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

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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.

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

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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.

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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

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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

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