By Zach Hagadone
Reader Staff
With an early snowfall in mid-October, the 2020-’21 winter season is shaping up to deliver healthy accumulation — at least in the heights. According to the venerable Farmers’ Almanac, it’s going to be a season of the “great divide,” meaning certain regions of the country will experience extreme cold and wintery weather, while others are dry and mild.
The “chilly fringe” will be the southeastern area of the country, with colder-than-normal temps. The southwest, including Arizona and southern California, are going to experience a dry and mild winter. Up here in the Inland/Pacific Northwest, we’re the “crazy in-between,” where the Pacific coastal plain, from northern California through Oregon and Washington, “rainy and wet weather will be the rule for the winter ahead,” the Almanac states. North Idaho, according to the experts, will be on the cusp between the bitter cold and blustery snow blasts forecast in the Midwest and the wet conditions anticipated for the West Coast.
According to Schweitzer Mountain Resort Spokesperson Dig Chrismer, the mountain is anticipating an opening day of Friday, Nov. 27.
“The long-term forecast is calling for a ‘La Nina’ weather event this winter, which could mean significant snowfall in our part of the world. The last time we had a strong La Nina was in 2010-’11 when we ended the season with 171 inches of snow still on the summit,” she told the Reader in an email.
Chrismer said the resort did some logging and glading on approximately 200 acres off of the Stella run, “so our fans should notice significant improvements on that side of the mountain,” she wrote.
“We are eager to get back in the North Bowl and enjoy skiing the runs off Cedar Park Express and the Coburn Triple,” Chrismer added, stating that mountain leadership, including President and CEO Tom Chasse, has worked hard to adapt to COVID-19 safety protocols.
“First off, we will require face masks or face coverings indoors this winter,” Chrismer stated. “We will also be limiting the number of people in our food and beverage outlets to provide for social distancing, and we will not be offering ‘day-of’ lift ticket purchases at the ticket window.”
Season pass sales end Saturday, Oct. 31, after which time Schweitzer officials will use historical data to calculate an approximate number of visitors for any given day of the season, then offer limited date-specific lift tickets for sale.
According to Chrismer, “Those tickets will be on sale starting Nov. 9 and once a day is sold out, it’s sold out.”
“Our goal with this approach is to accommodate all of our season-passholders and Schweitzer lodging guests as a priority,” Chrismer told the Reader. “We are all eager to get back out on the mountain for some much-needed outdoor recreation this winter. To do that, we ask that everyone continues to play their part in limiting the spread of COVID-19 by adhering to recommendations from the health district as well as being kind, compassionate and patient as we navigate these truly unique times together.”
Follow mountain updates, including snow conditions, at schweitzer.com.
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