OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — Hurricane Ridge opened for snow play Monday after two days of closures because of heavy snows and high avalanche danger.
More than 2 feet of snow fell on Friday and Saturday, triggering several avalanches Sunday, said Eric Dorner, winter intern at the Olympic National Park Visitor’s Center.
The worry over avalanches was heightened after three skiers were killed Sunday in Stevens Pass and a snowboarder died in an avalanche at the Alpental ski area east of Seattle.
A dozen expert skiers were caught in an avalanche at Stevens Pass, where three men were killed Sunday when they were swept about a quarter-mile down a canyon, and a fourth skier caught up in the slide was saved by a safety device.
Two of the skiers who died were identified as Chris Rudolph, the 30-year-old director of marketing for Stevens Pass, and 46-year-old Jim Jack, a judge of competitive free-skiing.
The third skier who died in the Stevens Pass avalanche was not identified.
In a separate incident, Karl Milanoski, a 41-year-old Seattle resident, was identified as the snowboarder who died Sunday at Alpental ski area east of Seattle.
Authorities said he was swept over a cliff in an avalanche he triggered while snowboarding in an out-of-bounds area.
Avalanches were also commonplace in the Olympic Mountains over the weekend.
“We have widespread avalanches around Hurricane Ridge,” said Dorner, who added that the possibility of additional slides affected both the road leading up to the Ridge and the summit itself.
“The avalanche danger is still considerable,” he said.
Snow measured at the Ridge reached 99 inches on Sunday, but it packed down to 94 inches Monday, creating prime conditions for skiers, snowboarders and sledders who drove up the icy road for the Presidents Day holiday.
By 1 p.m. Monday, rangers at the Heart o’ the Hills entrance station recorded 133 cars traveling to Hurricane Ridge, most of which had two or three passengers.
Monday was the first day of Poma lift operations this season, after a dry early winter left the slopes without insufficient snowpack to operate the lifts.
Two rope lifts at the ski area opened in January.
There was still some concern about an elevated avalanche danger due to additional snowfall and rain expected later this week, Dorner said.
National park staff will re-evaluate conditions as they change, he said.
Information on Hurricane Ridge Road conditions and closures is available at 360-565-2044.
