There's snow in them thar ski hills
Three inches of snow paints Schweitzer Mountain Resort in bright white as they anticipate the start of the start of the season next month. Photo courtesy Schweitzer Mountain Resort.
Snow bunnies woke up to a surprise Tuesday morning as Schweitzer Mountain Resort reported early season snow.
With 45 days until the mountain opens for ski season, Schweitzer saw 3 inches decorate its slopes.
“We are so happy. We really like snow," said Marketing Manager Dig Chrismer. "It’s a wonderful thing. We are feeling the excitement."
Regarding the resort's snow-making equipment, Chrismer said they typically start pumping out fresh powder by the end of October.
“It’s a fun science. We have these great machines called snow guns which use a formula of air temperature and humidity in the air, to create snow,” Chrismer said. “We usually use it at the beginning of the season to help get things going if Mother Nature has been stingy.”
Chrismer has been on Schweitzer Mountain for the past 10 winters. She said that in 2010-11 a La Niña weather pattern caused the resort to finish the season with 171 inches of snow.
“For us, La Niña is fantastic,” Chrismer said. “Hopefully, it will bring us good conditions all season long.”
According to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center Report, weather scientists believe there is a 50-55% chance of La Niña conditions hitting the Pacific Northwest through the winter.
La Niña winters tend to bring consistent cold storms to North Idaho as well as British Columbia, Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, Utah and parts of Colorado. The last La Niña in 2017-18 favored the northern mountains of the Western United States.
As of NOAA’s most recent three-month outlook, North Idaho should see 33-50% above average precipitation October through April.
The Old Farmers Almanac, a reference book containing weather forecasts, also predicts the possible start of North Idaho’s snowy season to come next week.
Following the pattern of seasons past, Schweitzer Mountain Resort hopes to open the Friday after Thanksgiving and run until April.
Schweitzer was forced to close early on March 18 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In preparation for this year, the resort is selling season passes first and limiting the number of day passes.
“We are finishing our season pass sale on Oct. 31, and once we finish tallying the final number, we will look at historical data to determine how many day tickets will be available,” Chrismer said.
Schweitzer day passes go up for sale on Nov. 9. Passes are sold through Schweitzer's website.
Masks will be required for anyone entering the resort space this winter. In 2019 the mountain opened two new lifts, the cedar park express four-person chair lift, cold burn triple, and performed extensive logging and grading on the hill, creating more trails and space.
“We are all snow junkies up here, so there is a buzz today,” Chrismer said. “We live in North Idaho, so winter is the longest and best season for us. We are ready to get out there.”