Hurricane Ridge Ski and Snowboard Area, Ski resort in Olympic National Park, United States.
Hurricane Ridge Ski and Snowboard Area is a ski resort inside Olympic National Park in Washington state, with three surface lifts and ten trails. The terrain sits between roughly 4,800 and 5,500 feet (1,460 to 1,675 meters) above sea level, with open views toward surrounding mountain peaks.
This ski area is one of only three lift-served facilities operating inside a US National Park, which makes its history a special case in how winter recreation was once viewed within protected lands. The permits allowing lifts to operate here were granted during an era when winter sports were seen as compatible with conservation goals.
The ski area is run by the Hurricane Ridge Winter Sports Education Foundation, which organizes ski lessons and winter sports programs for children and families from the surrounding communities. Many visitors come as much for the open views over the Olympic Mountains as for the slopes themselves.
The ski area opens on weekends and select holidays when snow conditions allow, so checking conditions before heading up is strongly advised. The road to Hurricane Ridge can be narrow and steep, and driving with proper tires or chains may be required in winter.
Although the ski area sits inside one of the wettest national parks in the country, snowfall on the ridge can be so heavy that the season sometimes extends well beyond what nearby lowland areas experience. The moisture arrives directly from the Pacific Ocean, with winds hitting the mountain slopes and dropping their full load of snow in a short distance.
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