Officials at Gifford Pinchot National Forest have created a non-motorized zone along the popular Monitor Ridge and Worm Flows climbing routes on the south flank of Mount St. Helens. The route is being closed to snowmobile use to improve safety for winter climbers, skiers and snowshoers.

Officials also announced that climbing permits are required for all winter recreationists that travel above 4,800 feet on the volcano. This is a change from previous policy that exempted snowmobiles from the climbing permit requirement.

Click here for detailed information about the Mount St. Helens climbing permit system and the non-motorized climbing corridor.

Click here for a map of the non-motorized zone.

Here is the rest of the news release:

“Designating a non-motorized corridor and implementing a permit system that applies to all winter recreationists above 4,800 feet regardless of mode-of-travel makes sense,” said Tom Mulder, Monument Manager. “By closing the climbing route to snowmobiles we can increase safety and enhance the experience of climbers and skiers while still accommodating snowmobile use on the south side of the mountain. The permit requirement helps us track use, and when assistance is needed, the Climber’s Register helps emergency responders identify who is on the mountain,” Mulder added.

Between November 1st and March 31st permits are required for all travel above 4,800 feet on Mount St. Helens and are free and available by self-registration at Marble Mountain Sno-Park and at the Climber’s Register at the Lone Fir Resort in Cougar. During the spring climbing season, April 1st to May 14th, the permits cost $22 and are available for advance purchase online. Permits for the May 15th to October 31st summer climbing season are limited to 100-climbers-per-day and will be sold on-line on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 9 a.m. PST on February 1st.

All areas of Puget Sound will close to recreational crab fishing at sunset Friday. After that all sport crabbers licensed to fish for crab in Puget Sound will have 13 days to report their winter catch.

State fishing rules require that all sport crabbers submit catch reports for the winter season to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife by Jan. 15, even if they did not catch any crab.

Catch reports are an important tool in managing the Puget Sound crab fishery, said Rich Childers, shellfish policy lead, in a news release. The agency needs to hear from everyone, including those who didn't catch any crab, because more information provides greater accuracy in estimating the catch and developing future fishing seasons, he said.

To submit s catch report, crabbers may either send their catch record card to WDFW by mail, or file their report online. Catch record cards may be mailed to WDFW CRC Unit, 600 Capitol Way N., Olympia, WA 98501-1091.

The online reporting system will be available Friday through Jan. 15 via this link.

Sport crabbers who file their catch reports by the Jan. 15 deadline will be entered in a drawing for one of 10 free combination fishing licenses, which allow the holder to fish for a variety of freshwater and saltwater species during the 2009-10 season, the release said.

Childers also reminded Puget Sound crabbers of two important changes that will occur starting with the next crab season. First, crabbers who fail to report their 2009 summer or winter catch will be required to pay $10 before a license vendor will issue a new catch record card for the 2010 Puget Sound crab season. Second, crabbers will have the option to decline receiving a winter catch card when purchasing their 2009 fishing license. This will help them avoid a fine for not reporting a winter catch, Childers said.

On behalf of Craig Hill, we want to wish all the readers of Adventure and The news Tribune a very Merry Christmas.

Thanks to everyone who sent us stories, photos, comments and the occasional admonishment. They all have helped make Adventure a better product. While Craig and I have a lot of fun doing our jobs, we do it to share our experiences and encourage readers to get out themselves.

We also encourage you to send us your suggestions on how we can improve the section. As I wrote in my column in today's section, after five years of Adventure we're taking a look at how we can improve its content and functionality.

Mount Rainier National Park officials just announced the snowplay area at Paradise is open for the season.

Enough snow has fallen at Paradise to protect the fragile vegetation there and the groomer has been repaired to make sure the runs are in good shape.

The snowplay area is immediately north of the upper parking lot at Paradise. It is the only place in the park sliding and sledding is permitted. Runs will be supervised by park rangers daily through Jan. 4, and on weekends and holidays from Jan. 9 through March 29. Visitors may use the runs when the area is not staffed, but the runs are not groomed during the week.

For current snowplay status, call the Longmire Museum at 360-569-2211 ext. 3314 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily.

The Cowlitz River will open to smelt dipping Jan 3. Dipping will be allowed from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. each Saturday through March 28, under rules adopted by Washington fishery managers. Like last year, the daily catch limit will be 10 pounds per person.

All other tributaries to the Columbia River in Washington will remain closed to smelt fishing.

As during the past three seasons, most indicators point to another year of poor smelt returns to rivers in the Pacific Northwest, said Brad James, fish biologist, in a news release from the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

But that trend could change this year if ocean conditions continue to show improvement, he said.

"Smelt populations tend to be highly variable, so we need to take a conservative approach to setting fishing seasons," James said in the release. "We'll be watching the run closely, and will consider modifying the season if it turns out to be especially higher or lower than expected."

James said fishing seasons are laid out in the management plan for smelt developed by Washington and Oregon in 2001. Both states will review the run in mid-February to consider any changes in the 2009 season.

Crystal is reporting 8 inches of fresh powder this morning.

(I'm reporting 6 inches of fresh powder in my front yard.)

School might be canceled in the Puyallup School District but plenty of kids are heading to school anyway - Carson Elementary on South Hill to be specific.

Why?

Because the back side of the staff parking lot offers a sweet sledding hill with a nice safe runoff into an open field. About 150 people were on the hill this afternoon, but the action has been going on there since the snow started falling earlier this week.

Here are some pictures from last night and this afternoon:

Shannon Hammel of Puyallup straps on her snowboard and prepares to take a run on the hill behind Carson Elementary. (Photo: Craig Hill)

Taylor Hammel, a fourth-grader at the school, rips down the hill at about 8 p.m. Thursday. (Photo: Craig Hill)

Inspired by the Hammels, I took my skis up for a couple of runs this afternoon. I think I notched about 40 vertical feet today. (Photo: Kristen Hill)

Alex Hill (my kid) takes the more traditional route down a hill near the school, but not on school grounds.

(Photo: Kristen Hill)

Kids have been playing on the hills at Carson Elementary since snow started falling earlier this week. Yes, the dorky guy on skis is me. (Photo: Kristen Hill)

Hurricane Ridge has a new webcam. Here's what it looked like up there a few minutes ago.

Click here for the live view.

A small snowplay area for children will open at Paradise this Saturday once the road opens, Mount Rainier National Park officials said. The road has been opening between 9 and 11 a.m.

However, the groomer that prepares the larger runs is being repaired, said ranger Curt Jacquit. He said they hope to have the groomed runs ready by Dec. 27.

The snowplay area is the only place where sliding is allowed to avoid injuries to people and damage to plants, he said. Soft devices like innertubes and foam pads are allowed. Hard devices like wooden sleds or anything with metal runners are not allowed.

In his time as a rescue ranger on Mount Rainier, Mike "Gator" Gauthier became an accomplished photographer as well. Several of his images were displayed at the Washington State History Museum during the 100th anniversary of Mount Rainier National Park in 1999.

Gauthier, who has climbed Rainier more than 180 times, also took photos for us in areas that our photographers - or anybody for that matter - simply couldn't be. Here are three of those photos.

A shot of his rescue rangers performing a rescue on Liberty Ridge in 2004.

A shot of climbers on Liberty Ridge.

An aerial shot of Rainier's most popular climbing route.

If you read this blog earlier this week or today's Adventure section, you know that Mike "Gator" Gauthier, an iconic figure in the climbing community, is leaving Mount Rainier National Park.

Here's the story we ran in 1998 when he pulled off one of his most famous rescues:

By Sandi Doughton, Lisa Kremer, Bruce Rushton, Stacey Burns, Aimee Green and Skip Card
The News Tribune

Swept from her feet by a churning wave of snow, Ruth Mahre fought to stop her slide. She jabbed repeatedly at the snow with her ice ax, but the tool wouldn't bite into the deep, mushy mass.

As Thursday's avalanche propelled her toward a rocky cliff high on Mount Rainier, images of death flooded her mind.

"When you're flying down rocks, and snow is pushing you down, and the people roped to you are pulling you down, you can't stop, you don't think you're going to live," recalled the 25-year-old climbing guide.

When she finally came to a stop, the situation was hardly less perilous.

Mahre and her rope team of four climbers were tangled with another five-person team, and several were dangling across the face of Disappointment Cleaver - a jagged fin of rock and ice at 11,400 feet.

The nylon rope that tethered Mahre's team to a fixed line on the slope above was nearly severed by sharp, volcanic rocks. Only a few strands remained intact.

"We were really hanging by a thread," she said. "If anybody moved, we were going down the cliff."

It would be nearly 24 hours before Mahre and some of her fellow climbers were back on the pavement at Paradise Ranger Station at Mount Rainier National Park, after one of the mountain's most dramatic rescues.

One of their number - 29-year-old Patrick Nestler of Connecticut - perished from exposure. Eight were treated for injuries and released from area hospitals.

But in the sunshine that bathed the mountain Friday, shadows from the tragedy didn't deter scores of other climbers determined to pit themselves against the mountain.

"If you live by your fears, you stay at home," said Karen Peterson of Denver, who hoped to reach the top.

Several of those who nearly lost their personal battles with Rainier showed less bravado.

"I don't think so," whispered a red-eyed Scott Pressman, one of the rescued climbers, when asked whether he would tackle the mountain again.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5

Today's snowfall proved to be good news for skiers and snowboarders.

With six inches of snow since 5 a.m., the Summit at Snoqualmie has decided to open Friday.

White Pass will have a limited opening Friday. The resort previously planned to open Saturday. Steep runs will not be open Friday at White Pass because they still need more snow to be safe.

Stevens Pass plans to open Thursday.

Crystal, Mt. Baker, Mission Ridge and 49 Degrees North are already open.

While Alpine ski resorts continue to open (White Pass opens Friday), they aren’t the only places benefiting from this week’s snow storms.

MTTA trails circa 2001. (Photo: The Legendary Skip Card)

The Mount Tahoma Trail Association in Ashford now has enough snow to make cross-country skiing possible, Bob Myrick of the MTTA said via e-mail. Often times the trails are not skiable until the last week of December or even early January.
He said there was enough snow Dec. 13 to ski from the Road 45 Gate in Ashford to the Copper Creek Hut.
A Sno-Park pass ($10 per vehicle per day) is required to park at the sno-parks when using the trail system.
The MTTA trail system is located north and south of the Highway 706, however the south country was closed since the November 2006 flood because of the washed-out bridge over Catt Creek. The bridge was repaired over the summer so three of the four huts in the south country can be accessed this winter.
Snow Bowl Hut burned to the ground earlier this year and the MTTA is working to rebuild the hut.
The huts are available for day use. You can stay overnight in the huts for $5 per night plus a $20 refundable deposit. For more info visit mtta.org.

From Whistler Blackcomb:

Early this morning, the British Columbia Safety Authority (BCSA), in conjunction with Whistler Blackcomb, will complete a secondary inspection of mountain lifts currently in operation. A preliminary inspection across Whistler and Blackcomb was undertaken throughout the night by a team of 20 lift maintenance staff. After determining the cause of yesterday’s tower failure on Blackcomb Mountain’s Excalibur Gondola, and reviewing all similar tower structures to confirm that no similar issues exist, the BCSA is expected to confirm Whistler Blackcomb’s findings that the integrity of other towers have not been compromised.

Whistler Mountain will open for regular morning operations as early as 7:30am, as the Whistler Village Gondola and the Creekside Gondola are different types of lift installations and have different tower structures. Remaining Whistler Mountain lifts as well as Blackcomb Mountain lifts are expected to open when the secondary inspection by BCSA is complete; Whistler lifts by 8:30am and Blackcomb lifts by midday. The one exception is the Excalibur Gondola, which will remain closed.

Read more about Tuesday's collapse here.

A tower supporting the Excalibur Gondola at Whistler Blackcomb partially collapsed this afternoon leaving several skiers and snowboarders trapped.

Ten people were injured according to the Vancouver Sun.

Here are some links to coverage:
- The Associated Press
- The Vancouver Sun
- The Globe and Mail.

Photo: The Canadian Press

At least 15 fishers will be released this weekend at remote sites within the Elwha, Sol Duc and Hoh valleys of Olympic National Park. They will join fishers that were reintroduced last winter as the park and its partners work to establish an initial population of 100 animals.

Fishers, about the size of a cat, are members of the weasel family,
related to minks, otters and martens.

Paul Bannick/State Department of Fish and Wildlife
A female fisher takes her first step into Olympic National Park on Jan. 28.

Eighteen fishers, each fitted with a tiny radio transmitter, were released in the park last January and March, in the state’s first reintroduction of
the species. Of the 18, only three are known to have died, said a park news release.

More information, including monthly updates from the monitoring effort, is
available here.

Here is the rest of the news release.

“We’re very pleased at how well the fishers have survived – an 81 percent survival rate is quite high and is very encouraging as we begin year two of this project,” said Olympic National Park Superintendent Karen Gustin.

Biologists from the U.S. Geological Survey, state Department of Fish and Wildlife and Olympic National Park are still monitoring 13 of the reintroduced animals. Three of the fishers released last winter have died, and radio transmitters on two others no longer function. Scientists analyzed two of the carcasses, learning that one animal was killed by a bobcat in the Elwha Valley and one was fatally injured by a vehicle while crossing U.S. 101 near Forks. The third animal died in a remote area of Olympic National Park and has not been recovered.

Fishers are native to the forests of Washington, including the Olympic Peninsula, but vanished from the state decades ago because of over-trapping in the late 1800s and early 1900s and habitat loss and fragmentation.

Fishers were listed as a state endangered species in 1998 by the state Fish and Wildlife Commission and were designated as a candidate for federal listing in 2004 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Endangered Species Act.

Fisher reintroduction to Olympic National Park is made possible through a partnership of agencies and organizations. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Olympic National Park are joint project managers and, along with the U.S. Geological Survey, are leading a research and monitoring program to evaluate the success of the reintroduction.

“It’s gratifying to help lead this important cooperative effort and to see these encouraging results,” said Dave Brittell, assistant director for WDFW’s wildlife program. “As the project goes on, we look forward to establishing a thriving fisher population in Washington State.”

The British Columbia Ministry of Environment is actively supporting the effort to capture and import fishers to Washington.

Non-profit partner Conservation Northwest provides financial and
administrative support for the project’s operations in British Columbia while Washington’s National Park Fund is providing financial support for monitoring the reintroduced fisher population. Other partners and organizations are providing financial or logistical support for management and research tasks.

“What a great holiday gift to Olympic National Park and the people of
Washington,” said Mitch Friedman, executive director of Conservation
Northwest. “Fifteen furry fishers in an old-growth tree.”

The fishers to be released this year will also will wear radio
transmitters, allowing biologists to track their movements and activities and adding to scientists’ understanding of the fisher’s role in the ecosystem. Over the duration of this three-year project, a total of approximately 100 fishers will be released within Olympic National Park; information gathered through monitoring helps biologists to refine the project.

"We are excited to work with the National Park Service and Washington
Department of Fish and Wildlife to evaluate this landmark project, said Kurt Jenkins, USGS Research Wildlife Biologist. “Better understanding of fisher restoration in Olympic National Park promises to be widely useful to future restoration programs within the species’ range.”

I had a few moments between interviews and thought I would check on conditions at Paradise at Mount Rainier National Park. When I saw the photo, I thought I should pass it along.

Mount Rainier National Park
Here is an image from the Webcam at the new visitor center looking toward Paradise Inn.

Checking weather data, at 2 p.m. it was downright balmy at 27 degrees. But in the last two mornings, temperatures fell to -1 degree. On Monday morning, wind chills were amost -25 degrees.

According to the Paradise weather station, there is 36 inches of snow on the ground.

White Pass plans to open for the season Saturday at 8:45 a.m. It will be the fifth of the six Cascade ski areas to open.

Stevens Pass opens its lifts for the season Thursday.

Crystal Mountain opened for the season Dec. 13. Mount Baker opened Dec. 14. And Mission Ridge, thanks to man-made snow, opened Dec. 6.

The Summit at Snoqualmie is the state’s only major ski area not to announce an opening day. The Summit is the state’s most popular ski area, but with a base area just 3,000 feet above sea level it is also the lowest.

OTHER OPENINGS
- Bluewood plans to open Wednesday morning.
- Mount Spokane plans to open Friday morning.

Mike “Gator” Gauthier, whose work as a ranger made him a revered member of the local climbing community, is saying goodbye to Mount Rainier National Park after more than 18 years.

Gauthier, 39, is leaving his post as the head of the park’s climbing program for a two-year fellowship in Washington D.C.
His last day at Mount Rainier is Jan. 2.
“It's a huge change and opportunity for me,” Gauthier said, “and one that I'm really excited about.”
Gauthier, who has been involved in numerous rescues on Mount Rainier, is trading his ranger uniform for a suit and will be assigned to the U.S. Senate’s National Parks Sub-committee.
While D.C. might seem different than Longmire, where Gauthier lives, he’ll have something in common with at least a couple of people on Capitol Hill. Senators Hillary Clinton and John McCain and Gauthier all earned places on the Men’s Journal 2004 list of the “25 Toughest Guys in America.”
Gauthier, who grew up in Olalla, made the list for one of his most famous rescues, which actually came on a day off in 1998. Gauthier was on Rainier’s 14,411-foot summit when he heard a distress call on his radio.
He hopped on his snowboard and zipped down the mountain to Disappointment Cleaver to help guides rescue nine climbers.
But what Gauthier might be most proud of is his last three years at Rainier. After several high-profile rescues and deaths on Rainier’s upper slopes, there has not been a major incident above Camp Muir in three seasons.

“A lot of the credit for that goes to Mike,” park superintendent Dave Uberuaga said. “He has been very instrumental in making the program what it is today.”
Gauthier started a blog – mountrainierclimbing.blogspot.com – that updates climbers on route conditions.
“The more info you have to work with the more likely you are to have a successful trip,” Gauthier said while explaining why he started the blog.
Gauthier also helped coordinate the transition from one Rainier guiding service to three in 2007. Gauthier says having three guide services on the mountain has made the mountain safer.
“There is a guide for every three climbers on the main route,” Gauthier said.
Gauthier also worked with local groups like the Tacoma Mountaineers to help with training and climbing outreach.
“With the blog, the guide service and the Mountaineers it’s a big group hug situation,” Gauthier said.
In his years on Rainier, Gauthier has dangled out of helicopters, rescued climbers and recovered bodies. He’s also helped train park staff and formulated their avalanche safety plan.
Along the way Gauthier also climbed Rainier more than 100 times, including eight times in one week in 1998. He also set a record by summiting the mountain 36 times that summer. He wrote a Rainier climbing guide in ’99 that is widely considered the best on the subject. The Mountaineers Books republished the book in 2005.
“What he has done for the park is remarkable,” Uberuaga said. “He will not be an easy guy to replace.”
While Gauthier could theoretically return to Rainier after the fellowship he says it’s unlikely.
Most participants in the Bevinetto Fellowship usually are assigned to a management position like a park superintendent when they finish according to an e-mail from Chuck Young, Rainier’s chief ranger.
“I care greatly about this place,” Gauthier said. “My DNA cares about this place. I’m going to miss it, but I’m looking forward to this new opportunity.”

From Stevens Pass Ski Area:

After last weekend’s heavy snowfall and this week’s low temperatures, Stevens Pass Winter Resort announces that it will kick off the 08-09 winter season on Thursday, December 18, 2008. As of Monday morning, snowpack depths are reported at 22 inches at the base and 30 inches on top.

“After the recent weather related challenges, we’re happy to have the snow pack that will allow us to kick off operations for this season,” said John Gifford, General Manager at Stevens Pass. “These recent storms have supplied sufficient base, and we’re looking forward to opening the mountain for our guests and employees to enjoy.”

=> Read more!

According to an Associated Press story that just came across the wire, the state transportation department has decided to keep Cayuse and Chinook passes near Mount Rainier closed for the winter.

Spokeswoman Kris Olse said officials made the decision today after evaluating weekend snow. The passes had been closed last week temporarily, the story said.

The department also announced North Cascades Highway will remained closed for the season.

The three passes are routinely closed for winter and reopen in the spring.

Thanks to reader Rod Cochrane for pointing out that this video wasn't posted this morning.

If you read today's Silver Star story, this is ski guide David Todd on a run at Silver Star. I shot this while skiing behind him on an intermediate run late on an epic powder day. As you can see the hill as been skied off at this point.

TOMORROW'S STORY TODAY:

By Craig Hill
Craig.hill@thenewstribune.com
Scott Sevenbergen and Trevor Heady only had two hours to snowboard Saturday, opening day at Crystal Mountain, so they wanted to be at the front of the lift line.

“We’ve been itching for a month,” Heady said.

So Sevenbergen of Tacoma and Heady of Federal Way hopped in their car at 6 a.m., braved the snow and ice covering Highway 410 and stepped in line at 8 a.m., an hour before the Chinook Express lift opened.

Still, they were only early enough to get the second chair of the season.

You have to get up pretty early to beat D.J. Blaylock of McCleary to the coveted first chair. Blaylock arrived at Crystal at 5:30 a.m. as he has every opening day since 1969.

“This is the 40th year for me,” Blaylock said. “It’s been a tradition for me and my brother (David) but he had to work today. He’ll be here Monday.”

Regardless of their place in the long line, everybody seemed to be thrilled Saturday. With 14 inches of new snow in the 24 hours before opening, Crystal spokeswoman Tiana Enger said conditions were even better than expected.

“This much snow for a kickoff is fantastic,” Enger said.
Because steeper runs need more snow to be skiable only the three lifts servicing beginner and intermediate runs were open Saturday. As a result, lift tickets were discounted from $60 to $25.

Crystal will open two more lifts and more advanced terrain today and ticket prices will increase to $40.

=> Read more!

I just got back from Crystal Mountain. The ski area opened this morning.

The upper mountain was closed because the ski area had just 25 inches of snow Friday but resort spokeswoman Tiana Enger says they might be able to open Green Valley and Rainier Express on Sunday.

I found Highway 410 to be a little sketchy, but no too bad. Although I talked to one boarder who described it as scary.

Here are a few pics from the slopes.

Skiers and boarders line up waiting for the Chinook Express to open signaling the start of the ski season.

Some skiers and a snowboarders take their first run of the season.

A snowboarder on Queens Run already at mid-season form.

Tiana Enger
Some couldn't wait for Saturday's opening

Tiana Enger of Crystal Mountain says skiers and snowboarders are already camping in the parking lot anticipating the ski area will open tomorrow.

Here's an e-mail from her confirming Crystal will open tomorrow:

After steady snowfall all day at Crystal Mountain, officials have decided to open with limited operations on Saturday, December 13th. The limited operations will include three of the lower chairlifts; Discovery, Chinook Express and Forest Queen.

Crystal Mountain received 6 new inches of snow today. “We’re hoping for more snow overnight but it’s a start,” said John Kircher, General Manager of Crystal Mountain.

Lift tickets will be discounted to $25 due to the limited operations and low-snow. Lift ticket rates are subject to change on Sunday if more lifts and terrain become available – which will depend on the amount of snow received tonight and tomorrow. Crystal plans to remain open daily from 9am-4pm.

There will be live music in the Bullwheel Bar & Grill tomorrow from 3pm-6pm and 8pm-12am to celebrate the official start of the 08-09 ski and snowboard season.

Enger suggests checking Crystal's website to make sure the ski area is open before heading to the hill.

I got an e-mail tonight from Jennifer Block, the Ironman competitor from Puyallup.

Block dedicated her race to Ty Quandt, an Edgewood boy who has Niemann-Pick Type C. The disease slowly takes down its victims by deteriorating the nervous system. Most victims die from the disease before they turn 20.

Block, 46, Finished 30th in her age group at Ironman.

Block said the race effort exceeded the $10,000 fundraising goal by $400.

Click here to read about Quandt and Block.

Here's a video of Block's Ironman experience. She uses the video when she gives presentation about Niemann-Pick Disease.

From Mount Hood Meadows:

Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort announced that the resort may open for the season on a limited basis this weekend. A powerful winter storm forecast to arrive in Oregon Friday has the potential to drop enough snow to get the resort open at least on a limited basis Saturday or Sunday. Once open, resort officials plan to continue daily operations as more storms are forecast after this potential season opener.

Because the storm is forecast to arrive Friday, it is not yet known if the lifts will start operating Saturday or Sunday, or how many lifts or runs will be open.

Information regarding the potential opening will be updated on the resort’s web site, skihood.com, and on the resort’s snow phones:

Portland: 503.227.SNOW (7669)
Hood River: 541.386.SKIS (7547)
Ski Area: 503.337.2222 x9

Meadows will also offer food services, ski school lessons, day care, Children’s Learning Center, sport shops, demo center and rental shops once the lifts start turning. For more details visit skihood.com.

Bruce Kehr, founder of Stevens Pass Resort, died last week according to the ski area's website. He was 96.

Here's a letter from Stevens Pass GM John Gifford that was posted on the resort's website:

Last week we learned that Bruce Kehr, an important part of Stevens Pass history passed away on December 2. Bruce was one of the founders of Stevens Pass Winter Resort. Starting in 1937 Bruce and Don Adams together forged a raw mountain location into a ski resort. They were passionate about the sport. They carved trails using hand tools and lots of back breaking, hard work. They built rope tows powered with vehicle engines and inventively using other materials. To power the rope tows, they hiked to each tow, carrying five-gallon cans of gas to fuel the engines every morning before the resort opened for guests. This was an era where ski industry pioneers, who had a dream and not much else, used their resourcefulness, ingenuity, blood, sweat and tears to make those dreams a reality.

=> Read more!

Crystal Mountain hopes to crank up its lifts for the season on Saturday morning, according to a statement released today by resort spokeswoman Tiana Enger.

The statement says the resort still needs 6-8 inches of snow to open, but "management is keeping a close eye on the weather and hopes that the system moving in later this week will produce enough snow."

If Crystal opens, lift ticket prices will be discounted from the full price of $60 because only three lifts will be open.

At least another foot of snow is needed to open the upper mountain.

Mount Baker is hoping to open Sunday or Monday. Mission Ridge near Wenatchee was the first ski area in the state to open on Dec. 3.

News Tribune file photo

Learn the basics of one of the Winter Olympics most cerebral and least dynamic sports on Saturday morning.
The Granite Curling Club in Seattle offers open houses to the public throughout the year. Saturday’s open house starts at 10 a.m. and ends at 2 p.m. The club, one of the few on the West Coast, has members from all over Western Washington. Instructors are on site to teach the game.

Organizers urge you to show up as close to 10 a.m. as possible. The open houses sometimes draw large crowds and organizers anticipate having to stop accepting guests by noon. The Granite Curling Club was founded in 1961. The club is home to several national championship teams.

WHERE: Granite Curling Club, 1440 N. 128th Street, Seattle.

GETTING THERE: From Interstate 5, take Exit 174 and head left on 5th Avenue. Turn left on 130th Street then left on Meridian Avenue and the right on North 128th Street.

COST: $10 per person or $25 per family.

MORE INFO: Visit curlingseattle.org or call 206-362-2446.

Crystal Mountain got 10 inches of new snow fall Sunday and two more inches overnight putting the ski area within a good storm of opening.

“We’re close, really close," said Crystal GM John Kircher in a prepared statement. "We just need another 6-8 inches of snow to open."

The ski area has 12 inches at the base and 20 inches at the summit.

A statement from the resort said "It’s still too early to say when Crystal will open but preparations are being made; groomers are out packing down the snow, crews are busy plowing the parking lots, and local members of the Ski Patrol have been called in to begin set-up work later this week. Wax those skis and boards, the ski season is near!"

Here are some pictures courtesy of Crystal's Tiana Enger.

Mount Rainier National Park superintendent Dave Uberuaga has been named acting superintendent of Yosemite National Park in California. Uberuaga will take over at one of the nation’s premiere parks on Jan. 4.

National Park Service
Dave Uberuaga

He is filling the post following the retirement of superintendent Mike Tollefson.

Deputy superintendent Randy King will be in charge of operations at Mount Rainier.

The moves were announced today by Jon Jarvis, the National Park Service’s western regional director.

"I have enormous confidence in Dave," Jarvis said in a news release. "Dave and Mike have served together on leadership councils within the NPS and their relationship ensures a smooth transition."

"It will be difficult to fill Mike’s shoes," Uberuaga said. "He retires having achieved tremendous success and a solid relation with the community, and it will be a pleasure to work collaboratively with him as he assumes the position of president of the Yosemite Fund."

Uberuaga, has spent 24 years at Mount Rainier after working 10 years with the Geneal Accounting Office. He is expected to be in Yosemite for several months.

This will be Uberuaga’s third temporary post. He once served six months as the deputy regional director for administration in Seattle and spent four months running Golden Gate National Recreation Area in San Francisco.

His primary role at Yosemite will be to provide continuity for the staff, Uberuaga said.

“The key is to support the staff. The difficult issues at Yosemite have been there for a long time. I’m not going to take care of those in my short time there,” Uberuaga said.

In the meantime, King will find himself more involved in efforts to finish flood protection work at Mount Rainier and the work to write an environmental assessment for the Carbon River Road corridor.

Washington's ski season will start with a whimper tomorrow as only one ski area will be open. And it will be partially open at that.

Mission Ridge near Wenatchee will open two lifts Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

"It is still early in the season with limited terrain on Chair #1 and the Liberator Express," said Jerri Barkley, Director of Sales and Marketing, in a prepared statement "Three trails covering 45 acres and 2,250 vertical feet are scheduled for the weekend.

"The snowmaking team has really done the heavy lifting to get the area open. They have not missed an hour of production time since Nov. 1."

Mission Ridge will close Monday but plans to resume operations Dec. 12.

No other Washington ski area has announced an opening day. Mission Ridge was also the first ski area to open last season.

It was traditionally one of the last ski areas to open before adding the state's largest snow making program in 2005.

In pursuit of the first turns of the season, my dad headed north to Whistler Blackcomb for the week. Sounds like he got there a few weeks too early.
Here's the ski report he sent me:

No Snow and above freezing temps at the village. No crossover skiing or lifts between Blackcomb and Whistler.

There is almost no snow below mid mountain on Whistler or below the top of the Wizard chair on Blackcomb.

There are a couple of runs open on each mountain and as of Dec. 2 they are making snow wherever they can.

Runs are pretty icy in the mornings and start to soften to spring-like conditions in the afternoons.

No snow forecasted before I leave on Saturday.

Peak2Peak is still in testing and is really impressive.

So, Don’t drop everything to come to Whistler and ski right now.

Local ski areas aren’t getting too blue about their inability to open last week for Thanksgiving, even though doing so is often a sure sign of a profitable season.

“It would have been nice,” said Tiana Enger of Crystal Mountain. “But really Thanksgiving is a bonus. I’m not going to get nervous until about Dec. 15.”

None of the ski areas in the state are open, including Mission Ridge which planned to use its snow-making equipment to open Nov. 28.

Crystal Mountain and the Summit at Snoqualmie have only a dusting of snow according to their webcams.

“While we always see it as a bonus to be open that early (Thanksgiving), it is not all that common for us,” said Holly Lippert of the Summit. “We average an early to mid-December opening, so we're on track so far for this season.”

While Thanksgiving might be a bonus, Crystal is behind its opening for the last three seasons.

Crystal opened Dec. 1 in 2007 (although it closed Dec. 3 because of rain and reopened Dec. 8), Nov. 16 in 2006 and Nov. 4 in 2005. However, Enger says those early November openings are rare. Crystal opened Dec. 11 in 2004, the worst snow year on record.

The Summit opened Dec. 15 last season, Nov. 18 in 2006, Nov. 9 in 2005 and Jan. 1 in 2004.

“If the conditions allow us to continue our tradition of late spring skiing and riding (through Memorial Day last season), we should be in for another long and prosperous winter,” Lippert said.

There is some good news for skiers and boarders. The National Weather Service is predicting snow storms Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

“Things can happen really fast in the Northwest,” Enger said.

The closest open ski areas are Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood and Whistler Blackcomb.

The Banff Mountain Film Festival tour is in the Puget Sound area this week.

The film festival, which started with a four-day event in Alberta in October, will make stops in Seattle, Olympia and Tacoma. The events are hosted by The Mountaineers, an outdoor recreation club.

The Tacoma screening will be at the University of Puget Sound on Dec. 9. Tickets are $11, but UPS students and staff and members of the Mountaineers get in for $8.50. The film will be shown at the Schneebeck Concert Hall. Call 253-879-3419 for more info.

The festival is at Olympia’s Capital Theater Dec. 6-7 with different films each night. Tickets are $12 Saturday and $10 Sunday with a $2 discount for those who buy tickets for both nights. Tickets are available at the Alpine Experience (360-956-1699) or Olympic Outfitters (360-943-1114).

A larger screening will be in Seattle Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at the Mountaineers headquarters (7700 Sand Point Way NE). The same film is shown each night and tickets are $15 ($10 for Mountaineers).

Not any time soon if resort webcams are any indication.

Here's a look at our local ski areas this morning. There's no snow in the forecast this week.

CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN:

ALPENTAL:

SUMMIT WEST:

STEVENS PASS:

WHITE PASS:

Mt. Baker and Mission Ridge have some snow (It's mostly man made at Mission) but neither resort has announced an opening day.

The bears seem to have left the Paradise area at Mount Rainier National Park.

“They’re not sleeping yet, but they are heading down to lower elevation,” said Ellen Myers, acting wildlife ecologist at the park.

Myers said there have been several bear sightings in the last month. On Nov. 8, a black bear was sighted on Stevens Canyon Road. On Nov. 22, another bear was seen at Milepost 8 on the road from Longmire to Paradise.

At the end of the busy summer season, several bears were causing concerns at Paradise. One bear broke a window in the Paradise Inn dining room. Myers and other staffers eventually trapped the bear and were able to scare it away from the Paradise area.

Here is the story I just filed for Tuesday's edition of the TNT regarding the resignation of Jeff Koening as director of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. The topic has been a hot one on local fishing Web sites and the search for a new director will certainly fuel forum discussions.

Here is my story:

Jeff Koenings resigned Monday as director of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, a position he has held since 1999.

The state Fish and Wildlife Commission met Monday night via telephone conference call and voted to accept Koening's resignation.

WDFW
Jeff Koenings

After accepting Koenings resignation, which takes effect Dec. 11, the commission named Phil Anderson acting director. A long-time department employee, Anderson has been the deputy director for resource policy the last 18 months. He has been the state’s lead negotiator during the annual meetings with tribal fishery managers at which salmon fishing seasons are set.

The commission will conduct a nationwide search for a new director beginning in 2009, said chairman Jerry Gutzwiler.

Koenings had been under pressure in recent weeks from members of the commission to step down. Supporters of recreational fishing have viewed Koenings as a director who often favored commercial fishermen during debates over allocation of salmon and Puget Sound crab.

“The rumors have been flying the last couple of weeks regarding change, especially post election,” said Tony Floor, director of fishing affairs for the Northwest Marine Trade Association and former department employee. “The news was not a surprise to many of us in the recreational fishing industry.

“I have served under 10 directors in my 30-year career with the department. I’ve seen the tide ebb and the tide flood,” Floor added. “I don’t think Jeff will ever be seen as a leader of the recreational fishing community. We’ve been looking for change in leadership in the department for some time.”

Clint Muns, director of resource management of the Puget Sound Anglers, admits Koenings took a lot of blame from recreational anglers. But not all the blame was Koenings’, he said.

“I think the issues are more complex than most people think they are. Until the budget issues are resolved, I don’t think the department is going to have a lot of success accomplishing all it wants to.”

Muns put much of the blame on the Legislature.

“They haven’t provided funding to the department. The Senate is supposed to confirm the commissioners so they can provide the oversight. That hasn’t occurred,” he said.

Only two of the current eight commissioners have been confirmed by the Senate. There also is a vacancy on the commission.

In a news release announcing his resignation, Koenings said he accomplished much of what he set out to do when I became director. Koenings could not be reached for comment.

“I’m proud of the progress we’ve made in creating a comprehensive, gravel-to-gravel system of stewardship for wild salmon, re-building relationships based on mutual trust with tribal resource co-managers, bringing a scientific focus to state fish and wildlife management and improving the department’s business practices.”

Among the accomplishments Koenings cited were the new 10-year chinook-harvest agreement under the Pacific Salmon Treaty that requires British Columbia and Alaska to reduce harvest of Washington chinook by a million fish over the next 10 years, the establishment of selective harvest fisheries where anglers can keep hatchery fish while releasing wild fish, and land acquisition to protect habitat.

Koenings’ nearly 10-year career as director was the longest in the history of the department that has more than 1,500 employees and a budget that is more than $280 million.

He was hired as the director in January 1999, after working as an Alaska fisheries manager and a special assistant to the commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. He has a doctorate in natural resources, a master’s degree in water resources and a bachelor’s degree in fisheries, all from the University of Michigan.

I got a call the other day from Frances Gagnon, an 81-year-old Gig Harbor resident.

She read some of my recent coverage of the Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center at Mount Rainier National Park. Gagnon said her father was a consulting architect for the old visitor center.

Her father, John McGuire, was part of the Tacoma architecture firm of
McGuire and Muri that helped design the spaceship-style building that welcome visitors from 1966 until September. The firm of Whimberley, Whisenand, Allison & Tong of Honolulu also worked on the design.

Gagnon said her father was a staunch Democrat and a supporter of Sen. Scoop Jackson. Those connections helpd his firm land the Mount Rainier job.

Even though she is still proud of her dad’s connection to the visitor center, Gagnon admitted she wasn’t a fan of the design.

“It didn’t blend with the old atmosphere of the lodge and the mountain. I didn’t think it blended with the Northwest feel,” she said. “I told my that Dad that. He knew what the public thought.”

With the old visitor center now being torn down to make way for additional parking spaces, Gagnon said she will miss the views from the building’s observation deck.