PORT ANGELES — Barrett Christy is a pro snowboarder who participated in the 1998 Winter Olympics and has more X Games medals than any other woman.
Her husband, Temple Cummins, also is a pro snowboarder with X Games experience and who is on YouTube jumping a moving train on a snowboard.
The couple, new Sequim residents, are expected to be special guests at a Saturday fundraiser to raise community funds to continue winter access to Hurricane Ridge all winter, weather permitting.
After all, Christy and Cummins moved to the area because of daily access to the Ridge during winter months, said Frank Crippen, owner of North by Northwest.
“They moved here from Gig Harbor to surf, [for] the recreational opportunities and the road being open year-round to the Ridge,” said Crippen, a board member of the Hurricane Ridge Winter Sports Club, which is sponsoring the fundraiser.
“Going up to the Ridge every day in the winter was a big influence for them to move up here.”
For the road to Hurricane Ridge to stay open, though, $9,000 still needs to be raised by Monday’s deadline, Crippen said.
About $66,000 has been raised by the community toward a goal of $75,000 to keep the road open seven days a week from late fall to spring except for when storms shut the Ridge down.
Saturday’s Hurricane Ridge Winter Access Benefit, scheduled for the R Bar, 134 E. Front St., should go a long way toward reaching that goal, Crippen said.
The event for those 21 and older costs $25 at the door, starts at 6 p.m. and lasts until 10 p.m. — though those who attend can stay longer.
It will feature bands, disc jockeys, drink specials, raffles, a silent auction and a happy hour with a free buffet and free beer and wine from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The entrance fee to the fundraiser goes down to $10 after 8 p.m.
“Party all night, until 2 a.m. if you want,” Crippen said.
The deadline for the community fund is Monday.
Community donations are needed to match a $250,000 federal Department of Interior pledge to keep the Ridge open in the winter.
“There is only one road to Hurricane Ridge, so we need to keep it open,” Crippen said.
“In Seattle, 15 roads go to the Cascades, but we have only one that goes up into the snow.”
In the winter, Hurricane Ridge offers winter sports fun for families, including skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing and other snow events.
This is the second year of a pilot project by Interior to keep the road to Hurricane Ridge open seven days a week in the winter.
In 2010, Interior agreed to provide the funds for two or three years if community members raised $75,000 each year of the trial.
Crippen and other fundraising leaders are hoping snowboarding superstars Christy and Cummins will help pack the R Bar with snow enthusiasts Saturday.
Calls requesting comment from the two were not answered.
Those who can’t attend the party can still donate.
Checks to keep the road open also can be taken to North by Northwest, 902 S. Lincoln St., or Necessities & Temptations, 217 N. Laurel St., Crippen said.
Checks can be written to Washington’s National Park Fund, Olympic National Park-Hurricane Ridge, or they can be mailed to Washington’s National Park Fund, Olympic National Park-Hurricane Ridge, at Chase, P.O. Box 64626, University Place, WA 98464.
Donations can also be made online at the website of Washington’s National Park Fund, www.wnpf.org.
To help reach the goal, Clallam County commissioners agreed to a $25,000 match Tuesday.
The Port Angeles City Council voted unanimously to contribute $25,000 last month. The Sequim City Council also approved a $5,000 donation.
Other contributions include $3,000 from the Olympic Tourism Commission, $2,500 from the Port Angeles Business Association and $1,000 from the Clallam County Bed and Breakfast Association.
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Sports Editor Brad LaBrie can be reached at 360-417-3525 or at [email protected]