LOOKOUT PASS - Volunteer ski instructor Mike McNeil said there's a light that appears in a child's face as he or she finally catches on and becomes excited about skiing.

"I enjoy when you're trying to teach a kid something and they don't realize you're teaching them, then all of a sudden they light up," said McNeil, of Rathdrum. "That light bulb goes off, 'I get this,' and pretty soon they're taking off and enjoying it even more so."

McNeil and about 40 other volunteer instructors hit the slopes Saturday with roughly 350 ski students ages 6-17 as Lookout Pass celebrated the first day of its Famous Free Ski School. The event marked the beginning of the Free Ski School's 75th season at Lookout.

"The first day is the most chaotic," McNeil said, explaining how day one checks the experience levels of the ski students so they may be placed with others who have similar skills. The Free Ski School provides beginner, intermediate and advanced lessons and teaches students the fundamentals of skiing and snowboarding with an emphasis on safety, fun and learning.

"We try to get the skill level the same in each class so that way, the ones that are already going won't be held up by the ones that are still learning, and the ones that are learning, you can spend a little more time with them," McNeil said. "That way you get the same skill set."

Kali Davis, 12, of Osburn, attended an intermediate lesson under McNeil's supervision. She learned how to ski for the first time taking beginner lessons in last year's Free Ski School.

"Most people like it," she said. "I like how they go over everything one step at a time."

She said her favorite part is that she gets to learn for free, and she has made some friends along the way. She may even be an instructor one day.

"I like it here, I like the runs here," she said. "They're not too hard."

The first day of Free Ski School was a busy one. Parents, children and volunteers on snowboards and skis were everywhere, gliding this way and that as hundreds of people dangled on the ski lift chairs overhead. The snow was heavy for part of the late morning, creating a picturesque winter scene as skiers and boarders soared down the mountain.

"A benefit of skiing is it's something you could do your whole life, it's not a one-time thing and then you're done," said Free Ski School administrator and board secretary Tammy Nusz of Smelterville. "It's a great individual sport, so if you've got kids that don't like the competition, that just want to do something on their own, it's a very individual sport."

Nusz and her husband, Chris, have been running the Free Ski School for 10 years. She said volunteers come from all over eastern Washington, North Idaho and even Montana to serve as instructors, and 19 of this season's instructors are junior instructors, who can begin instructing at age 14. She said the students in the Free Ski School love their instructors and overall have a great time.

"You get the big smiles on their faces, or, 'I want to go back out again' or 'Can I go on the lift now?' and that kind of stuff," Nusz said. "It's pretty fun."

The Free Ski School operates separately from the Lookout Pass Snow Sports School and is its own nonprofit organization. Since its inception in 1940, nearly 60,000 kiddos have been introduced to skiing and snowboarding.

About 500 kids have already registered for the 2015 Free Ski School, which is a 10-week program. It is held in conjunction with National Learn a Snow Sport Month, an annual ski industry promotion conducted in January by state, regional and national associations.

Amy Puschert of Mullan enrolled her children in the Free Ski School and her stepson, Ben, 18, volunteered for his first time as an instructor. Her daughter Daisy, 7, was joyful in a pink helmet and ready for the intermediate class.

"How can you miss the opportunity when it's free and it's five minutes from home?" Amy asked. "They're going to be doing it forever if we live here, you know, it's part of life here."

Famous Free Ski School sessions run every Saturday until March 14. Beginner classes start at 10 a.m. followed by intermediate and advanced lessons at 11:30 a.m. Registration is available online at www.skilookout.com/famous-freeski-school or at the registration desk in the main lodge. Registration closes Jan. 24. The students may participate in as many sessions as able. No lift ticket is required during the lesson sessions.

Equipment is not included, but gear is available in the Lookout Pass Rental Shop. Students are encouraged to rent gear at least an hour before the lesson to allow sufficient time to get to the assigned class.

Lift tickets are required after lesson sessions for those who wish to continue skiing and snowboarding for the day. Junior all-day tickets, ages 7-17, are $29 plus Idaho sales tax. Chair 4-only tickets are $12 plus tax. The Free Ski School program concludes with a barbecue and awards ceremony March 14.

The Lookout Pass Snow Bus operates every Saturday the Free Ski School is in session. Buses make round trips to Lookout and back from the Ski Shack in Hayden and Tri-State Outfitters in Coeur d'Alene. Fare is $12. Buses in the Silver Valley and western Montana are free.

Bus info: www.skilookout.com/snow-bus-schedule