Ski industry sweating for snowfall

[Sundodger]

For education & discussion purposes only

Battered ski industry sweating for snowfall

After a horrible season last year due to lack of snow, there is some optimism this year:

Meteorologist Larry Schick agrees, predicting an early start

[Sundodger]

Mt. Baker opens today!

Ski areas open this week

[Sundodger]

Good news in the NW Rockies too:

Local slopes see powder early

Barring a change in conditions, Lookout Pass Ski Area will open Friday, nearly two weeks before Thanksgiving.

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Lookout, at the Idaho/Montana border, had more than 30 inches of snow at the summit Monday.

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Schweitzer Resort north of Sandpoint had 32 inches of snow at the summit Monday morning. It is scheduled for a Thanksgiving ski opener, but the slopes may open early if conditions allow.

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Silver Mountain Resort in Kellogg is set to open on Thanksgiving, said Stephen Lane, spokesman for the ski area.

"We've got some maintenance things to finish up," he said.

Resort Roundup

Lookout Pass

[Sundodger]

Tamarack gets a little pub in Sunday's Charlotte Observer & other newspapers via a MarketWatch article:

Uncrowded Idaho

Tamarack, above Cascade Lake about 90 miles north of Boise, Idaho, is about to start its second season. While the master plan calls for spending about $1.5 billion to develop a full-bore four-season resort, it already has more than 800 acres of skiable terrain on its 2,800-foot vertical drop."Right now, it is for intermediates, but it is going to be pretty epic," Berman said. "And they are limiting it to 1,500 skiers a day -- and there are very few resorts doing that."

When it comes to price, Tamarack falls into the "if you have to ask" category, she said. "They are trying for that exclusive feel -- telling a certain segment of the skiing population that they are not welcome there."

[Sundodger]

Boise Weekly's Northwest Mountain Guide

It is a little incomplete but not too bad. It leaves out Mt. Baker and Mission Ridge.

[Boisefan]

It snowed today in the vally in Boise, i think Bogus Basin has atleast a foot of snow, anything could be better than last year though...

[monsoon]

It's a challenge for the ski industry in general. The winters are not as cold as they once were and there is also less snow fall in a lot of places.

[Sundodger]

The Times & P-I both have articles on area resorts & their recent updates:

Ski areas increase snowmaking, change terrain, add attractions

Skiing/boarding In The West: New lifts, new deals at resorts this season

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Bigger, better Snoqualmie envisioned

Seattle's backyard ski area could grow by a third in the next several years, with more lifts, more terrain, three times more restaurant seating and better parking.

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Mission Ridge's gamble on a high-speed quad is paying off