Silver Mountain, Schweitzer to open on Friday

Though the weather outside is frightful, for ski resorts, it's so delightful.

Schweitzer and Silver mountain skis resorts, located near Sandpoint and Kellogg, respectively, both plan to open Friday.

Lookout Pass opened last week.

Schweitzer will open at 9 a.m. and operate Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the holiday weekend.

The Nordic trail network is also scheduled to be available for opening day, with several trails expected to be groomed. The resort will be closed midweek following the holiday weekend, re-opening for the first weekend in December.

At Silver Mountain, the gondola will start up at 8:15 a.m. and the lifts will be working from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Snow tubing will be available from 9 to 4 p.m.

Lifts turning chair two, chair two basin and for the tubing hill will be running Friday.

Silver Mountain reported 24 inches at Kellogg Peak Monday, and 16 inches mid-mountain. Schweitzer's snow depths ranged from 16 inches in the village to over 40 inches up top.

Both resorts report that a combination of significant early season snowfall, coupled with exceptional snowmaking temperatures, will allow for a strong opening.