About 5 a.m. on Wednesday morning, Phil Edholm arrived at snowbound Lookout Pass, checked his inbox and found an exciting e-mail.

"This thing popped up, and it was like, 'Oh my gosh, that's pretty amazing,'" said Edholm, Lookout's president and CEO.

The message came from Skiinfo.com, a massive online database that keeps track of snowfall at every ski area in Europe and North America - more than 2,000 mountains altogether, from Norway to British Columbia. According to Patrick Thorne, Skiinfo content manager, Lookout received more snow in the last week of February than "any other ski area on the planet."

As winter storms blasted the Inland Northwest, Lookout's moguls, groomers and glades caught 6.5 feet of fresh powder.

"I'd say at least once every other year we'll get (an accumulation) of snow like that up here," Edholm said. "We must've hit it just right."

Lookout trumped the famous peaks of Colorado, the Swiss Alps, the Canadian Rockies and the ski hills of Scandinavia. To commemorate the epic snowfall, Skiinfo sent Edholm a special certificate that's now on display at the Lookout lodge.

The wintery blast capped a successful February at the Pass. Favorable conditions brought plenty of snow riders to the Idaho/Montana border - during President's Day weekend, for example, Lookout averaged more than 1,000 skiers and boarders per day, Edholm said.

"It's going to end up being a nice season," he added.

Lookout will definitely remain open until Sunday, April 3, Edholm said. If conditions don't deteriorate, the lifts will probably keep running until April 10.

"It all depends on the weather,"Edholm said. "We're gonna play it by ear."

Powder hounds have been cruising the Lucky Friday glades, Buffalo Gulch and the Montana Face. On the Chair 3 side of the hill, Hercules and Big Dipper are usually fluffy and always steep.

Just south of Kellogg, Silver Mountain Resort has also enjoyed a snow-filled season. Compared to last year, skier visits for February 2011 were up 5.6 percent, according to John Williams, director of sales and marketing.

"The powder has been as good as it's been ever," Williams said.

Conditions have improved since Monday, when the wind gusted to 50 mph and visibility was zero on the mountaintop. Silver was forced to close down for the day.

On Friday, though, the weather was partly cloudy, with a high temperature near 30 degrees. The best snow, Williams reported, is stashed on the Chair 4 side of the hill, near the powdered slopes of Wardner Peak. There's still some good stuff in the trees, too.

Silver will close its weekday operations on April 10, but Silver Saturdays will continue until April 30.

"We'll go into May, if the interest and snow holds up," Williams said. "We're looking forward to a really good spring. Skiing should be excellent."

Schweitzer Mountain, high above Sandpoint and Lake Pend Oreille, boasts a 136-inch base at the top of the hill.

Marketing coordinator Sean Briggs said there's still a good six weeks left in Schweitzer's season. Like Lookout and Silver, the mountain has been getting hammered.

"The snow lately has just been amazing," Briggs said. "The snowpack is in great shape."

Skiers can plow through light powder in Wayne's Woods, he reported, and the snow was "perfect" on Thursday at the Lakeside Chutes - up on the high side of the Outback Bowl.

The resort will shut down April 10, Briggs said. But before the season ends, Schweitzer will host several events and celebrations, including a major freestyle competition.

"Busy, busy spring coming up, so we're pretty excited," Briggs said.