OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — Today is a free day of admission in the U.S. National Park system for the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, but check the weather before heading up to Hurricane Ridge.
The road to the ridge in Olympic National Park was closed Sunday due to winter storm conditions, with heavy snow, high winds, and white-out conditions, according to the park’s information hotline.
On Sunday morning, 73 inches of snow was reported at the Hurricane Ridge snow stake with 4.5 inches of new snow, according to the park.
The National Weather Service forecast for Hurricane Ridge on Sunday afternoon predicted continued snow showers through Sunday night, and partly sunny skies today with a high of about 29 degrees and winds of 10 to 14 mph.
For current information on the opening of Hurricane Ridge, phone the park’s information hotline at 360-565-3131.
It was announced Friday on the Hurricane Ridge Ski and Snowboard Club’s Facebook page that the ridge’s ski area has joined a new ski area consortium, the Mountain Playground Group.
The consortium encompasses four small community ski areas in addition to Hurricane Ridge: Bald Mountain Ski Area in Pierce, Idaho; Beartooth Basin Summer Ski Area in Red Lodge, Mont.; Elk Ridge Ski and Outdoor Recreation Area in Williams, Ariz.; and Mount Abram in Greenwood, Maine, according to the group’s post on the site.
Skiers and snowboarders can purchase a membership good for discounts at participating area businesses and for ski equipment at www.mountainplaygroundgroup.com.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
