdays if the funding for the road is available, Reid said.
That means the community is being asked to donate once again.
In 2012, the National Park Service pulled the plug on an experiment to provide weekday access to Hurricane Ridge, saying visitor counts were not high enough to warrant the expense.
In 2010, Cherie Kidd, then mayor of Port Angeles, and other civic leaders lobbied the federal government for a two-year, $250,000-per-year grant to plow Hurricane Ridge Road on weekdays.
Kidd spearheaded a vigorous community fundraising campaign to come up with a required $75,000-per-year match.
The city of Port Angeles and Clallam County each contributed $25,000 per year, and the city of Sequim kicked in $5,000 per year.
Many businesses and associations, as well as individuals, donated money.
The Park Service required an increase of 45 percent in visitors when compared with the previous five-year average but recorded only a 19 percent increase in actual attendance.
If the road is opened for an additional day, there will be no money from the Park Service.
The coalition began meeting with Park Superintendent Sarah Creachbaum in March, after gathering more than 1,000 signatures on a petition to increase winter park access.
The maintenance crew is preparing snowplows and setting up supplies, and staff is in place for either three- or four-day weekends, with the gift shop opening in December, Maynes said.
Once the winter snow season sets in, Hurricane Ridge Road typically is open Fridays through Sundays, plus additional days during the winter holidays, including the Christmas through New Year’s Day week, Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Washington’s Birthday.
The road is closed during severe weather or dangerous road conditions.
According to the coalition, the breakdown for the cost of opening the road for one additional day per week per season is:
■ $22,400 for an additional seasonal maintenance position.
■ $13,400 for an additional seasonal ranger position.
■ $9,540 for additional maintenance costs, such as sand, tires and chains.
■ $3,520 for fuel.
Hurricane Ridge, which gets an average annual snowfall of about 400 inches, is perfect as a stepping-off point for some of the biggest trends in winter sports: backcountry skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing, Reid said.
“Hurricane Ridge is one of the best places for it. There are significant user numbers. There is enormous opportunity,” he said.
Reid said that a few years ago, backcountry sports were considered a fringe sport, but more recently, they have become more mainstream.
Additionally, he said, winter visitors spend more than summer visitors.
“The value per visitor during winter is much higher,” he said.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
