Today the ice storm on Highway 410 cut us off from all communication and transportation from the outside world. After several days of storming, wind, closures and weather surprises, today was just icing on the cake. I have to admit that it was kind of nice being entirely off the grid. My cell phone didn’t ring and I have the perfect excuse for not answering emails.

But still.

For those lucky few that stayed overnight or live above the closure at Federation Forest, today was like skiing at a private ski area. About 500 skiers and riders had the entire mountain to themselves. Southback opened at 12:30pm.

The temperatures started off warm, with rain at the base that turned to snow about mid-morning. We picked up another 6″ of snow this afternoon, so there’s hope for tomorrow.

After a funky day yesterday, it was nice to provide a special day to a lucky few. Although it would have been nice if the road opened in time to let more people enjoy the day.

WSDOT now says they will re-evaluate the road at “first light”.

Fingers crossed that the road opens so we can get more skiers up here to ski up this powder. I just can’t do it all by myself. Although I will certainly try.