Just Add Snow Resorts Make Final Preparations For Ski Season

After a turbulent off-season filled with lawsuits and ownership scuffles, Mother Nature may play a little joke on Inland Northwest ski areas this year.

But no one’s laughing at El Nino.

The warming trend associated with the balmier ocean temperatures during El Nino traditionally brings less snow to ski hills, though there have been exceptions.

Weather experts like Bob Quinn compare this year’s El Nino forecast with one in 1982, when there was above average rainfall but about 13 inches less snowfall than usual, according to measurements recorded at Spokane International Airport. Most of the precipitation came early in the season.

“Often in the fall, (during this type of El Nino) it’s cool and wet. The key to the whole snow season is - can we get a fair dumping of snow early? If that happens, we can save it,” said Quinn, a professor of geography and climatology at Eastern Washington University and an expert on El Nino.

Records show that during the last 12 El Nino seasons, an average of 21.3 fewer inches of snow fell than during a normal year.

That might be shocking compared with last year’s abundant snowfall, which brought up to 200 more inches of snow than usual to area ski resorts. Skiers were delighted and one resort stayed open, on Saturdays, until mid-May.

Despite the contrast, resort operators and skiers don’t seem to be sweating the weather.

“I’ll ski no matter what the conditions are. There’s no such thing as bad skiing,” said Fred Spicker of Spokane as he browsed racks of new skis at REI on North Monroe.

“You’ll just have to go farther, White Water or Red Mountain (ski areas in British Columbia),” said Topher Brown, an avid skier and snowboarder who works at Mountain Gear on North Division. “It all boils down to altitude.”

Ski areas are working to combat public perception that it’s going to be a low snowfall year.

“It’s snowing now,” Peter Gillis, the new general manager of Schweitzer Mountain Resort, said Wednesday afternoon from his office in the lodge. During the 1982-83 El Nino, Gillis said, the ski area received more snow than usual, topping its 20-year averages by up to 20 inches.

“What we feel at this point is that we’re going to be blessed with more snow than an average year, perhaps as much as last year,” Gillis said.

“We very much hope to be open by Thanksgiving,” he added.

Despite weather predictions, the excitement over last year’s snowfall seems to be carrying over to this year.

Early season pass sales set a new record at Schweitzer this year, Gillis said, bringing in $450,000.

That’s good news for the resort north of Sandpoint, which is operating this year on a $750,000 loan from U.S. Bank while resort ownership issues are decided in court.

“It shows a lot of support and confidence in the local region,” Gillis said. “It’s really great for the mountain and for Sandpoint.”

Silver Mountain also has reported strong early season pass sales. Until Oct. 31, the ski area in Kellogg, Idaho, is selling passes for $345. A first-time promotion also offers a season pass, along with a new pair of Rossignol skis or snowboard, for $499.

Skiers began asking early about season passes this year, said Silver spokesman David Kilmer. Last year’s 500 inches of snow, as compared with 300 inches in a normal year probably has something to do with it, he said.

“A great snow year last year made people more interested in skiing earlier this year. What we’re noticing is interest levels are very high for season passes,” Kilmer said.

Also new this year at Silver is a ski-and-stay package in which skiers calling a central reservation number can pay $39.95 per person for one night’s lodging and a lift ticket. Four Kellogg area hotels are participating in the promotion, with one offering a hot tub and fireplace in every room, Kilmer said.

“We’ve had all these beds out there, but this is a chance to promote them through the ski area,” Kilmer said. “We’re going to play with the big kids this year.”

Neither Silver nor Schweitzer is altering ski runs or terrain this year, unlike the region’s three smaller resorts.

Mt. Spokane, 49 Degrees North near Chewelah, and Lookout Pass on the Montana-Idaho border all plan terrain improvements.

Mt. Spokane is scrambling to get the mountain ready for the ski season because the operation changed hands on Wednesday. Mount Spokane 2000, a nonprofit corporation, took over operations from Mt. Spokane Skiing Corp., which ran the mountain for 21 years. A legal battle contesting the change of operations was settled last week.

Now the mountain has perhaps six weeks before the snow flies in which to hire 150 people, clear brush and get the lodge up to snuff. Resort management is increasing that challenge by building a terrain park, an area with jumps and other obstacles, directed at attracting more young skiers.

Lookout Pass also is adding a terrain park and a 1,100-foot half-pipe run, which is shaped like it sounds and caters to snowboarders.

“It’s mostly for kids,” said Dean Cooper, president of Lookout Recreation Inc. “The nature of Lookout as a family area is marketing to the kids.”

In addition to the terrain park and half-pipe, which will require clearing five acres of trees, Lookout is adding 35 acres of gladed tree skiing on the Montana side of the area.

In addition to the 100 new acres of tree skiing it added last year, 49 Degrees North will open with another 100 acres of glade skiing and a new Olympic-sized half-pipe run. A new tow rope in the ski area’s teaching area will help small children access the bunny hills.

Kilmer said Silver couldn’t afford to make terrain improvements this year because its entire capital budget went into putting a new roof on the Mountain Haus Lodge.

“Skiers will recognize the benefit because we’ll all be warm and dry this year, apres ski,” Kilmer said. “Last year we graded several areas on the mountain and we reconfigured some runs. We had high hopes of doing more of that but this thing (the roof) came first.”

Silver also has posted new maps of the mountain and informational signs at lifts and at various locations throughout the mountain.

At Schweitzer, a new condominium and retail complex should be open before Christmas. The Lazier Plaza, built by Bob Lazier of Colorado, will feature restaurants, ski shops and eight condominium units.

“They’ll offer some of the best views of the lake,” Gillis said.

Gillis said Schweitzer’s chair lifts, including the high speed quad, are well-maintained and in good shape this year. The quad broke down in February 1996 and was closed through the beginning of the following ski season.

New this year, Schweitzer is offering a promotion to Bonner County school children with excellent attendance records.

Those who miss fewer than four days in a semester can buy a season pass for $150. The promotion applies to all students, from kindergarten through high school. Those passes go on sale Nov. 15, based on attendance from the beginning of the year.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 color photos Graphic: Fall ski pre-season pass sales