Finally! – As they say in Congress, “A million here, a million there, pretty soon you’re talking real money.” And so it goes for our snowfall this year. Our prospects look a lot better this week. More than 15 inches of snow will open more terrain this weekend, and there’s even more snow in the forecast. Hope you used the past two weeks to find your ski legs, because ski season is upon us!

Shiffrin rolls – Mikaela Shiffrin notched her 47th and 48th World Cup wins this week in Super G and Parallel Slaloms held in St Moritz, Switzerland. Shiffrin has won five of the nine ladies World Cup events this year, taking a huge lead in the overall standings. She’s blazing toward breaking nearly every record in both genders. Laurenne Ross was the only other US girl in the points, with 27th in the Super G. The Men’s events at Val Gardenia were canceled due to weather, however we had strong showings in the Giant Slalom at Val d’Isere, France. PNSA alumni Tommy Ford was fifth and Ted Ligety was 25th.

Community $10 Day Fundraiser – This Friday 100 percent of the proceeds from your $10 lift tickets will benefit local non-profits.

Learn to Cross Country Day – The Sandpoint Nordic Club collaborates with Schweitzer to help you learn the ropes from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Nice Turns – Free trial Saturday, 1-3 p.m. Contact the Learning Center for details.

Junior Race Series sign-up – Fliers for the January Independence Junior Race Series are at the local ski shops. This popular series features free coaching, lots of prizes, lots of kids and lots of fun! Racers meet four Friday evenings in January from 5:30 to 7 p.m. No excuses – come join the fun! Historically we get an 80 percent participant return rate, so you better register now. Forms are at the Alpine Shop and Sandpoint Sports, or can be downloaded at www.independenceracing.com.