Saturday, October 17, 2026
Did you know this winter a first-time skier at Schweitzer can earn a season of spring skiing just by learning? The resort's new Learn to Ski in 3 program leads this morning's ski news, 41 days out from tentative opening day on Friday, November 27. Designed for guests ages 13 and older, the program bundles three group lessons with lift access, professional instruction, and equipment rentals, and anyone who completes all three lessons earns a free Schweitzer Grad Pass, good for unlimited skiing from March through closing day. It headlines a 2026-27 lineup that also includes a new six-week Women's Wednesdays program, private night skiing, and 3-Packs starting at 249 dollars.
The countdown has its practical side, too. Schweitzer's season pass sale ends November 15, when savings end and prices go up, so pass buyers still have a few weeks, but not forever, to lock in. Closer on the calendar, the Schweitzer Alpine Racing School's annual Ski Swap returns to the Bonner County Fairgrounds on Saturday, November 14, with gear check-in on November 13 and shopping from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on swap day; proceeds benefit SARS ski racing and freeride programs for more than 150 local and regional athletes. This winter also marks the 10th anniversary of Sky House, the summit lodge atop the Great Escape Quad, with panoramic views of Lake Pend Oreille.
On the mountain itself, Schweitzer's own Mountain Report shows a clear shoulder-season Saturday: clear in the village at 51 degrees with a light north-northwest wind at 2 mph, and clear up top, with the summit at 45 degrees and a south-southwest wind at 20 mph. The resort's village forecast calls for a windy Saturday with a high of 48 and a low of 37 tonight, then a high of 42 and a low of 41 on Sunday, and a cloudy Monday with a high of 45 and a low of 41. The snow report fields are still blank dashes for new snow, base depth, and surface conditions, with 0 of 10 lifts and 0 of 92 trails open and the resort closed for the season, so there is no ski operation yet, just a mountain quietly getting ready.
Saturday is our wildlife and scenery day, and mid-October is a fine time to look around. The Selkirks are in fall color above a deep-blue Lake Pend Oreille, and at Trestle Creek, east of Sandpoint off Highway 200, the kokanee run is still the quiet show of the season: the landlocked salmon turn bright red as they move into the creek to spawn, bald eagles gather in the cottonwoods, and visitors watch from the bank, since the creek is closed to fishing to protect the spawning fish. It is also a good morning to give back to that shoreline, as volunteers gather at City Beach today for the cleanup described below.
In panhandle news, Washington Elementary School in Sandpoint is adding stronger barriers at its school-hours crossing after a driver drove through two closed gates on Thursday morning, October 15. No injuries were reported, and families were notified; the school has parked cars in front of the gates as a temporary barrier, added reflective Type 3 barriers, and is discussing gate redesigns with the city. In school sports, the Sandpoint High girls soccer team hosts Idaho Falls in a win-or-go-home state play-in game at War Memorial Field today at 1 p.m., with the Bulldogs entering at 9-7-1.
Today's events calendar is one of the fullest of the fall. It starts with the Fall Shoreline Clean Up from 8 to 11 a.m. at Sandpoint City Beach Park, where the Idaho Conservation League and the City of Sandpoint meet at the pavilion for coffee, pastries, and supplies before teams fan out along City Beach, Sand Creek, and the Pend d'Oreille Bay Trail. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Sandpoint Farmers Market closes its season with Harvest Fest at Farmin Park, with live music from Oak Street Connection and its traditional food drive for the Bonner Community Food Bank, where a donation earns a raffle ticket for a vendor gift basket. At 2 p.m., the Music Conservatory of Sandpoint offers a free Celebration of American Music concert at Little Carnegie, followed there at 7 p.m. by 250 Express Part 2, an evening of American piano music. And at 5 p.m., the inaugural Sandpoint Idaho Film Fest opens with a free Film Crawl of short films at Matchwood Brewing, Utara Brewing, Pivo Peaks, The Bank, and Idaho Pour Authority, before the party moves to The Hive with DJ Lady Oda, an animated short, and a live set by Glizi; the festival runs through October 24, closing at the Panida Theater.
With a day that runs from a shoreline cleanup at sunrise to a film festival crawl after dark, this is exactly the kind of Saturday that reminds us why we love keeping a home on this hill. If you are coming up for Harvest Fest, for opening weekend next month, or for a first Learn to Ski in 3 lesson this winter, we would love to welcome you to The Village Overlook, our condo on the hill above Schweitzer's ski village. Come watch the light change over Lake Pend Oreille, rest up between adventures in town and on the mountain, and make yourself at home. We hope to see you soon.