The mountains are looking fine; down in the city, that's a different story.

It's mid-December and Coeur d'Alene has only seen a dusting of snow, but up high, ski resorts are doing much better.

Coeur d'Alene received a touch of snow Wednesday, and more could fall today, the first snowfall in town since Nov. 21.

Skiers, however, don't have to wait on the weather report. Local resorts are reporting ideal conditions.

Silver Mountain, in Kellogg, has 52 of its 73 trails in operation, with more slated to open Friday if up to 7 inches of snow falls as expected, said John Williams, spokesman.

Just about 60 inches of snow covers the summit, while 38 inches sit at the base.

It's not just downhill or snowboarding, either. A record number of skiers enjoyed the machine-groomed Nordic trails Sunday, and the resort offers night snow tubing during the holiday season.

That's right, hop on a tube and fly downhill.

All 2,900 acres of terrain is open at Schweitzer Mountain, according to Sean Briggs, spokesman.

Lower elevations have 32 inches, mid-levels 45 inches and upper areas have close to 60 inches.

Kids can ski with Santa on Dec. 23 and 24.

Lookout Pass is 100 percent open, according to its website. It has 35 inches at the base and 57 inches up top.

Getting back to lower elevations, 10.9 inches fell in Coeur d'Alene in November; well short of last year's November record of 38.3 inches. Moderate amounts should fall today, said Cliff Harris, regional climatologist. Christmas should be a white one too, he said.