Still time to hit the slopes

COEUR d'ALENE - There might not be any snow in your backyard, but local ski areas have plenty in theirs.

North Idaho's slope-and-lift hot spots don't plan to shut down a minute early this year - despite the lack of snow at lower elevations.

"We got a blast of snow over the last couple of days, and it's been cold enough," said John Williams, spokesman for Silver Mountain Resort in Kellogg. "Fortunately for us, our slopes face to the north so we don't lose a lot to direct sunlight, and we had a really good base early in the year."

The scheduled closing date for Lookout Pass, 26 miles west of Silver Mountain at the Idaho-Montana border, is April 4.

"We may even go beyond that depending on the weather," said Phil Edholm, president and general manager at Lookout.

Skimpy snowfall amounts 100 miles northeast in Montana forced Turner Mountain ski area to shut down Monday, a month ahead of schedule.

North Idaho skiers shouldn't be concerned about the same thing happening here.

Climatologist Cliff Harris said the area's high mountain peaks will continue to collect snow accumulations for at least another week.

"El Nino is weakening," Harris said.

Cold systems are moving in from the Gulf of Alaska, bringing colder than normal temperatures. But it's later in the season, so those colder temperatures are warmer than they would have been earlier in the winter, Harris said.

This year's snowfall amount of 17.8 inches in Coeur d'Alene is deceptive, Harris said, because it has been snowing off and on at elevations between 2,500 and 3,500 feet.

Snow fell in the hills Thursday and will likely continue into the weekend.

Schweitzer Mountain's base elevation of 4,000 feet has kept its slopes high above the snow line.

The Sandpoint resort's scheduled ski closing date is April 11.

"The second weekend in April is traditionally when the mountain closes, so we have no plans to close early," said Schweitzer spokeswoman Haley Sorbel.

At Silver Mountain, Williams said they're optimistic that they will be able to open on Saturdays after the season ends. Each year, the Kellogg resort holds Silver Saturdays, opening one day each weekend for as long as they have snow and 1,000 visitors show up for each opening.