CROSS THOSE FINGERS for Hurricane Ridge Road.
Bruch & Bruch Construction Inc. of Port Angeles took on the massive undertaking of rebuilding the washed-out road this week.
The goal is to get the road repaired and ready for traffic in approximately six weeks (which would be right around March).
As anyone who has seen the gaping hole left behind by the washout knows, that would be quite an accomplishment.
The fact that work is already underway is a good sign, not to mention an amazing development since the federal government was involved.
This is, after all, the same group that once took the better part of a decade to complete a final draft of its General Management Plan.
Once the road is completed, the Hurricane Ridge Winter Sports Club will get back to business.
“Our plan is to take off as soon as that road opens,” mountain manager Craig Hofer said. “I am able to get up there [right now].
“It looks like some snow is going to come, and I’ll get up there [to work on the lifts]. It would be really nice to start back up with that Poma lift running.”
Ski school
Unfortunately, the five-week ski school will not start up with that opening.
That’s mostly because there won’t be enough time, according to Winter Sports club board member Joe Gladfelter.
There more than likely will be single-day group sessions and one-on-one private ski and snowboard lessons offered, however.
“We feel it’s important that we operate this year,” Gladfelter said.
“Even though we won’t make money, it’s important to operate for the community and the people who support us. It’s pretty unanimous that we’re going to do that.”
Those who have already paid for ski school spots will have the option of either getting their money refunded or applying it to a credit for next year, Gladfelter said.
Purchasers of season passes will also likely have two choices: A) Get a prorated refund for the number of days missed, or B) Use the pass for discounts at other mountains in the region (Stevens, Crystal and Snoqualmie) and ski during whatever open dates there are in March at the Ridge.
The second option has not been completely finalized as far as the discount goes, Gladfelter said.
But since the club is a member of the Pacific Northwest Skier Association, it is a strong likelihood.
One thing that is for certain: “As soon as they get the [Hurricane Ridge Road] open, we’re in,” he said.
Skiers and snowboarders can also expect the annual Citizen’s Races and Almost Legendary Snowskate Baked Slalom competition to return in March as well.
For more information on skiing at Hurricane Ridge, visit www.hurricaneridge.com.
Getting wild
The rivers are dropping into perfect shape just as the wild steelhead season begins to heat up.
Now that the hatchery runs are starting to peter out — Bogachiel Hatchery has had 285 fish show up in the last two weeks — the focus of all anglers out west is certain to shift to the Sol Duc and Hoh rivers.
Both have already seen a decent amount of pressure in the last week, producing decent results, according to Bob Gooding of Olympic Sporting Goods (360-374-6330) in Forks.
“They are doing OK,” he said. “The Sol Duc and the Hoh are both producing. The [Bogachiel]? Boy, there hasn’t been much fish in there. And the Calawah has some fish in it, but it’s going to be where not a lot of people are going to be able to float it.”
The native steelhead run should start producing some big fish in the next few weeks. The peak of the run, however, doesn’t typically come until March.
Already, Gooding has seen a 22-pound wild steelie and a few others in the high teens.
“It’s pretty much all natives this time of year, so a lot of catching and releasing,” Bob Aunspach of Swain’s General Store (360-452-2357) in Port Angeles said.
Anglers are allowed to take one wild fish a year caught out of a select group of rivers in the state.
Among them are the Bogachiel, Calawah, Clearwater, Dickey, Green/Duwamish, Hoh, Hoko, Pysht, Quillayute, Quinault and Sol Duc.
Of course, the practice of retaining a wild steelhead is a highly controversial one, frowned upon by many an angler.
I’m just saying.
Clam opener
It’s official, clams at four ocean beaches won’t kill you.
Thus, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife approved razor clam digs at Kalaloch, Twin Harbors, Copalis and Mocrocks this weekend.
The state was forced to cancel harvest dates at Long Beach due to elevated levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) found in clams collected there last week.
But additional tests conducted on samples from the other four beaches this week determined those clams are safe to eat.
Twin Harbors, Copalis and Mocrocks will open to evening digs today through Sunday, while Kalaloch will be open Saturday and Sunday.
Surf reports point to Sunday as the best day to hit Kalaloch, with 11-foot swells expected to hit the beach at 13-second intervals. Just don’t expect a lot of big clams.
“[Some local diggers] said out of the 15 they had, about five that were pretty good clams and the rest were just OK,” Gooding said.
“They are four inchers, which is a nice eating size, but it doesn’t get you a big gob to work on.”
It is always best to begin digging at least one hour before low tide. Here are the low tides for this weekend:
■ Today — -1.5 feet at 5:58 p.m.
■ Saturday — -1.5 feet at 6:41 p.m.
■ Sunday — -1.2 feet at 7:23 p.m.
For more information on razor clams, visit http://tinyurl.com/oyekj.
Hunting capper
The last of the hunting seasons, duck and goose, come to an end after Sunday.
After that, it’s up to prospective hunters to gear up for next season. Those looking to do so will have to complete a hunter education course.
There will be five such classes offered in Port Angeles and Sequim between the months of February and August.
The courses are comprised of five sessions, with the final one being held in the field.
Port Angeles classes held in February, March, June and August will be at the Clallam County Veterans Center, 261 S. Francis St.
The Sequim class in May will be held at Sunnydell Shooting Grounds, 292 Dryke Road.
All first-time hunters born after Jan. 1, 1972, must complete a Hunter Education course in order to qualify for a hunter license.
To register, contact Darrell Spidell at Hi-Caliber Guns (360-417-0300), or e-mail Lisa Gouveia (lisa@pahuntered.com).
Also . . .
■ Jim Hicks and Jim Pickrell, both Puget Sound Anglers members, will speak at the East Jefferson Chapter’s monthly meeting in the Marina Room at Hudson Point Marina in Port Townsend on Feb. 9 at 7 p.m.
Hicks will speak as a representative of Puget Sound Charters on area blackmouth fishing, while Pickrell will talk about tuna/dorado fishing trips in Mexico.
■ The Olympic Peninsula Ski Network, which organizes group trips to the Cascades, will hold a meeting at the North Olympic Library System’s Port Angeles Branch at 2210 S. Peabody St. next Wednesday from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
For more information, contact Margaret Low at 360-417-5503 or mar2low@olympus.net.
■ All hunters, successful or not, are required to report their hunting activities to Fish and Wildlife by Jan. 31 for each 2009 black bear, deer, elk, or turkey tag purchased.
Hunters have the option of reporting by phone (877-945-3492) or via the Internet ( https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov ).
Information needed includes the game management unit hunted and individual WILD identification number.
Those who miss the deadline must pay a $10 penalty before purchasing a 2010 hunting license.
■ Ken Wiersema will give a one-day class on corvids in winter at the Dungeness River Audubon Center from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.
The class focuses on the lives of crows, ravens, and jays in winter.
Students will learn how to identify the birds by behavior, ranges and vocalization.
The cost is $10 per person. For more information, contact the River Center at 360-681-4076.
■ The final installment of Peninsula Trails Coalition’s adventure traveler slide show series, focusing on the Falkland Islands, will be at the Port Angeles Senior Center, 328 E. 7th St., tonight at 7 p.m.
Admission is $5, with children getting in for free. Funds raised provide tools, equipment and lunches for volunteers working on Olympic Discovery Trail.
For more information, call 360-452-8641.
■ The Washington Sportsmen’s Show will be at the Puyallup Fair and Events Center all weekend.
The show includes 245 hours of presentations by top experts.
For more information, visit www.otshows.com.
Stories welcome
Want your event listed in the outdoors column?
Have a fishing or hunting report, an anecdote about an outdoors experience or a tip on gear or technique, why not share it with our readers?
Send it to me, Matt Schubert, Sports Department, Peninsula Daily News, P.O. Box 1330, Port Angeles, WA 98362; phone, 360-417-3526; fax, 360-417-3521; e-mail matt.schubert@peninsuladailynews.com.
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Matt Schubert is the outdoors columnist for the Peninsula Daily News. His column appears on Thursdays and Fridays.
