Hurricane Ridge offers myriad winter sports

OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

A flurry of skiers and snowboarders followed the snow flurries that helped open the Hurricane Ridge Winter Sports Area on Sunday.

Operated by the Hurricane Ridge Winter Sports Club, the area offers activities from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is open now through Jan. 1, weather permitting, as well as weekends and President’s Day (Feb. 18) through March.

The area has two rope tows and a dedicated tubing run, which has one-hour passes available, as well as a children’s area.

The Poma lift was not open as of Thursday. As of Thursday morning, the Ridge reported 39 inches of snow.

For fees, the club’s ski school offers three-week and drop-in ski/snowboard lessons, plus toddler-age lessons and private lessons for one person or more (six maximum).

Passes — both season passes and reduced cost tickets for just the bunny lift, the intermediate and bunny lifts or the Poma and all lifts, plus tubing fees — are outlined on the club’s website at hurricaneridge.com.

The club is offering free lift tickets to fourth- and fifth-graders for the 2019-2020 season. Parents/guardians should bring proof of enrollment to the ticket window to receive a free ticket. Homeschoolers can bring proof of age. Youths must be between age 9-11 as of Dec. 31, 2019, to qualify for the program.

For more information about the ski school, call 848-667-7669 or email to skischool@hurricaneridge.com.

There’s more to do up on the ridge than skiing and tubing, however. Snow permitting, families can join a ranger-guided snowshoe walk. Walks are offered at 2 p.m. weekends and holiday Mondays. They last 1.5 hours and cover less than a mile; snowshoes and instructions are provided.

Cost for snowshoe walks is $7 for adults, $3 for youth 6-15 years old, and free for children 5 years old and younger. Group size is limited to 25 people. Sign-up begins at the Hurricane Ridge information desk 30 minutes before the walk. Reservations for a morning walk for school or community groups must be made in advance by calling 360-565-3136.

There also are 10 dedicated trails at Hurricane Ridge, from the popular 3.2-mile (round-trip) Hurricane Hill to the 3.8-mile (one-way) Klahhane Ridge to more easy-going, 1-mile-or-fewer routes, such as Cirque Rim, Big Meadow and High Ridge.

Find further trail details on the park’s website.

Food, beverages and restrooms are available at the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center, where ridge users can enjoy a picnic at more than 5,000 feet above sea level.

None of the ski area passes or tickets includes entrance to Olympic National Park. Fees are $30 per car, or an annual pass costing $55.

According to the National Park Service, Hurricane Ridge Road opens at 9 a.m. but times might vary depending on weather and road conditions.

Weather dependent, the road generally opens to uphill traffic at 9 a.m. and closes to uphill traffic at 4 p.m., Friday through Sunday.

All vehicles, including those equipped with four-wheel drive, must carry snow chains to proceed up Hurricane Ridge Road beyond the Heart o’ the Hills toll station.

Olympic National Park advises Hurricane Ridge visitors to carpool and park close to other vehicles in available parking. The ridge’s parking lot fills early, causing long delays at the Heart o’ the Hills entrance station.

The park service also encourages visitors to call 360-565-3131 for a 24-hour recording of current road and weather conditions.

Authorized businesses provide shuttle service to Hurricane Ridge. For information, inquire at the Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center by calling 360-452-2363.

________

Michael Dashiell is the editor of the Sequim Gazette of the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which also is composed of other Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News and Forks Forum. Reach him at editor@sequimgazette.com.