Schweitzer Plans Weekend Opening

Schweitzer Mountain Resort in Sandpoint will open this weekend, the fourth Inland Northwest ski hill to switch on the lifts before Thanksgiving.

A whopping 40 inches of snow dropped by the big storm this week means skiers will be able to make turns on every inch of the mountain starting Saturday, said Bob Hamilton,

marketing director for the resort.

“It’s possibly our best opening conditions ever,” Hamilton said. That’s good news for a ski resort whose owners are in a financial squeeze, having filed for receivership late last month.

Work on the Great Escape four-person chairlift continues, with the target date for completion still mid-December. The lift is being rebuilt and improved, and crews are working seven days a week until the job is done. Until then, skiers will get discounted lift tickets of $25 a day for adults and $20 for students and seniors.

The resort will close after Sunday, but reopen for daily skiing starting on Thanksgiving. Last year, Schweitzer opened Dec. 16 with substantially less snow on its slopes. Schweitzer, the region’s biggest resort, has close to five feet of snow at its summit.

The resort’s size and staff, numbering close to 600, make early openings more difficult because of training schedules for new employees.

Silver Mountain Resort in Kellogg, Lookout Pass Ski Area in Mullan and 49 Degrees North in Chewelah already announced they would open before next week’s holiday.

Mount Spokane Ski Area will be the only hill not open this weekend. Management there hopes to have it open on Thanksgiving Day.

, DataTimes MEMO: IDAHO HEADLINE: Schweitzer to open lifts this weekend