OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — Hurricane Ridge Ski and Snowboard Area will be closed Saturday because of too much snow — more than 7 feet.
However, extra ski days have been added and the ski area will be open nearly all next week beginning Sunday.
As of this morning, the Hurricane Ridge Road was expected to open for visitors at 9 a.m. Saturday, according to the Olympic National Park information hotline. The lodge is closed on Christmas Day.
The lodge is open when the road is. Guided snowshoe tours, cross-country skiing and other usual park activities are expected to open Saturday.
No one had yet reached the snow measurement stake at Hurricane Ridge today, but the Snotel weather station at Waterhole, 4.6 miles southeast from Hurricane Ridge, measured 87 inches of snow this morning.
Waterhole’s measurement is usually similar to that at Hurricane Ridge, said Russ Morrison, past president of the Hurricane Ridge Winter Sports Club, which manages the ski area.
“The ridge is more windswept so there is usually a little less there,” Morrison said.
Rope tow buried
The rope tow lift equipment has been buried in snow, and has to be dug out and the area prepared for a safe ski environment, he said.
Ski area crews will work Saturday to prepare the bunny and intermediate rope tow lifts and to groom the terrain park and the snow tubing area for a Sunday opening.
It was not certain if the terrain park and snow tubing area would be ready on Sunday.
While Saturday ski and snowboarding is cancelled, the ski area will be open every day this week except Tuesday, Morrison said.
Operators are needed for ski lifts and other crew. No experience is necessary.
Anyone wanting to work at the ski area should visit the club’s website, www.hurricaneridge.com, for more information on ski area jobs.
Morrison said he hasn’t seen such an early volume of snow since December 1998, and it may take longer than a day to prepare the terrain park and snow tubing area.
“It’s been wild,” he said.
Park entry
All vehicles traveling to Hurricane Ridge must carry chains.
For road conditions and closures, call the road condition hotline at 360-565-3131 or check the park’s Twitter account at www.twitter.com/HRWinterAccess.
Entry to the park is $20 per vehicle for a seven-day pass. An annual pass is available for $40.
A lifetime senior pass is available for $10 for park users 62 and older, and an active-duty military member or dependent pass is available for free.
Shuttle to snow
For those who prefer to leave their cars at a lower elevation, All Points Charter & Tours provides a shuttle bus to Hurricane Ridge twice daily each day that the road to the Ridge is open.
The shuttle departs at 9 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. from The Landing mall, 115 E. Railroad Ave, and at 9:05 a.m. and 12:35 p.m. from the Vern Burton Community Center, 308 E. Fourth St.
Return trips from the Ridge depart at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Shuttle rides are $20 for adults and $10 for children ages 7 to 12, with children 6 and younger riding for free.
Olympic National Park individual entry is $7 per person 16 and older and is not included in the shuttle fee.
For reservations on Hurricane Ridge shuttle buses, phone 360-460-7131.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
