It may only be mid-October, but fresh snow is already blanketing Silver Mountain and Lookout Pass Ski Area, fueling hopes for early openings and long seasons among skiers and snowboarders. 

Last weekend, the first major snowstorm of the season swept in from British Columbia, dropping several inches of snow at elevations as low as 3,000 feet. 

In Kellogg, Silver Mountain Marketing Manager Gus Colburn said Tuesday that Kellogg Peak received 10 inches of snow, several inches more than forecasted. 

“The frosted peaks were a welcome sight this weekend, about a week earlier than our first snow last year,” Colburn said. “Our crews are busy getting the mountain ready for opening day, which is scheduled for Nov. 28. If the snow continues to pile up, we won't rule out an early opening."

At the Idaho-Montana border, Lookout Pass Ski Area Marketing Director Matt Sawyer said an early opening is possible. 

“If conditions are right, we will always look to open as soon as possible and prudent,” Sawyer said. “Base elevation helps a bit here, too.” 

Lookout Pass, located on Interstate 90 at 4,700 feet elevation, sits just 1,000 feet below Silver Mountain’s Mountain Haus. During the storm, the ski area received 9 inches of snow at the summit and 4 inches at the base. 

“I would look for a Nov. 21 or 28 opening day,” Sawyer said. “Our guests understand that all our snow is heavenly sent, so our opening could be earlier if the weather gods deliver. We've mowed most of the slopes on the front side and quite a few on other lifts so we could open with 20 to 24 inches of good snow.” 

Meteorologists are predicting above-average snowfall this season.

Last year, Lookout opened Nov. 8.

Schweitzer has set a tentative opening date of Nov. 21. It received its first significant snowfall of the season over the weekend of Oct. 11-12 when about 5 inches fell in the village and about 7 inches at the summit.