Closing Dates Hinge On Fair-Weather Skiers Silver Mountain To Stay Open Saturdays As Long As Enough People Show Up

Dale Greer plans to take advantage of every last minute of ski season before turning her thoughts to gardening.

“I have to learn everything I can this year so next year I can be a pro,” said the Wallace woman as she snow-plowed down a groomed run at Silver Mountain on Sunday.

That’s just what the folks who run the Kellogg ski area want to hear.

Though the mountain’s official closing day is April 9, it will remain open on Saturdays as long as enough people show up, said Jim Volke, marketing director.

In 1997, Silver began holding “Silver Saturdays,” saying that if 1,000 people show up, the resort will be open the following Saturday. Resort management will decide this week whether to open April 15.

“What I will tell you is it looks good,” Volke said. “The temperature is holding in the evening. If there’s any way we can do it, we will do it.

“A few years ago, we actually went to May 17. That was an extraordinary year, but we are above normal for this time of year.”

Silver still has more than 9 feet of snow. Despite similar snowpacks at other resorts, most in the region plan to close April 9. Lookout Pass, on the Montana-Idaho border, said it will host “Race the Face,” a snowmobile hill climb April 8 and 9, then might open for skiing April 15 if conditions and demand warrant it.

“We’ve got plenty of snow. That’s not the concern,” said Phil Edholm, who bought Lookout in September. “It’s just that people are starting to do other things.”

On Sunday, those other things included bicycling, in-line skating and walking dogs in the sunshine. People stopped for homemade ice cream at Roger’s on Sherman Avenue in Coeur d’Alene. The popular drive-in, a fixture in the summer, opened for the season March 17.

But at Silver, the day began as pure winter 28 degrees with overcast skis. Some lower mountain runs were closed early in the day because ski patrollers said they were too icy.

“I thought it would be sunny and nice, but it isn’t,” said Steve Payne, who came up from Spokane. “I love sitting on the deck in the sunshine.”

Payne’s wish was answered later in the day when the sun pushed the clouds aside and warmed hard snow. As the temperature rose into the 40s, people emerged on the lodge’s deck donning sunglasses and tipping back pints of beer.

Spring skiing success is all weatherdependent, said volunteer patroller John Lowell.

“We’ll run out of skiers before we run out of snow,” he said. “On a nice, sunny, warm day, everyone is pumped to go skiing.”

That aptly described Brad Bardwell, who showed up wearing purple shorts with his yellow-and-black ski jacket.

“It’s spring skiing,” the Spokane man said gleefully. “Even if I fall, I don’t get cold.”

John Hassell of Coeur d’Alene echoed that enthusiasm. He said he’s already clocked more than 30 ski days this year and will keep going “til they tell me to go away.

“The longer I do this, the longer I can put off that yardwork.”

WHAT’S NEXT Silver will decide this week whether to open April 15. Most resorts in the region plan to close April 9.