WHENEVER I HEAR of a ski swap like Saturday’s Hurricane Ridge Gear Swap and Movie, I immediately flash back to the early 1990s and advertisements for Ski Bonkers, the annual Labor Day ski and snowboard swap “that drives Seattle crazy.”
The commercials for that four-day sale rammed the point home with bright colors, “Ski Bonkers” flashing in Batman-esque font and skiers slaloming downhill.
Thanks to the glory that is the Internet, you too can remember those halcyon days at tinyurl.com/PDN-SkiBonkers.
Pardon my digression, let’s focus on Saturday’s gear swap at the Vern Burton Community Center, 308 E. Fourth St., in Port Angeles.
Equipment drop off is slated from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. with the swap running from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Attendees can buy or sell winter sports gear, equipment and clothing, while checking out area outdoor activities, merchandise and rental information.
Admission is $3 for an individual, $7 for a family pass.
The annual fundraiser, put on by the Hurricane Ridge Winter Sports Education Foundation is vital to keeping organized skiing and snowboarding activities alive on the North Olympic Peninsula.
The winter sports club runs organized skiing and snowboarding operations each winter weekend when conditions allow at Hurricane Ridge.
Unsold gear will be picked up at 4 p.m.
In a separate but related fundraiser, a happy hour and movie presentation of the ski film “Days of My Youth” will be screened at 7 p.m. at Vern Burton.
The film examines “every skier’s lifelong affinity for the sport.”
Narrated to the readings of British philosopher Alan Watts, this film exposes the joys and struggles associated with a lifestyle built around skiing.
It was produced over two years by Matchstick Productions Films and is being distributed by Red Bull Media House, an offshoot of the energy drink titan.
Scenes from the movie were shot at locations like Revelstoke, Pemberton and Chatter Creek in British Columbia, Crested Butte and Breckendridge in Colorado, Seward and Tordillo in Alaska and in Cordillera Blanca, Peru.
Cost for the film is $10.
Check out the trailer here tinyurl.com/PDN-SkiTrailer.
Winterfest 2014
Tickets also are on sale for another major fundraiser for the Hurricane Ridge Winter Sports Education Foundation, set for Vern Burton on Saturday, Nov. 22.
Doors open at 5 p.m. with the evening of live and silent auctions, live music from Bill and Rudy and top films from the VideOlympics, accompanied by a prime rib dinner from Next Door Gastropub, an oyster bar and a no-host beer and wine bar.
Tickets are $45 in advance at Brown’s Outdoor, Next Door Gastropub, and Swain’s in Port Angeles and Brian’s Sporting Goods and More in Sequim.
Group tables also are available.
Work at the ridge
Hurricane Ridge also is seeking ski and snowboard instructors, poma lift operators and ticket sellers for the upcoming winter sports season.
Employees are rewarded with ski and ride breaks during the day and there’s also a free ski program that lets Ridge workers take advantage of free lift tickets at many Pacific Northwest ski areas.
For more information, email skischool@hurricaneridge.com for ski and snowboard instructors and rpjm9830@gmail.com for all other jobs.
Push for 4-day access
The Hurricane Ridge Winter Access Coalition is holding an online fund drive through Sunday, Nov. 23 to provide four-day-a-week access to Hurricane Ridge.
Through a cooperative effort with Olympic National Park, the Hurricane Ridge Winter Access Coalition is seeking to raise $48,860.
“We think this is an excellent opportunity for the local community, mountain community and economic development on the Peninsula,” said Port Angeles mountain guide Tyler Reid.
“It’s a step in the right direction, and could put us on the path to a more stable and sustainable future for Hurricane Ridge access.”
The coalition first met with Superintendent Sarah Creachbaum on March 10, 2014, after gathering over 1,000 signatures in less than a month.
Since then, coalition members and park officials have engaged in a constructive dialogue about the importance and challenges of winter access to Hurricane Ridge.
“It’s important to understand that this is a new landscape and not a another trial period,” said Roger Oakes, author of the new book Skiing in Olympic National Park.
“We appreciate the park’s willingness to work with us.”
Others, like Frank Crippen, owner of North by Northwest, a surf, skate and snowboard shop in Port Angeles, see economic potential in increased access.
“Backcountry skiing and snowboarding are seeing incredible growth in the last few years. Port Angeles has the potential to be a destination ski town,” Crippen said.
Donations are being collected through a Kickstarter style online fundraiser at www.razoo.com/story/Accesstheridge.
The group’s website also has directions on how to donate by check.
Funds are being administered by Washington’s National Park Fund, a 501c3 nonprofit.
For more information or to make a donation, go to www.accesstheridge.org.
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Outdoors columnist Michael Carman appears here Thursdays and Fridays. He can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5152 or at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
