Olympic National Park in Washington is home to one of the most unique ski areas in the country. Hurricane Ridge Ski & Snowboard Area features ten trails, three surface lifts, and four hundred inches of annual snowfall. The ski area is open Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays from Mid-December to March. Unfortunately, the national park and ski area suffered a tragedy this week.
The Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge, which first opened back in the 1950s, caught fire on May 7th. The lodge, which was closed for renovations since April 3rd, was a complete loss. This is a major loss for the ski area, as it was home to the ski area’s restrooms, food service, interpretive exhibits, rental gear shop, and gift shop. Luckily, no injuries or deaths were reported. The other building at the ski area, the Mountain Operations Center, was unaffected. According to the National Park Service, the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
“The park team and I are saddened by the loss of the Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge, an iconic structure in the park and one of its most popular sites,” said Superintendent Sula Jacobs. “We are extremely grateful for the response of park partners in Clallam County Fire and Port Angeles Fire Department who responded to the incident. We are also grateful for the outpouring of support from the community as we move forward.”
To commemorate the building, the North Olympic Library System featured some great historic photos of the structure on their social media page this week.
It’s sad to see such a historic structure destroyed, but I’m curious to see what goes in its place.
Image Credits: National Park Service (Featured Image), Hurricane Ridge, North Olympic Library System, Olympic National Park
