Skiing in the Olympic Mountains

[AllYouCanEat]

I've never skied on the peninsula. Now that I live in Tacoma I want too. What is the best access right now and what are the best mountains to ski? Thanks...

[climberbro16]

THey have runs at Hurricane Ridge. And they keep it plowed on weekends. Its preety weak. 2 advanced.2Intermediate. And 2 bunnie slopes.. But Im thinkin you mean you whant to ski peaks.. Just thought Id say something.

[philfort]

Seabury Blair's backcountry skiing book has stuff listed in the Olympics. Take a peek, but definitely don't buy the book, it's quite lame.

I've only been up there once, but Mt Angeles has some nice south-facing gullies that drop right down to the hurricane ridge road, a couple of miles before the lodge. I tried to ski'em once, but it was a little too icy. You can bag the peak too.

[David_Parker]

There is great backcountry skiing from the top of Hurricane ridge. I like doing laps off Hurricane Hill. There's a bowl and a ridge facing east. The only other mountain I've skiied is Mt. Eleanor including some runs off the back side down a steep gully. There would be awsome skiing in avalanche canyon above lake constance if you want to hump skis up the knarliest trail in the Olympics. At least it's short...3400 vertical in 2 miles to the lake! It's hard to find easy access to above timberline in winter and the woods just aren't that great to ski in. If you want to check out Hurricane ridge though, give me a buzz! It will be awesome right now!

[climberbro16]

Lake Constance Trail is preety badass. STEEP.

[ 01-28-2002: Message edited by: climberbro16 ]

[kevin_page]

You might try Mt. Townsend. At one time it was being considered as a possible downhil ski area.

[mattp]

I have skied a broad chute just down from the summit, on the north face of the east ridge and it was a pretty good ski run though short and steep. I have also skied the SE face, longer and a little more moderate, though on an early-season trip I seem to remember some issue with a bunch of little trees in the way of what would otherwise have been more enjoyable. A friend of mine skied this run more recently, in the Spring, and he came back with a more favorable impression so it may be worth a visit.

Access may be better in the spring, because the roads approaching these runs run up to moderately high elevation, 3,000 - 3,500' and are likely snowed in right now. The road approaching from Bon Jon Pass to the NE side of the mountain ends in a logged area where the shortest approach is off-trail and the re-growth is borderline unfriendly. The road to the SE side comes in from Townsend Creek and leads to a trailhead (what I remember to be the higher non-officeal trailhead could almost be reached in a pickup truck as recently as perhaps ten years ago, I don't know about present status).

[AllYouCanEat]

Thanks for the info. DP, I'll give you a buzz if I head up there...

[nightfly]

I was just up at Angeles lakes three days ago, there was five to six feet of snow. We crused around and checked things out. We were sloging, and wished we had brough our skis for the last half mile of the trail. Things were phat up there however snowpit test revealed a solid snowpack on east and west facing slopes with both shovel shear tests backing up the findings, finially cutting loose at the surface. This was before the recent storm cycles and we have been hammered since. Things started out cold and got progressivily warmer and you all know what that means. But things should firm up in a few days if we get a break. The Mt. Angeles trail is fairly steep and 4 miles long. But once in the basin a hours skin will get you where you want to be.

Leave no turn unstoned

[Fairweather]

quote:

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Originally posted by climberbro16:

Lake Constance Trail is preety badass. STEEP.

[ 01-28-2002: Message edited by: climberbro16 ]

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The Dosewallips Road washed out and probably will NOT be repaired in 2002. ONP seems to almost WANT roads and trails to wash out....they sure aren't in any hurry to repair them.

[nolanr]

Way to go ONP, our tax dollars at work again.

[climberbro16]

The the hell is that! That is major BS.

[Norman_Clyde]

Where did it wash out? How many miles in?

[climberbro16]

I was just gonna ask the same Question. Got any answers?

[Fairweather]

Dosewallips Road is washed out at Mile Post 8.1. As the road end is at 14.5 miles, this leaves 6.4 miles to hike each way. This is Olympic National Forest land. (Not NPS as I satated earlier)

Hamma Hamma Road, Lake Cushman Road, and of course the East Fork Quinalt are all washed out too, the later is being considered by the NP for PERMANENT closure. This is the Enchanted Valley access and is quite popular. It will add 13 extra miles to a 26 mile r.t. hike. Public comment is being taken, but I doubt considered.

[nightfly]

I will say this much about the Olympic National Park. Those guys sure get paid an awful lot to sit on there ass. I have rarly scene a forest service vehicle (let alone an employee on a trail), on my many trips up into the park.--I live thirty minutes from multiple trailheads. Poor Road conditions, Washed out roads, deadfalls in the trails, this is the reality of a park service that prefers to sit in there extra cozy headquarters instead of actually driving, and hiking they're turf. With the Constance Trail road out, that makes three of the four major access roads into the Eastern Olympics closed down. And that my friends is the future of our park system.

Did you know that the Olympic park has the highest paid employees in the nation.

Go Figure.

[Christopher]

Nightfly...I have a story for you. The first time my buddy and I went into the Enchanted Valley we got to the gate and had no bikes. We thought..what the heck...might as well walk! We walked the 6 miles to the trail head. And guess what we found. Ranger Brians car parked at the trial head. We know his name as we ran into him at the Cabin with his Girlie....he showed us around the cabin than sent us back down the trail!.....also he was kind enough to give us raide the last 3 miles back down the road to the gate.

[Christopher]

The extra six miles in and out sure weeds out the week. We hiked up the Enchanted Valley last November...but we rode our bikes up the road and locked them at the bridge. That place in increadible. The Rosevelt Elk were everywhere!

[Skisports]

I have skied elinor in the winter but you have the right avy condtions to ski it. happy turns

[nightfly]

You must have been psyched. Let me clarify things. I am not as much down on the individuals, as i am down on a system that they must support-(simply by working for the park service). They Defend their actions in the name of preservation and wildlife diversity. Now I have a story for you. An old girlfriend from Alaska was working the summers for the service up there. It was determined by someone that a particular species of Spruce Hen was to be introduced to some area in central Alaska. (Anybody who has seen a spruce hen will tell you that this animal will not thrive anywhere it is not suppose to). Her job as a forest service employee was to eradicate all possible natural predators. Six weeks of bloodshed was enough for her. This was three years ago. I regretably have only met one young fellow that was enduring the company bullshit in the hopes of someday having a say in stopping the continuous flow of band aid solutions. In my opinion; for the most part the 'company' is all about walking a line drawn by some unseen entity with archaic ideas, and making others walk it too.

If it is not broke don't fix it!