Schweitzer 50th anniversary season to open Saturday

Schweitzer Mountain Resort near Sandpoint will open for the season on Saturday at 9 a.m.

The resort will operate Saturday and Sunday with 400 acres of open terrain.

Meanwhile, Lookout Pass Ski and Recreation Area near the Idaho-Montana border is still planning to open today. As of Wednesday, Lookout reported having 10 inches of snow at the base and 26 inches at the summit.

Silver Mountain Resort in Kellogg is planning to open Nov. 29, the day after Thanksgiving, snow permitting.

As of Tuesday, Silver reported having 23 inches of snow at Kellogg Peak and 12 inches mid-mountain.

At Schweitzer, terrain will be available for all ability levels with the Basin Express and Musical Chairs lifts open.

The two chairs are scheduled to operate from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. during opening weekend. The mountain will include a few intermediate park features and the nordic system will have limited groomed runs.

Thanks to early season snowfall and snowmaking, Schweitzer is able to open for this "sneak peak" weekend. Schweitzer will close down mid-week and then re-open on Friday, Nov. 29 for the weekend.

For the weekend, lift tickets will be available at the reduced rate of $45 for everyone except children 6 and younger, who ski free. For those individuals who only wish to ski on Musical Chairs, tickets prices will be $25.

Schweitzer's Sunday-to-Friday passholders may also ski this Saturday at no charge.

Schweitzer has received 40 inches of snow this season in the village, and base depths range from 1 to 3 feet depending on elevation.

This weekend's weather forecasts call for sunny skies and temperatures in the lower 30s at Schweitzer.