Thursday, October 29, 2026
Did you know a ski season can start to feel real weeks before the first chair turns? That is where Schweitzer stands this Thursday morning. The resort's own Mountain Report, updated just minutes before it was read this morning, shows SNOW at both elevations: 31 degrees in the village and 25 degrees at the summit. The resort's daily message says the crew arrived on the mountain on the morning of October 28 to a fresh layer of snow on the slopes. SnowBrains forecast 9 to 12 inches for Schweitzer Tuesday through Thursday in this cycle, a forecast only. The resort remains closed for the season, but tentative opening day is Friday, November 27, just 29 days away, and the mountain is visibly starting to transform for winter.
For today's Thursday mountain conditions report, here are the resort's own figures in full. The village is 31 degrees with snow falling and wind calm at 0 miles per hour from the east, with a high and low of 28 and 26 degrees shown on the report. The summit is 25 degrees with snow falling and wind at 5 miles per hour from the south-southwest. Every snow field is still dashes - base, season total, and last 12, 24, and 48 hours - so no measured total is claimed yet. Operations are off-season: 0 of 10 lifts, 0 of 92 trails, 0 groomed runs, and 0 of 2,900 acres open, all closed for the season. The village forecast calls for cloudy skies today at 30 and 30 degrees with 5-mile-per-hour wind, cloudy Friday at 37 and 33, and mostly cloudy Saturday at 37 and 36.
The shared morning radar fits that unsettled picture. The Spokane and Missoula radars together show showers over Bonners Ferry and Sandpoint in North Idaho, and showers around Polson and Missoula and along Interstate 90 in western Montana. Expect wet roads and changing visibility on US-95 and I-90 today, and slow down rather than hurry. Back on the mountain, the practical deadlines are approaching fast. Schweitzer's season pass sale ends November 15, just 17 days away, with 3-Packs from 249 dollars, and lift tickets for the 2026-27 season are already on sale. Two dates belong on every local skier's calendar next: the State of Schweitzer gathering on November 12, and the SARS Ski Swap on November 14 at the Bonner County Fairgrounds, with check-in November 13, raising funds for Schweitzer Alpine Racing School.
Around the panhandle, the biggest civic story is the final stretch of voting. Early in-person voting for the Tuesday, November 3 election ends at 5 p.m. tomorrow, Friday, October 30, at the Bonner County Elections Office in the County Administration building at 1500 Highway 2 in Sandpoint. Absentee ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day, and polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on November 3. Sandpoint voters will decide, among other measures, a proposed 1 percent local option sales tax. If approved by at least 60 percent of voters on the question, it would take effect January 1, 2027 and run through December 31, 2036, with revenue after administration costs split 75 percent for streets and 25 percent for sidewalks and transportation connections. A 1 percent tax adds 10 cents to a 10-dollar purchase. Tomorrow is the last early-voting day.
Today's events lean straight into Halloween week. The headline tonight is The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Panida Theater in Sandpoint at 8 p.m., an audience-participation screening with a costume contest and provided props; doors open an hour early. Earlier in the evening, join the Irish Jam with Seamus at 5:30 p.m. at Connie's on Cedar Street, and the weekly pool tournament starts at 6 p.m. at Roxy's on Pine Street, a double-elimination BCA 8-ball tournament with a 10-dollar buy-in. In Bonners Ferry, the free Performers Circle at the Pearl Theater invites anyone to bring a song or spoken word to share. Sandpoint's civic calendar also lists a Digital Scams Program today.
The weekend then opens up quickly. On Friday, Fright Night brings five bands, including local group Every Dying Breath, plus a costume contest with a 100-dollar prize, while the Grand Kyiv Ballet presents Swan Lake, Symphony of Lights, reimagining Tchaikovsky with illuminated costumes and dazzling lighting. Halloween itself, Saturday, October 31, is the family high point, with pumpkin painting, downtown trick-or-treating and a candy walk, trunk-or-treats, an enchanted forest guided walk, and a Halloween costume and dance party. Build in extra time for wet roads and for kids crossing streets in costumes after dark.
That is also the spirit we try to keep at The Village Overlook, our hotel-style studio on the hill above Schweitzer's ski village. It is a warm, quiet base for these shoulder-season days: check the mountain report with coffee, head down to Sandpoint for a film or a last early vote, then come back up to cold air and tall trees. Schweitzer averages about 300 inches a year across 2,900 acres. A fresh October layer will not open a run, but it is a promise. We would love to welcome you from these last spooky days of October through to first chairs on November 27.