MULLAN, Idaho — Ski and snowboard season begins in Idaho Saturday -- at least on one mountain.
Lookout Pass will open two lifts, Chair 1 and Chair 4, on Nov. 12 and 13. Hours for the limited early-season opening are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, with opening weekend rates of $35 for adults between the ages of 18 and 61, and $25 for youth 7 to 17 years old and seniors ages 62 to 79.
Lookout Pass will be closed Monday through Thursday, then reopen Friday, Nov. 18, and operate through "at least Sunday, Nov. 20," according to a news release on behalf of the ski area, which is located along the Idaho-Montana border near Mullan, east of Wallace in Shoshone County.
Matt Sawyer, the marketing and sales director for Lookout Pass, said early-season conditions exist -- skiers and boarders may encounter obstacles and thin spots.
"If all you have is new gear, you may want to wait for more snow," Sawyer said.
Most ski-area operators in southern Idaho are waiting until on or after Thanksgiving to start running the lifts. Two exceptions are Grand Targhee Resort on the Idaho-Wyoming border, which plans to open Nov. 18, with slopeside lodging opening Nov. 17; and Pomerelle Mountain Resort in south-central Idaho near Albion, which plans to begin weekend operations on Nov. 18.
Other projected opening dates are as follows:
- Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area will open hike park Nov. 19; lifts to begin turning Nov. 24 (Thanksgiving Day).
- Also Nov. 24, Sun Valley Resort (Dec. 9 for Dollar Mountain).
- Nov. 25: Brundage Mountain; Kelly Canyon near Ririe; Silver Mountain near Kellogg; Schweitzer near Sandpoint (sneak preview Nov. 19-20; daily operations start Nov. 25).
- Dec. 9: Tamarack Resort
- Dec. 15: Soldier Mountain (Magic Carpet area to open Nov. 25)
- Dec. 16: Pebble Creek Ski Area near Inkom
- Dec. 17: Little Ski Hill in McCall (Half of cross-country trail system at Bear Basin Nordic Center is already open); Rotarun Ski Area near Hailey
- Dec. 26: Cottonwood Butte
Opening dates and operations schedules may change depending on weather conditions and snow levels.
Even if Idaho's mountains receive a big dump of snow earlier than expected, skiers shouldn't expect resorts to open ahead of their projected dates.
Brundage Mountain general manager Ken Rider posted a letter in response to "tons of messages from excited skiers and riders," saying, in part, "we still need more snow to be able to open." Also, Rider writes, Brundage needs to be ready to provide patrol services in order to open, and the resort still has a lot of open seasonal staff positions to fill.
"We haven't ruled out opening before November 25, but in the spirit of full transparency, that is the most likely scenario for Opening Day for the Winter 2022-23 season."
As of Friday, Nov. 11, Brundage had received 14 inches of fresh snow this week, bringing the season total at the base to 39 inches. Bogus Basin reported 17 inches of new snow over the past seven days and a season total of 37 inches.
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