THE WAIT IS finally over (I think).
With plenty of snow sitting atop Hurricane Ridge, and much of the leg work taken care of, skiers and snowboarders can expect an operable Poma lift this weekend.
Of course, that’s assuming the mountain doesn’t get snowed in like it has the past two weekends.
If such is the case, the snow sports community can expect some exceptional shredding.
“If we open, it’s going to be a great weekend,” Hurricane Ridge Winter Sports Club member Joe Gladfelter said.
“There’s so much snow, it’s unbelievable. It’s big snow.”
The virgin conditions couldn’t come at a better time.
The Winter Sports Club will be holding its annual Brad Stenger Memorial Citizen’s Race on Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m.
Participants will get to ski down a slalom course on the intermediate hill, with gold, silver and bronze medals given to the top racers in each age category.
Trophies will also be awarded each day for the fastest boy and fastest girl.
Race fees are $15 for one day or $25 for both.
All racers will get a commemorative T-shirt and barbecue.
Road status and current conditions for Hurricane Ridge Road are available by phoning the park’s recorded information line at 360-565-3131 or by visiting www.nps.gov/olym.
For information on lift rates, visit hurricaneridge.com.
Rain needs to go
St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland.
Now, we need him to come over to the North Olympic Peninsula and get rid of all this rain.
If we are going to enjoy March Madness on West End rivers — when the mammoth steelhead reign supreme — this has got to stop.
A brief reprieve Thursday gave anglers hope for the weekend.
It was enough to make Bob Gooding of Olympic Sporting Goods (360-374-6330) in Forks sound uncharacteristically optimistic.
“The Sol Duc is going to fish [today],” the West End stalwart said. “It ain’t going to be great, but it’s going to fish.”
In these damp and dark times, that will do.
Whenever the Sol Duc has been fishable this season, things have worked out pretty well.
As last week’s creel checks attested — 91 anglers accounting for 121 wild steelhead — there are plenty of natives around.
“As good as it has been in there, I think it’s going to be all right,” Gooding said.
I wouldn’t hold out much hope for the Hoh River, however.
This last patch of rain surely will put that thing out for a few more days at least.
One other reason to head to the Duc once the water dies down: There’s been a few reports of spring chinook entering the Quillayute system.
Talk about a nice surprise. Just don’t head out to the river with springer on the brain.
“If you went to target them, I’d think you’d have a pretty lonely day on the river,” Gooding said.
Blackmouth update
This week’s unpleasantness wasn’t just confined to the rivers.
Between the tsunami business and all that bluster, anglers had a few obstacles to deal with in their pursuit of winter blackmouth.
“[Thursday] has been pretty nice, but the weather has been pretty nasty the last couple of days, so guys weren’t out that much,” Wally Butler of Swain’s General Store (360-452-2357) in Port Angeles.
Tim Allison of Port Angeles did bring in a 14-pound, 7-ounce fish on Wednesday, but that was one of the few success stories this week.
“There’s been a few other guys who called us, saying that they had fish, but nothing of size,” Butler said.
Before things went south, Marine Area 6 (eastern Strait) churned out quite a few fish. The same could be said for Area 12 (Hood Canal), according to Quilcene resident Ward Norden.
“The Geoduck Derby . . . had some of the best angler success I have seen in any derby I have witnessed in the last 20 years,” Norden said. “Well over one in four anglers had fish in the box if not weighed in for the ladder.
Added Norden, “I was at the weighing station and those I could bribe with free tackle were telling me that most of the action was at Point Misery and Oak Head, but there was also a distinct afternoon bite right offshore from the weigh station at Pleasant Harbor.”
Things have remained quiet in Area 5 (Sekiu).
Without enough anglers heading out into the water, there just hasn’t been much to report, Donalynn Olson of Olson’s Resort 360-963-2311 in Sekiu said.
“I had one fish; one boat that came in with a nice blackmouth,” she said.
Teeny talks
World-class fly fisherman Jim Teeny will hold a special all-day presentation at Guy Cole Convention Center in Sequim’s Carrie Blake Park on Saturday.
The author of several fly fishing books, Teeny has fished some of the most sought-after waters in the world. His company, Jim Teeny Inc., has provided fly fishing gear to anglers since 1971.
At Saturday’s event, he will dispense knowledge on new fly lines and techniques, fishing in British Columbia and Alaska and fishing the four seasons in Washington and Oregon.
Teeny will also give anglers insight on how specific methods for catching trophy trout and steelhead, and fishing still-waters and flies.
The event will go from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a lunch break from noon to 1 p.m.
It is sponsored by the Olympic Peninsula Fly Fishers, Port Ludlow Fly Fishers and Grey Wolf Fly Fishing Club.
Admission is $5 for non-members and $3 for members. Raffle tickets will be sold for $1.
Also . . .
■ Professional downhill mountain bike racing returns to Port Angeles’ Dry Hill this spring with the first stop in the Pro GRT on April 9-10.
For more information, visit www.progrt.com.
■ Waters West will hold a free fly-tying and fishing seminar at its Port Angeles shop, 140 W. Front St., on March 26 at 10 a.m.
The seminar will focus on beach flies for sea-run coastal cutthroat trout.
■ Coastal Conservation Association-North Olympic Peninsula Chapter will talk fishing at its monthly meeting next Thursday in Port Angeles.
Chapter members will plan fishing outings and discuss blackmouth, steelhead, spring chinook and halibut. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at Wine on the Waterfront, 115 E. Railroad Ave.
■ Puget Sound Anglers will hold the first All PSA Salmon Derby based out of Point Hudson Marina in Port Townsend on April 9.
The derby will include waters in Marine Area 6 and 9, with fishing open until 4 p.m. for fin-clipped chinook.
Tickets will cost $20, with all funds paid out as prizes (first place gets 40 percent).
Tickets can be purchased by PSA members and guests only. Funds must be mailed in by April 4.
North Olympic Peninsula Chapter members should contact Mike Schmidt at 360-460-0331. East Jefferson Chapter members can contact Jerry Johnson at 360-379-2855.
■ Port Townsend resident Leif Whittaker will talk about climbing exploits throughout the world during a special presentation March 29 in Port Angeles.
Whittaker will share stories, photographs and video from expeditions to the highest summits in Antarctica and South America as well as Mount Everest.
The presentation is set for 7 p.m. at the Peninsula College Little Theater, 1235 E. Lauridsen Blvd.
Tickets cost $20 and are available at Necessities and Temptations, North by Northwest Surf Shop and Brian’s Sporting Goods and More in Sequim.
■ Jefferson County Sportsmen’s Club will host a free event for first-time shooters at its Port Townsend range, 112 Gun Club Road, on March 26.
Part of National Shooting Sports Foundation’s First Shots program, the event offers a comprehensive introduction to target shooting by qualified instructors.
The free seminar consists of 90 minutes of classroom time on safety and other elements of firearm ownership as well as hands-on range experience.
Lunch will also be served by Jefferson County Hunter Education instructors, with donations accepted for the youth hunter education program.
Pre-registration is required and can be done by contacting Levi Ross at 360-390-8018 or levi@armspro.com.
■ Washington Trails Association will gather an all-day work party at Peabody Creek Trail inside Olympic National Park on March 29.
Volunteers must pre-register 48 hours in advance. To pre-register, contact Washington Trails at 206-625-1367 or visit www.wta.org.
■ Deer and elk hunters have until March 31 to enter their names in a drawing for a 2011 multiple-season permit.
Winners of the drawing will be eligible to purchase a special tag, allowing them to participate in archery, muzzleloader and modern-firearm general hunting seasons for deer or elk in 2011.
Hunters may purchase a multiple-season permit application at an authorized license dealer, or by calling 866-246-9453.
For more information, visit http://wdfw.wa.gov/, or call the licensing department at 360-902-2464.
■ Author and fly fisherman Doug Rose will give a presentation on his outdoor experiences on the Peninsula at the Port Townsend Public Library, 1220 Lawrence St., on April 9 at 5 p.m.
Rose has written three books focused on fly fishing on the Peninsula, as well as hundreds of articles in magazines like Fly Fisherman, American Angler and Northwest Fly Fishing.
His insightful blog (dougroseflyfishing.com) is a must read for any fly fisher in the area.
■ We’re a little less than a month away from the 11th annual Port Angeles Kayak Symposium in downtown Port Angeles on April 15-17.
The event includes numerous on-water and off-water clinics, kayak demos, a kayak race and special presentations the nights of April 15 and 16.
For more information, visit www.raftandkayak.com.
Send photos, stories
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.