Due to extreme weather conditions, the state has temporarily closed several Sno-Parks. The State Parks and Recreation Commission Winter Recreation Program issued a news release a short while ago:

Before heading out this weekend, check the following sources to make sure roads are passable and Sno-Parks are open:

For Sno-Park information

For pass and road conditions

For avalanche information

Here is the rest of the release:

State Parks Winter Recreation staff reminds visitors weather conditions sometimes interfere with or limit access to winter recreation sites, and extreme conditions can make plowing and grooming hazardous to equipment and operators. Sometimes equipment can not keep up with extreme snow fall, and equipment breakdowns take time to repair.

Funding for plowing and grooming (from the sale of Sno-Park permits) is limited due to heavy snow conditions. Heavy snow years can quickly exhaust annual funds allocated for Sno-Park areas.

The Winter Recreation Program, which administers the Snowmobile and Non-motorized (winter sports) programs, was created by recreationists in the 1970s to help fund winter sports and recreation. Today’s program removes snow from more than 100 parking lots, maintains 3,500 miles of groomed snowmobile trails and 700 miles of groomed cross-country ski trails, including marked snowshoe and dog sled trails, and provides tubing hills, signage, mapping, education and enforcement.

The brant goose hunt in Skagit County will proceed as planned after an aerial survey tallied about 16,200 brant in the area. The count, the largest in 14 years, allows the hunt to go forward.

Here is the rest of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife release:

Brant hunting is scheduled Jan. 15, 17, 18, 20, 22, 24, and 25 with a daily bag limit of two geese.

The 16,200 brant counted during today’s aerial survey of Fidalgo, Padilla and Samish bays represent the highest total number of birds observed in those areas since 1995, when nearly 17,000 brant were counted, said Don Kraege, waterfowl section manager for WDFW. At least 6,000 brant must be counted in Skagit County before hunting is allowed.

"The high count is likely due to another season of good production at the birds’ breeding grounds in the Canadian arctic, and severe cold up north pushing more birds south into the area," Kraege said.

Last year, WDFW wildlife biologists counted about 9,200 brant - slightly above the long-term average. About 6,100 brant were counted during aerial surveys in 2007 and about 9,500 the previous year.

Hunters participating in the brant season must have prior written authorization and a harvest information card from WDFW. Hunters need to record their harvest information immediately after taking a brant, and return the completed harvest report to WDFW by Feb. 15. Hunters who fail to return the report by Feb. 15 will be ineligible to hunt brant in the 2009-2010 season.

Hunters who harvest a brant implanted with a radio transmitter should call Kraege at (360) 902-2522. WDFW biologists would like to retrieve the transmitters, which are used to track the migration pattern of the birds.

Hunters who harvest a brant fitted with a colored leg band should also report the leg band’s numbers and color to WDFW. Birds fitted with metal leg bands can be reported by calling 1-800-327-BAND or at www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl . The leg bands help biologists identify and track the birds.

Click here for more information on brant-hunting requirements and WDFW’s Migratory Waterfowl and Upland Game Seasons hunting pamphlet.

This just in from Mount Rainier National Park:

Mount Rainier Acting Superintendent Randy King advises that the road between Longmire and Paradise will not open this weekend, due to damage from the storm that hit the Pacific Northwest earlier this week.
Significant damage has occurred to about a 100' section of the roadway on Glacier Hill approximately 3/4 mile above Glacier Bridge. A portion of the outside edge of the road has sloughed off in this area, making it unsafe for traffic at this time. Park personnel and engineers from the Federal Highway Administration will be assessing the stability of the existing roadway next week and discussing repair options. This damaged area receives heavy snow during the winter and the steep hillside is susceptible to avalanches.

The park will be open to Longmire and the National Park Inn will be open for business, providing overnight accommodations, dining, a gift shop and ski and snowshoe rental. Ranger-led snowshoe walks, normally done at Paradise, will be conducted at Longmire during the weekend. Cross country skiing and snowshoeing can be enjoyed in the Longmire area, but no sledding is allowed. Paradise is the only sledding area in the park. The Longmire Museum is open daily.

Visitors are reminded to be prepared for winter road conditions when driving in the park and to carry tire chains in vehicles. Watch for compact snow and ice and possible falling branches or trees during windy periods.

Businesses outside the park in the gateway communities of Ashford, Elbe and Eatonville are also open for business.

Visitor information websites are available at:

www.nps.gov/mora
www.visitrainier.com
www.mt-rainier.com</blockquote>

Tiana Enger of Crystal Mountain says the resort will stay closed Saturday due to closures on Highway 410. The resort hopes to reopen Sunday, Enger said.

Here's the statement released today by Crystal Mountain:

Crystal Mountain is forced to remain closed until further notice due to several mudslides and water over Highway 410, the only way to access Crystal Mountain during the winter. The Department of Transportation has told mountain officials that they hope to have the highway open on Sunday but can’t make any guarantees at this time. Crystal Mountain has been closed since Wednesday, January 7th, 2009.

All snowsports multi-week programs & the Miles Smart Steep Camp have been canceled for this weekend. The Level 1 Avalanche Hazard Class has been rescheduled for January 17-19, 2009.

On the bright side Crystal Mountain has received 24 inches of new snow over the past 3 days, so great conditions await the return of skiers and boarders.

This statement regarding the snowpack was released by Paul Baugher, Crystal Mountain Patrol Director. “The troublesome weak layers buried deep in the snowpack from early season have become more consolidated with the rain earlier this week and significant load. Lots of caution needs to be used right now but once the snowpack has adjusted to this new load it will be like hitting the reset button. The snowpack is much more friendly when you are just dealing with the new snow instability and not deeply buried weak layers.”

Stay tuned for information on a possible re-opening on Sunday, January 11th, 2009.

A statement released today by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service:

Despite record snowfall accumulations across Washington during the past month, the statewide mountain snowpack is average for this time of the year, according to USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

That’s right, just average.

“For all those residents who have been digging out their driveways and sidewalks for the past month, the notion of an 'average' snowpack must seem like pure hydrological nonsense,” said Scott Pattee, water supply specialist with the NRCS in Mt. Vernon. “But the numbers don't lie. The depth and water content of the snowpack statewide is just about average,” he said.

=> Read more!

Just saw this on Mount Rainier National Park volunteer coordinator Kevin Bacher's blog:

At Carbon River, Jim Hull made it in to the park facilities yesterday and reports minimal damage. We lost a little more ground along the river but not as much as expected. A team is hoping to explore further up the Carbon River Road today. At White River, Matt Knowles tried to get into the park yesterday, but was turned back by the flooding and mudslides on Highway 410 well before the park boundary. He'll try again today. No reports yet from Ohanapecosh, either. When the weather improves, we'd also like to do a fly-over to assess Highway 123 and the backcountry. I'll keep you posted.

Damage assessment continues on the road to Paradise as Mount Rainier National Park after park officials yesterday discovered a large washout.

About a 100-foot section of roadway, on Glacier Hill above the large bridge over the Nisqually River, slid downhill because of severe runoff from heavy rains. More than 8 inches of rain fell at Paradise during the recent storm.

Mount Rainier National Park A Mount Rainier National Park employee surveys the storm damage at Glacier Hill on the Nisqually Road below Paradise.

Engineers are expected to visit the site to determine how much damage has been done and how park staff can proceed with repairs.

The road beyond Longmire remains closed indefinitely.

The road to Longmire received minor damage during the recent storm, but remains opens to the National Park Inn, the museum and other buildings in the complex.

Mount Rainier National Park

The Summit at Snoqualmie ski area reopens at 9 a.m. after two days of closures because of adverse weather. However, not every ski area is as lucky.

All six ski areas in Washington's Cascades have been closed since Tuesday.

Crystal Mountain and White Pass remain closed because of road damage. White Pass plans to reopen Saturday, but the resort likely will only be accessible via Yakima.

Here's the scoop on all six areas.

Summit - OPEN
Crystal - Closed due to the closure of Highway 410.
White Pass - Closed due to closure of Highway 12.
Stevens Pass - Plans to reopen today at noon.
Mt. Baker - OPEN
Mission Ridge - OPEN