2-27-09 Hurricane Ridge

Often the demands of making a living interfere with the more important aspects of real life, but sometimes the work schedule can open the door of opportunity. I had a 1-day job in Port Angeles on Thursday and was too tired to drive back home at the end of the day. My boss has been telling me to take more time off, so when Friday started out with a clear blue sky it was obvious that work could wait till Monday. Fortunately I found a pair of fat skis hiding under the hard hat, boots and rain gear in the car.

The 23" of snow that hit the ridge on Wednesday had consolidated a bit, but it was still near-effortless to float through. No signs of instability anywhere. Even if the snow had been mediocre, the views would have made it worthwhile---it did my heart good to see the return of winter. I saw 4 other skiers dropping through the trees on the east side of the north bowl, and another 8 or so spread out over the east-facing slopes about a mile east of the visitors center. There were a dozen boarders riding the east-facing slope down to the road from the top of the rope tow, car shuttling back to the parking lot. I'd never been to the ridge in the winter before, so I made the mistake of parking up there. Next time I'll park in the turnout that fits about 5 cars a mile and a half before the visitor center parking lot. Skinning up from there lets you ski down to the car at the end of the day.