Schweitzer announces plans for partial opening on Wednesday

Better late than never.

After opening day was delayed by a lack of snow and temperatures too warm for snowmaking, Schweitzer Mountain announced plans to partially open on Wednesday to skiers and snowboarders.

The announcement comes after the arrival of fresh snow and weather conditions that have allowed Schweitzer to run its snowmaking machines.

“Although it’s a late start to the season, there’s a lot of excitement as we head into another La Nina Winter, with plenty of cold temps and fresh snow projected,” Schweitzer COO Tom Chasse said in a news release.

For now, only the Basin Express lift will be running. The lift, which takes off from the mountain’s Village area, will spin daily from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with access to Midway, an intermediate trail.

In the announcement, Schweitzer officials wrote that “no beginner terrain” would be available and that early season conditions mean riders will need to watch out for rocks.

Taylor Prather, Schweitzer’s marketing director, said it’s not clear when the mountain will be able to open more terrain, and that the snowmaking machines need to run for a few more days before they make any adjustments.

Ski season has been off to a slow start across the region but the arrival of snow and cooler temperatures is giving skiers reason for optimism.

Silver Mountain, in Kellogg, opened its bunny hill to skiers on Saturday and Sunday, along with its snow -tubing operation. The mountain plans to reopen Friday “with as much terrain as snow depth allows,” according to a post on its Facebook page.

Other hills in the Inland Northwest are still waiting. Mt. Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park is hoping to open Dec. 13, provided snow keeps falling.

Lookout Pass Ski and Recreation Area, on the Montana-Idaho border, hasn’t named a target date, instead writing in its conditions report that it will open “as soon as we have sufficient snow to do so.” As of Monday, Lookout was reporting about a foot of snow at the summit and four inches at the base.

49 Degrees North has also avoided naming a specific opening date. Unlike Lookout or Mt. Spokane, the ski area near Chewelah has snowmaking machines.

Those are up and running, according to the mountain’s website. The machines have helped boost snow depth on the lower portion of the mountain, but more is needed before the hill can open. On Monday, the mountain’s website was reporting 5 inches at the base and 10 inches at the summit.