Downhill from here in the Silver Valley

Mid-March snowstorms have put the Silver Valley’s local ski hills in prime position to finish the winter strong.  

Silver Mountain received more than a foot of new snow last weekend. According to marketing manager Gus Colburn, the extra snow was just what the doctor ordered. 

“The late-season snowstorm was a welcome surprise,” Colburn said. “We got 15 inches throughout the weekend at Silver, providing a much-needed refresh and giving all us powder hounds some deep turns.”  

Silver Mountain’s final ski day is scheduled for April 20, but the day before that is one of the mountain’s busiest when the annual Leadman Triathlon takes place. 

“This new snow should give us great coverage through the end of the season,” Colburn said. “We always have backup plans for the Leadman ski course in case of low snow, but we are sitting pretty solid."  

Lookout Pass Ski and Recreation Area Director of Marketing Matt Sawyer said the hill has received 39 inches of snow since last week. 

Much like their neighbors to the west, Lookout scheduled their final day of the season on April 20, but they have plenty of special events scheduled between now and then.  

“We plan to finish the season strong. More snow is on the way,” Sawyer said. “We have two of our favorite events at the end of the season each year to keep people thinking of skiing.” 

Those events include the April 6 College Jersey Challenge, followed by the annual Cardboard Box Derby and Luau on April 13, and then on the final day of skiing, the mountain hosts a mountain-wide Easter egg hunt April 20.  

“Conditions are incredible,” Sawyer said. “The mountain is being groomed nightly with generally more than 30 trails groomed each night.” 

The weekend after skiing ends, the mountain allows snow enthusiasts of another kind to enjoy the hill. 

“We have an uphill Snowmobile race April 26-27, the weekend after we close for downhill skiing and snowboarding,” Sawyer said. “Those machines will be tearing up the mountain at great speeds. Should be another fun weekend for a different user base.” 

    Lookout Pass Ski and Recreation Area received more than three feet of snow recently, which made for some excellent runs for skiers and snowboarders.